Rena Zito

Associate Professor of Sociology

Department: Sociology and Anthropology

Lindner Hall - Arts & Sciences, Office 212D 2035 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244

Email: rzito@elon.edu

Phone number: (336) 278-5235

Professional Expertise

Crime/delinquency, intimate partner violence, stigma management, sociology of Tourette Syndrome and neurodiversity

Brief Biography

Rena Zito is an associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Elon Unversity. Her research focuses on the social roots of rule-violating behavior, identity formation, and stigma processes. She teaches courses on criminology, embodied stigma, homelessness, family, and quantitative research methods.

News & Notes

Education

Dr. Zito received her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University, where she also received her M.S. in sociology. Before that, she received her B.A. in sociology and psychology from the University of Rhode Island.

Courses Taught

SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology

SOC 1620 Unhoused: Homelessness in the U.S.

SOC 1731 Bodies, Brains, and Stigma

SOC/ANT 2160 Quantitative Research Methods

SOC 3110 Sociology of Families

SOC 3150 SL Drugs & Society

SOC 3550 Criminology

SOC 3560 Gender and Crime

SOC 4970 Senior Seminar in Sociology

COR 3010 Becoming an Adult in the Modern Era

GBL 1560/2560 WT Australia: The Stolen Generation (study abroad)

GBL 1020/2020 WT Florida (Disney): Happiest Place? The Science of Happiness at Disney

ECF 2130 Elon College Fellows Sophomore Seminar (social sciences)

ECF 3130 Elon College Fellows Junior Research Seminar (social sciences)

Leadership Positions

Social Sciences Branch Director, Elon Collge Fellows (2025-current)

Interim Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (2024)

Coordinator of Criminal Justice Studies (2017-2022; Spring 2023)

Social Sciences Editor, American Journal of Undergraduate Research (2017-2023)

Criminology/Delinquency Area Editor, TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (2014-2020)

Current Projects

Dr. Zito is currently working on qualitative research on identity formation, disclosure, and stigma management among adults with Tourette Syndrome, as well as survey-based experimental research on attitudes towards perpetartors and victims of intimate partner violence. Students who want to develop research skills on these or similar topics, including the sociology of neurodivergence, are encouraged to contact Dr. Zito to talk about research opportunities.

Publications

Zito, Rena C., Stacy De Coster, and Eden Ralph (Elon '23). 2025. "College Applicants with Felony Records: The Impact of Race and Offense Type on College Students' Attitudes." Sociological Focus, online first.

Zito, Rena C. 2025. "When You're (Not) the Stereotype: Coprolalia Stigma in the Lives of Adults with Tourette Syndrome." Deviant Behavior, online first.

Zito, Rena C. 2023. “Crime and Deviance in the Sociology Curriculum.” In The Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Sociology, edited by Sergio Cabrera and Stephen Sweet. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Zito, Rena C. 2023. "Identifying Deviant Behavior." In Sociology in Action, 3rd edition, edited by K. Korgen and M. Atkinson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Zito, Rena C. 2022. "Podcast Review: You're Wrong About." Teaching Sociology 50(1): 96-99.

Zito, Rena C. and Kaylynn L. Hiller (Elon '22). 2022. "'The Perfect Controlled Experiment': The Impact of Abortion Clinic Closures on Teenage and Adult Reproductive Outcomes in Texas." Sociological Imagination.

Zito, Rena C. 2022. Engaged Criminology: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Zito, Rena C. 2022. “Identifying Problems in the Criminal Justice System.” In Social Problems: Sociology in Action, 3rd edition, edited by K. Korgen, M. Trautner, and M. Atkinson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Zito, Rena C. 2020. "Discovering Problems in the Family." In Social Problems: Sociology in Action, edited by K. Korgen, M. Trautner, and M. Atkinson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Zito, Rena C. 2020. "Relative Employment, Gender Beliefs, and Intimate Partner Coercion and Violence against New Mothers across Marital and Residential Contexts.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 35: 4492-4516.

Zito, Rena C. 2019. "Institutional Anomie and Justification of Morally Dubious Behavior and Violence Cross-Nationally: A Multilevel Examination." Australia and New Zealand Journal of Criminology.

Zito, Rena C. 2018. "Children as Saviors? A Propensity Score Analysis of the Impact of Teenage Motherhood on Personal Transformation." Youth & Society 50: 1100-1122.

De Coster, Stacy, Rena C. Zito, and Jennifer Lutz. 2018. "Racisms and Crime:Racialized Elaborations of General Theories of Offending." In The Handbook of Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice, edited by R. Ramirez, J. Stowell, and M Hollis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Zito, Rena C. 2018. "Teenage Motherhood and Personal Transformation: A Counterfactual Analysis using Propensity Score Matching." SAGE Research Methods Cases.

De Coster, Stacy and Rena C. Zito. 2017. "The Social Landscape of Intractable Offending from Adolescence to Adulthood among African American Males in Marginalized Contexts.” In Preventing Crime and Violence, edited by B. Teasdale and M. Bradley. NY: Springer.

Zito, Rena C. and Stacy De Coster. 2016. "Family Structure, Maternal Dating, and Sexual Debut: Extending the Conceptualization of Instability.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 45: 1003-1019.

Zito, Rena C. and Mindy L. Vulpis. 2016. "Social Capital and Spousal Education: Marriage Market Returns to Social Participation." Sociological Focus 49: 133-147.

Zito, Rena C. 2015. “Family Structure History and Teenage Cohabitation: Instability, Structural Disadvantage, or Transmission?” Journal of Family Issues 36: 299-325.

De Coster, Stacy and Rena C. Zito. 2013. “Maternal Roles and Adolescent Depression: Conditions and Processes of Influence.” Sociological Perspectives 56: 1-23.

Parcel, Toby, Mikaela Dufur, and Rena C. Zito. 2010. “Capital at Home and at School: A Review and Synthesis.” Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 828-846.

De Coster, Stacy and Rena C. Zito. 2010. “Gender and General Strain Theory: The Gendering of Emotional Experiences and Expressions.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 26: 224-245.

Presentations

Selected recent presentations:

Otten, Mallory and Rena C. Zito. 2025. “Beauty and Blame: How Gender and Attractiveness Shape Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence.” American Society of Criminology. November 12-15. Washington DC.

Zito Rena C. 2025. “When You’re (Not) the Stereotype: Coprolalia in the Lives of People with Tourette Syndrome.” Southern Sociological Society. April 9-12. Charlotte, NC.

Zito Rena C. 2025. “‘Good Tourette’s’ and ‘Bad Tourette’s’: Coprolalia, Stereotypes, and Resisting Marginalization in a Tourette Syndrome Discussion Forum.” Eastern Sociological Society. March 6-9. Boston, MA.

Zito, Rena C., and Stacy M. De Coster. 2024. “Offense Type, Race, and College Students’ Attitudes towards College Applicants with Criminal Records: Experimental and Qualitative Results.” Southern Sociological Society. April 3-6. New Orleans, LA.