Department of Sociology

Christine Von Der Haar retired in the summer of 2020. She completed her Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1985 and years later returned to teach for the IU Sociology Department in the fall of 1992. Her cheerful demeanor and enthusiasm for her subjects endeared her to many students. She received Indiana University's Trustees Teaching Award in both 2004 and 2016 and published Social Psychology: A Sociological Perspective in 2005 through Pearson. She was also a faculty member for the Russian and East European Institute and took great joy in teaching about Russian politics and media. In 2018, she presented a paper on international front-page news stories and imagery at a conference in Greece sponsored by the Athens Institute for Education and Research.

She recently had this to say: "Truthfully, like most people, I have found so much happiness in just the simple things in life -- just having time to really appreciate my garden… I needed more flowers but didn't dare go out in spring of 2020 to get anything.  So, I ordered bulbs and roots from Brecks and Michigan Bulb -- various kinds of daylilies, peonies, and tulips.  I couldn't believe it worked so well.  In fact, they are the healthiest plants in my little garden.  It was so easy to plant these bulbs and roots.  And I really enjoyed watching them pop up and grow.  The builder had planted several limelight hydrangeas, so the hard part was done.  I just need to keep everything watered now.  It is a very low maintenance garden…

I will miss IU's beautiful campus.  Just walking across campus was always a pleasure… To be honest, I don't have much to report about my retirement.  It turned out to be a natural way to transition out of a busy career.  Despite the disruption of the pandemic, my last semester was wonderful.  My students were exceptional and rose to the challenge.  So, I will always have fond memories of my last semester at IU." We'll miss you, Chris!