Jon Eastwood Publishes Paper with Tom Wolff ’14 The professor of sociology and anthropology and W&L alum explore building computational literacy into sociological curricula.

By Lily Caldwell
April 3, 2026

Jon Eastwood, William P. Ames Jr. Professor of Sociology at Washington and Lee University, and Tom Wolff ’14, research assistant professor at Northwestern University, recently published a paper titled “Building Computational Literacy in Undergraduate Sociology Using Software: An Example in Teaching Social Network Analysis,” along with Gabriel Varela, postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University.

The paper explores integrating computational literacy into undergraduate sociology curricula which can provide new avenues for students to connect sociological concepts with empirical cases. The authors attempt to overcome the logistical challenges of this aim by using software to integrate computational skill building into existing topical courses, utilizing a case study of a social network analysis course to illustrate this integration in practice. The paper identifies key difficulties, such as time constraints and students’ varied computational expertise, and offers recommendations for combating these difficulties. The authors argue that developing computational literacy in topical electives is possible and can afford students a deeper engagement with sociological research.

“This project could only have happened due to Professor Eastwood’s generosity as both a mentor and friend over the past decade,” said Wolff. “His continued interest in knowing how former students are doing allowed us to discover the perfect opportunity to combine our research and teaching interests. While W&L has long been known for the level of investment and care that W&L faculty put toward undergraduates, I cannot stress enough the difference it has made in my own life.”

The paper is based in part on a course that Eastwood teaches at W&L that he and Wolff redesigned together a couple years ago while Wolff was completing his postdoctoral fellowship. The work leading to the paper was supported by the Summer Research Collaboration Grant program from the dean of the College.

“I’m so glad to have had the chance to work with Tom and Gabriel on this article,” said Eastwood. “To think and write about pedagogy with a former student felt really meaningful, and both of these co-authors, though in earlier stages of their careers than I, are such outstanding scholars and teachers that I felt fortunate for the opportunity to collaborate with them.”

Eastwood has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2006 and currently serves as chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department. He holds both a Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. from Boston University.

After earning a B.A. from W&L in 2014, Wolff went on to earn a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in sociology from Duke University. He is currently a research assistant professor in the department of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, and his current research focuses on developing and refining network-based simulations of HIV transmission.

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