Tory Banknell
Major/Minor
SociologyCampus Involvement
- Major: Sociology
Q & A
Hometown? Baltimore, Maryland
Favorite Sociology Course? Sociology of Religion - I went to a Catholic grade school and Episcopal high school so I have always been interested in religion. I really enjoyed getting to examine it from a sociological perspective. I specifically liked that we got to study religion’s impact on different social issues. I loved the course so much I decided to write my thesis on a simlar topic.
Why I Majored in Sociology? I had originally declared Biology as my major but quickly found that I really loved my Introduction to Sociology course. I realized that I would be learning many skills that would assist me in my future career and allow me a different perspective when working with people.
Sociology Thesis
Religion and Abortion
My thesis examines religion’s impact on politics. I am specifically interested in how religion influences people’s opinions on abortion. I use three indicators of religion in my analysis: one’s religious belief (i.e., liberal-to-fundamental), religious commitment (e.g., prayer, church attendance), and religious affilitation. I’m interested to see which of these are most powerful in predicting one’s political attitude toward abortion.
