Contact Information

Office: Science Hall 289B
Email:  dloconto@nmsu.edu

Curriculum Vitae  

Education

Ph.D. – Oklahoma State University, 1999
M.S. – Oklahoma State University, 1995
B.A. – Humboldt State University, 1993

Background

I have benefited from the opportunities to study a wide variety of social phenomena including work on people with developmental disabilities; bereavement; race/ethnicity; as well as early American sociological thought. Currently I am focusing more of my time on popular culture topics. I approach social phenomena from a social psychological perspective, specifically that of pragmatism blended with realism. As I approach the twilight of my career, I am focusing more on research that I find ‘fun’ and that will blend some of my 'off-work' interests with my career. After several years of focusing more on administrative duties, I am jumping in with some new projects.

Teaching

Most of the courses I teach now fall into two broad categories: (1) popular culture; and (2) social theory. In the classroom I like to see students integrate and synthesize ideas and apply them to the real world. I provide information on how popular culture and activism work together to try to make the world a better place.

Research

My focus now involves various elements of Star Trek, specifically focusing on social movements and identity. I published a book, Social Movements and the Collective Identity of the Star Trek Fandom: Boldly Going Where No Fans Have Gone Before, through Lexington Books – Rowman & Littlefield. This was released on March 10, 2020 (paperback was released in 2022). Currently, I am continuing this research addressing authenticity and nostalgia as it applies to the Star Trek fandom. This should be released in late 2024. After this project is over, my attention will turn to morality in Star Trek.

In addition, I am working on a popular culture textbook for Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company, tentatively titled Shaping Reality and Popular Culture. The expected release is August 2023.

Another project involves a mashup of various themes as they related to zombie films. My hope is to submit the first of this work some time in mid to late 2023.

I recently finished a social theory textbook, The Story of Sociological Theory: Contextualizing Social Thinkers, for Cognella Publishing. That will be released in January of 2023.