Rate My Professor Neil Gross

Neil Gross is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology at Colby College, where he joined the faculty in 2015 and serves in the Sociology Department. Before arriving at Colby, he taught at the University of Southern California, Harvard University, the University of British Columbia, and Princeton University. Gross earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002 and his B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1992. His scholarly trajectory reflects a deep engagement with sociological theory, intellectual history, and contemporary social issues.

Gross's research interests focus on the politics of higher education, intellectuals and intellectual life, police and police reform, and pragmatism. He is the author of key books such as Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher (University of Chicago Press, 2008), Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? (Harvard University Press, 2013), and Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt, 2023). Among his highly cited articles are "A Pragmatist Theory of Social Mechanisms" (American Sociological Review, 2009), "A General Theory of Scientific/Intellectual Movements" (American Sociological Review, 2005), "The Destraditionalization of Intimacy Reconsidered" (Sociological Theory, 2005), and "The Religiosity of American College and University Professors" (Sociology of Religion, 2009). He has published in leading journals including the Annual Review of Sociology, Theory and Society, and others. Gross regularly writes for outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, and Boston Globe, extending his influence beyond academia. At Colby, he teaches Introduction to Sociology (SO131), Classical Sociological Theory (SO215), and Practice of Policymaking (SO317). His ongoing projects include a book on how politics is reshaping the undergraduate experience (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster) and a collaborative study with Elisabeth Anderson, Daniel Karell, and Solon Simmons on faculty and institutions navigating the current political era.