| Rutledge Dennis | |
| Birth Name: | Rutledge Melvin Dennis |
| Birth Date: | 16 August 1939 |
| Birth Place: | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Nationality: | American |
| Fields: | Sociology |
| Workplaces: | Virginia Commonwealth University George Mason University |
| Education: | South Carolina State University Washington State University |
| Thesis Title: | The Sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois |
| Thesis Url: | https://www.worldcat.org/formats-editions/7769687 |
| Thesis Year: | 1975 |
| Doctoral Advisors: | )--> |
| Awards: | American Sociological Association DuBois-Johnson-Frazier Award (2006) |
| Spouses: | )--> |
| Partners: | )--> |
Rutledge Melvin Dennis (born August 16, 1939) is an American sociologist who is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University. A noted expert on the work of W. E. B. Du Bois, he was formerly the first coordinator of African American studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.[1] He was the president of the Association of Black Sociologists from 1982 to 1983. In 2001, he received the Association's Joseph S. Himes Distinguished Scholarship Award.[2] In 2006, he received the DuBois-Johnson-Frazier Award from the American Sociological Association. The statement accompanying this award described Dennis as "one of the leading scholars on DuBois."[3] In 2010, he created the Dennis-Weathers award in honor of his parents and godparents. The award is given annually by Virginia Commonwealth University to an exemplary African American studies student.[4]