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I began my scholarly career at Manchester Community College in Connecticut. I then completed a BA in Philosophy and a BA in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut in 2007. At UConn, I recevied a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies in 2008, an MA in Sociology in 2013, and my PhD in Sociology in 2019. During my time as a graduate student, I adjuncted in the Sociology Department at Connecticut College, initiaing and developing the following courses for their catalogue: Sociology of Intimacies; Sociology of Sexualities; and Feminism and Science Fiction. Since receving my PhD in 2019, I have taught full-time as a Teaching Assistant Professor of Sociology at Siena College. I write broadly on political economy, the state in its various forms, and the ways that both affect and are affected by identity categories. 

Degree Program University
Ph.D. Sociology University of Connecticut

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

My main teaching objectives are to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills and cultivate their sociological imaginations, as well as to instill the value of lifelong learning. Dominant ideologies in the U.S. tend to emphasize individual effort and achievement, with less understanding of the ways in which individual lives are intertwined, constrained, and enabled by structures beyond individual control. Understanding the interrelationship between structure and agency is a valuable framework that shapes engaged citizens. The ability to analyze, assess, and incorporate multiple sources of information is imperative in our global and increasingly information-based economy. It is also important to cultivate ambitions toward learning beyond formal education and beyond the instrumental needs of obtaining a credential. The continued progress of our society is dependent on the creativity of future generations; I strive for a learning environment that encourages dialogue and questioning.

 
I root my philosophy of teaching in feminist and critical pedagogical methods, critical theories of race, and antiauthoritarian ideals of social justice. I substantively practice those methods in the classroom by constructing material from the standpoints of students. Thus, for me, the process of social justice begins by viewing the world from the standpoint of the marginalized and constructing knowledge with the intent to dismantle marginalization. I likewise give form to the experience of marginalization by asking students to consider perspectives outside of the mainstream of political and social thought. My students engage with Black feminist and Chicana theory, queer theory, critical race theory, and critical theories of political economy. It is not enough, then, to study racism, heterosexism, or the many other forms of social domination. Rather, we also actively seek to disrupt them, quit socially reproducing those relationships in our lives, and find alternatives for contemporary normative thinking and institutional organization.

What I Love About Siena

I love Siena's small class sizes, engaged student body, and the camaraderie among faculty, staff, and administration

My Favorite Courses to Teach

Sociological Perspective
Gender, Power, and Society
Political Sociology
Social Movements and the State
Social Theory Seminar
Qualitative Methods
Sociology of Science Fiction 

My Professional Experience

Year Title Organization
2019 - Now Teaching Assistant Professor of Sociology Siena College
2014 - 2019 Adjunct Instructor Connecticut College
2011 - 2019 Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant University of Connecticut

Current Research

I write broadly on political economy, the state in its various forms, and the ways that both affect and are affected by identity categories.

Articles & Book Reviews

  • The State, the UDHR, and the Social Construction of Family in Human Rights: The Case of the Scarborough 11
    Journal is not in list - being petitioned, vol. 16
    2022
  • "One Among Many"? Relational Panopticism and Negotiating Non-Monogamies
    Sexualities, vol. 22
    2019
  • Book Review: Growing Up Queer: Kids and the Remaking of LGBTQ Identity by Mary Robertson
    Gender and Society, vol. 34
    2019
  • Bringing Non-Human Animals Into Food Justice: Review Essay of Eating Animals
    Theory in Action, vol. 7
    2014
  • Loving and Teaching: Some Notes on Queering Anarchist Pedagogies
    Educational Studies, vol. 48
    2012
  • Some Thoughts on Synthesis and Political Identity: A Review of Wobblies and Zapatistas
    Theory in Action, vol. 3
    2010
  • Theoretical Polyamory: Some Thoughts on Loving, Thinking, and Queering Anarchism
    Sexualities, vol. 13
    2010

Books & Book Chapters

  • The State of State Theory: State Projects, Repression, and Multi-sites of Power
    Lexington Books
    2018
  • Interdisciplinary Approaches to Pedagogy and Place-Based Education
    Palgrave Macmillan
    2017
  • The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies
    Wiley-Blackwell
    2016
  • The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies
    Wiley-Blackwell
    2016
  • The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies
    Wiley-Blackwell
    2016
  • International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2e
    Elsevier
    2015