Bio

Sociology has permitted me to investigate questions of power, gender, medicalization, and knowledge production. It has also enabled me to speak with a broad range of social actors, from ex-inmates of the Michener Center to disabled mothers in the community who encounter attitudes, policies and practices that are not always helpful, to doctors, midwives, doulas, educators and mothers whose perspectives on choice and childbirth make for interesting comparisons.

I incorporate many of my research interests into the courses I offer, which include: Sociology of the Body (Soci 3460), Gender (Soci 2410), Contemporary Theory at the undergraduate (Soci 2210) and graduate (Soci 5210) levels, and Methods at the graduate level.

I am currently supervising several graduate students whose work ranges from studies on masculinity and sexuality, the use of space if managing children with ADHD in the classroom, to international comparative work on reproductive rights for people with disabilities. I am willing to discuss graduate supervision with interested (and interesting) students.

Degrees: 

PhD (Sociology), University of Alberta; MA (Sociology), University of Calgary; BA (Sociology, with Distinction), University of Calgary

Expertise: 

Disability, Poststructuralism, Gender, Motherhood, Policy, Sexuality, the Body.

Research Areas: 

Gender, Family and disability, Choice and childbirth, Motherhood and helping professionals, Fatherhood and division of labour/caregiving, Mothers with disabilities, Historical research on eugenics and institutionalization of individuals with disabilities, Policy formation and consultation, International comparative studies relating to disability.

Previous Research: 

Gender, Motherhood, Disability, Attention Deficit Disorder, Comparative Studies.

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