Dr. Tricia Bruce

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Tricia Bruce received her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2006. Her research and teaching interests include the sociology of religion, social movements, Catholicism, immigration, and organizations as well as applied sociology.

Dr. Bruce's book, Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church (Oxford University Press, 2011), examines the development and sociological significance of Voice of the Faithful, a lay Catholic movement that mobilized in response to the crisis of child abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church. Read a Maryville College press release about this book and find a copy at the MC bookstore or via sellers including Amazon.

Dr. Bruce's overarching research agenda contemplates how religious identities are contested and negotiated within institutions. She is also interested in how social institutions (and religious institutions in particular) respond to diversity within. Dr. Bruce's current research on "personal" (non-territorial) parishes in the U.S. Catholic Church is funded by the National Science Foundation and Louisville Institute.

Professor Bruce teaches classes in the sociology of religion, social movements, and social theory as well as classes in the core curriculum including immigration and disaster. She regularly incorporates students into her research and has published in the sociology of teaching. The syllabus and ethnography panel assignment from her Sociology of Religion class, for example, can be found among the learning resources of the Association for Religion Data Archives (the ARDA).

Additional information about Dr. Bruce's teaching, publications, and honors/awards can be found below. Please also visit Dr. Bruce's own webpage and follow her on Twitter @TriciaCBruce. Students and visitors can find her in Thaw Hall 203a.

Courses Taught at Maryville College

  • Sociology of Religion (SOC/REL 325)
  • Social Movements (SOC/PLS 349)
  • Social Theory (SOC 401)
  • Introductory Sociology (SOC 101)
  • Senior Thesis (SOC 351/SOC 352)
  • Immigration (SLS 260)
  • Disaster (FRS 140)
  • Orientation (ORN 110)

Selected Publications and Reports

Bruce, Tricia C. Forthcoming. The Sociology of Catholicism. Oxford Bibliographies Online.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2011. Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2010. "Engaging Young Adults in a Catholic Mega-parish." Changing Spirituality of Emerging Adults Project, www.changingsea.org.

Bendyna, Mary E., Tricia C. Bruce, and Mary L. Gautier. 2008. "Listening to the Spirit: Bishops and Parish Life Coordinators." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2007. "The Impact of Service on Religiosity: A Survey of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps." Review of Religious Research. 49 (1).

Gray, Mark M., Paul M. Perl, and Tricia C. Bruce. 2007. "Marriage in the Catholic Church: A Survey of U.S. Catholics." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2007. "Profile of Brazilian Immigrants in the United States." Boston, MA: City of Boston.

Gray, Mark M., Tricia C. Bruce, Mary L. Gautier, and Mary E. Bendyna. 2007. "Elementary School Trends and Models: A Report on D.C. and U.S. Catholic Elementary Schools for the Archdiocese of Washington." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Gray, Mark M., Paul Perl, Tricia C. Bruce, and Mary E. Bendyna. 2007. "Five Years Later: The Opinions of U.S. Catholics about the Church’s Handling of Sexual Abuse of Minors." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Bendyna, Mary E. and Tricia C. Bruce. 2007. "Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America: A Survey of Brothers and Partners in Ministry." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Gautier, Mary L. and Tricia C. Bruce. 2007. "2006-2007 Diaconate Post-Ordination Survey." Washington, D.C.: CARA at Georgetown University.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2006. "Contested Accommodation on the Meso Level: Discursive Adaptation Within Catholic Charities’ Immigration and Refugee Services." American Behavioral Scientist. 49:1489-1508.

Bruce, Tricia C. 2006. "Hypotheses, Formulation and Testing, Content Analysis, Gender Roles, Mate Selection." Innovative Techniques for Teaching Sociological Concepts (4th Edition). Edited by Edward Kain and Sandi Nenga. American Sociological Association.

Awards and Honors

  • National Science Foundation Sociology Program Grant (2012-2013)
  • Project Grant for Researchers, the Louisville Institute (2012-2013)
  • Funded Research Fellowship, Engaged Scholars Studying Congregations, Lilly Endowment, Inc. (2010-2011)
  • Research Fellow, The Changing Spirituality of Emerging Adults, Lilly Endowment, Inc. (2009-2010)
  • Faculty Development Award, Maryville College (2009)
  • Sage/Pine Forge Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award (2008)
  • Faculty Development Award, Maryville College (2008)
  • Invited Participant, Young Scholars in the Sociology of Religion Conference, Notre Dame (2007)
  • Departmental Research Award, UC Santa Barbara (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
  • Research Fellowship, Walter Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life (2005)
  • Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant, UC Santa Barbara (2005)
  • Student Research Award, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (2004)
  • Robert J. McNamara Top Student Paper Award, Association for the Sociology of Religion (2004)
  • Graduate Research Award, The Center for Chicano Studies, UC Santa Barbara  (2002)
  • Frank E. Luksa Award, Top Student in Sociology, Southwestern University (2001)
  • Laura Kuykendall Award, Top Student in Communication, Southwestern University (2001)
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Southwestern University (2001)

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