Patricia A. Adler

Patricia A. Adler is an American educator and sociologist who is currently a professor emerita at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Education Patricia A. Adler earned an A.B. in Sociology in 1973 from the Washington University in St. Louis. Adler continued her studies at the University of Chicago where she received a M.A. in Social Science in 1974. Additionally, Adler received a M.A. in sociology in 1975, and a Ph.D. in 1984 from the University of California, San Diego.

Career Patricia A. Adler is the professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Sociology Program at the University of Colorado.

Works

Researching Dealers and Smugglers Information on upper level drug smugglers and dealers is sparse due to the fact that it is so difficult for sociological researchers to get close to them. The only way for Adler to get close and gather information was to become a participant. Adler's different goals and values came before her becoming a complete participant in the subculture. Her fears also prevented her from becoming actively involved in the trafficking activities which took place. Through Adler assuming a "peripheral" participant role, she became a participant of the smugglers' and dealers' social circles and was involved in their daily activities. research, in which she followed upper level drug dealers and smugglers in the 1970s. In earlier writings, Adler described their criminal careers, attempts, which were often temporary and unsuccessful, to leave the drug world after years of trafficking, and the ways they found to make a living for themselves. The lecture involved teaching assistants dressing up as prostitutes from different social positions and telling stories about their lives.