Dr. Joel Best

(Ph.D. California, Berkeley)

Joel Best received his M.A. and Ph.D. (1971) degrees in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a M.A. degree in history from the University of Minnesota. He taught at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN--1969-70), California State University, Fresno (1970-91), and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1991-99).

Research Interests: Best's research focuses on deviance and social problems. His current research concerns awards, prizes, and honors in American culture.


Service Activities: Dr. Best is a former President of the Midwest Sociological Society and the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and a former Editor of the journal Social Problems.

Representative Publications:

Joel Best, Threatened Children (1990); University of Chicago Press

Joel Best, (ed.) Images of Issues (2/e--1995); Aldine de Gruyter

Joel Best, Controlling Vice (1998); Ohio State University Press

Joel Best, Random Violence (1999); University of California Press

Joel Best, Damned Lies and Statistics ( 2001); University of California Press

Joel Best, (ed.) How Claims Spread ( 2001); Aldine de Gruyter

Joel Best, Deviance: Career of a Concept (2004); Wadsworth

Joel Best, More Damned Lies and Statistics (2004); University of California Press.

Joel Best, Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads (2006); University of California Press.

Joel Best, Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data (2008); University of California Press

Joel Best, Everyone's a Winner: Life in Our Congratulatory Culture (2011); University of California Press

Joel Best, The Stupidity Epidemic: Worrying about Students, Schools, and America's Future (2011); Routledge

Joel Best, Social Problems (2/e--2013); Norton