Arland Thornton (born July 18, 1944) is an American sociologist who specializes in the study of marriage and family. He was the director of the

Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan The Michigan Population Studies Center is a demography center in the United States, with an extensive record in both domestic and international population research and training. History and research focus The University of Michigan's Populat ...

from 2004-2008. He received his bachelor's degree from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Thornton specializes in the study of marriage, family, and life course structures and processes. His work currently focuses on intergenerational relations, cohabitation, marriage, divorce, reproductive behavior, living arrangements, and gender roles in Nepal, Taiwan, and the United States.https://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/people/profile/384/Arland_Thornton Populations Studies Center bio on Thornton Books authored and co-authored by Thornton include ''International Family Change: Ideational Perspectives''. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. 2008 (with others), ''Marriage and Cohabitation''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2007 (with others), ''Reading History Sideways: the Fallacy and Enduring Impact of the Developmental Paradigm on Family Life''. Chicago, IL : University of Chicago Press. 2005, ''The Well-Being of Children and Families''. Ann Arbor, MI : University of Michigan Press. 2001, ''Ties That Bind: Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation''. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. 2000 (with others), and ''Social Change and the Family in Taiwan''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1994 (with Hui-Sheng Lin). Thornton has published chapters in ten books and published scholarly articles in the ''American Journal of Sociology'', ''American Sociological Review'', ''Journal of Marriage and Family'', ''American Anthropologist'', ''Ethnology'', ''Human Biology'' and many others In 1995 Thornton's book ''Social Change and the Family in Taiwan'' received both the William J. Goode Book Award and the Otis Dudley Duncan Award from the

American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...

. The former is awarded for the most outstanding contribution to family scholarship in the previous two years. In 2007 his book ''Reading History Sideways: The Fallacy and Enduring Impact of the Developmental Paradigm on Family Life'' received the William J. Goode Book Award.

Notes

References

* ''Church News'', May 25, 1996

External links

Populations Studies Center bio on Thornton

Developmental Idealism Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Arland 1944 births Living people American sociologists Latter Day Saints from Michigan Brigham Young University alumni University of Michigan faculty University of Michigan alumni