Broadly, I am interested in questions related to urban governance, philanthrocapitalism, and the intersections of science and technology from historical and contemporary perspectives. In my doctoral dissertation, The Business of Resilience: Philanthropy, Partnerships, and Politics, I turned to actor-network theory to interrogate how the concept of resilience has coalesced into networks and assemblages. By outlining these networks, I explored what happens when philanthropy intersects with so-called resilient cities. Building on this research, I am currently investigating the shifting metaphors of resilience during uncertain times, as well as collaborating on a Shared Online Projects Initiative (SOPI) between Carleton University and the University of Ottawa entitled Recipro: The History Of International And Humanitarian Aid that traces the history of philanthropic and international aid organizations.
Podcasts and Storytelling
I am interested in how academic knowledge can be disseminated using new (and traditional), innovative, and creative ways, such as through audio-visual content creation, including podcasts, videos, performance art, and music. I have experience in podcasting from almost all angles, including production, editing, promotion, and interviews. I am currently producing and co-hosting The Department Podcast, sponsored by the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, about teaching and learning in higher education. The podcast is a platform to discuss academic research, student life, and what happens inside and outside the classroom. My current and past experience with podcasting is about building community through audio storytelling and fostering spaces to demonstrate the value of social science research and scholarship. I am also interested in the potential for academic podcasts, including peer-reviewed podcasts, that can serve as a vehicle to disseminate high quality scholarly work in an accessible format. I approach podcasting as an experiential, co-learning opportunity that is grounded in storytelling pedagogy. My philosophy is that academic and scholarly work can, and should, be accessible to everyone. Audio-based storytelling holds the potential to reach new audiences while offering a participatory platform to engage in community building outreach.
Teaching and Learning
My approach to teaching and learning builds off of the process of storytelling and is rooted in a reciprocal process of listening and telling. My pedagogy is premised on offering students opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and capacities to think critically about the world in unique ways, including questioning the taken for granted. I rely on a wide variety of literatures and diverse systems of knowledge to make course material relevant and engaging to students in their current and future lives, while helping to hone some of the practical abilities desired inside and outside higher education. During teaching symposiums, workshops, and presentations, I have sought to promote a community of learning around podcasting and audio storytelling that extends beyond the classroom. My teaching practice fosters lifelong learning by translating scholarly work into engaging and relatable stories that can spur imagination, creativity, and inspiration. An extension of this practice has been the opportunity to work alongside undergraduate students through the Student as Partners Program grant.
Winter 2022
Popular Culture in the Digital Age (SOCI/DIGH 2705) Sociology of Deviance (SOCI 2445) Creative Sociology: The Art of Critical Making and Production (FYSM1506)
Previous Terms
Qualitative Research Methods (SOCI 3004) Lineages of Racialized Music and Religion (SOCI 4850/ANTH 4215/ ANTH 5708) Introduction to Sociology II (SOCI 1002)
