I love teaching students how to see the social systems shaping everyday life. In 2019, I won the UConn AAUP Teaching Excellence Award: Early Career. I mainly teach courses that provide theoretical frameworks in medical sociology, disability studies, feminist theory, and science & technology studies (STS). Armed with these tools, students (many who are premed) map viewpoints of various stakeholders invested in particular technologies, healthcare issues, or disabilities. Whatever jobs my students go on to do, I want them to leave my courses with confidence in their critical thinking skills and–because of their exposure to sociological thinking, attention to the family context, and the humanistic side of science, medicine & technology–able to do those jobs better and be thoughtful 21st century citizens.
Image by Berg Studio. Image description: The image is overlaid onto a bright yellow background. On the left side, there's a blue & white iceberg. A horizontal line cuts across it, denoting what is seen under water (the largest part) & what is seen above water (a small portion). Above the iceberg is a winding arrow pointing upward, indicating energy generating from below. On the right side of the image appears two words, one above the line ("surface") and one below ("systems").
COURSES
Undergraduate: Gender & Science; Feminist Disability Studies; Critical Approaches in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Biotechnology, Disability and the Family.
Graduate: Qualitative research methods 1 & 2, Feminist Approaches to Disability, Illness, and Care.
STUDENT RESPONSES TO COURSES
It gave me a much broader perspective on medicalization and biotechnology that I barely knew existed; it's taught me about the different moral decisions I will have to make (as a woman, a mother, a responsible member of society) and a whole other sphere of disability that I've never honestly taken to heart. -- Student in Biotechnology, Disability and the Family
This course gave me a sense of individuality and made me feel that I can have a part in the construction of knowledge rather than merely memorizing information that is fed to me...The course shows how little we often know of important social and medical issues. -- Student in Gender and Science
It's extremely important for [healthcare practitioners] to be aware of medicine and science from this perspective because it's relevant. It's real and it matters. This isn't what they directly teach you in those 6+ years of med school. There it's all about the books. Here it was all about the people. -- Student in Biotechnology, Disability and the Family
I really like that I can critically analyze my surroundings and society. This has probably been one of the most useful classes I have taken during my college career. I learned HOW to think. -- Student in Feminist Disability Studies
It gives me a ground to stand on. A firm one. It gives me confidence to stand on that ground and to build on it; to challenge people who threaten it and ignore it...with society so rapidly changing this is necessary. You can't know where you stand or make change if you're ignorant. This course has removed me from that category. -- Student in Biotechnology, Disability and the Family