Current Grad Students
Name: Michael Granzow
Supervisor: Dr. William Ramp and Dr. Claudia Malacrida
Background: Graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA in Sociology
Research Interests: The social production and construction of urban space. I am conducting an ethnography of Galt Gardens as a contested space within the community of Lethbridge.
Name: Pinar Kocak
Supervisor: Dr. Claudia Malacrida
Background: BA University of Alberta
Research Interests: A graduate of the University of Alberta, Pinar is interested in exploring the ways that children identified with Attention Deficit Disorder are served (or not) in the public school system.
Name: Tamara Larter
Supervisor: Dr. Claudia Malacrida
Background: I completed my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, in 2006, with a major in Sociology, and a minor in English.
Research Interests:I am particularly interested in gender relations, sexuality and social control, and how these (and other issues) are played out in women's lives and on women's bodies. During my graduate program I plan to conduct a discourse analysis concerning the representation of female sex-trade workers in print media throughout the Canadian prairie provinces.
Name: Carlin Nicholson
Supervisor: Dr. Jason Laurendeau
Background: Graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA in Sociology
Research Interests: My thesis research explores the intersections of risk, gender, and emotion in a phenomenological study of guided kayak tours. I will be conducting a qualitative study on the west coast of B.C. that builds off my personal experience as a Kayak Guide.
Name: Abe Tinney
Supervisor: Dr. Trevor Harrison
Background: I graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA in Sociology
Research Interests: Public welfare in Alberta.
Some questions that hold myinterest: How does public welfare in Alberta differ from the other provinces and territories in the country? How relevant to Alberta is the argument that public welfare is being reformed (and has been for some time)under a neo-liberal/conservative ideology? Given the boom and bust nature of Alberta's economy, are there any connections between periods of economic booms/busts and the nature of public policy and welfare?
Past Grad Students
Name: Tiffany Boulton
Supervisor: Dr. Claudia Malacrida
Background: I received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Lethbridge in June 2005. During my undergraduate degree I became interested in further studying sociological issues relating to gender, sexuality, and the body. I completed my M.A. in July 2007
Research Interests: In my graduate programme I undertook a qualitative interview-based study of young women who have undergone breast augmentation surgery for cosmetic purposes. I found that, despite the many health risks involved, breast implants and cosmetic reconstruction are becoming increasingly acceptable and the procedure is becoming an even more popular option for women who wish to change their physical appearance. The study examines the risks and rewards the women experienced, and analyzes social influences on women's "choices" including gender imperatives, media representation, medicalization of beauty and an increasingly consumerist approach to body modification.
Name: Jennifer Franks
Supervisor: Dr. Muriel Mellow
Background:
Research Interests I am trying to understand how frontline retail workers actually do their work and how this compares, or contrasts, to the objective, ideal image of their work; this ideal image can be found through job descriptions, required tasks, and how 'excellent customer service' is defined by the business/organization. My thesis research will examine how workers experience and understand a form of workplace social control called the mystery shopper program (MSP).
Specifically, I am interested in the mystery shopper program as it is used in retail sales. This program is a form of workplace social control that relies on the scripting of employees' behaviours, voices, and (often) their feelings.
Name: Tyson Will
Supervisor: Dr. William Ramp
Background: In 2005, I received my Bachelors degree in Sociology, also from the University of Lethbridge, with undeclared minors in Biology and Philosophy (a broad perspective is a good thing!). I also have a diploma in agricultural studies, with a focus on animal science. During my time as an undergraduate, I developed a deep interest in social theory, particularly as it pertains to the social construction of reality, power & social relations, and ethics & social boundaries.
Research Interests: More broadly, I am interested in the explanatory potential of social theory, or, why are things the way they are! More specifically, my research is primarily focused on the construction and mediation of identity, particularly within the context of a relationship between religion and nationalism. I am studying a well known television church service and its ministry to attempt to illustrate how one popular voice from the religious community negotiates identity as that of a person of faith and member of a national political body.
Name: Kristen Desjarlais
Supervisor: Dr. Reginald Bibby
Background: I receiveda B.A. in Behavioural Science from Nazarene University College in Calgary, Alberta. In my undergrad I became interested in social change, inequality and religion.
Research Interests: In my graduate program I plan to utilize the Project Canada data sets to understand how women's increased participation in the paid labour force over the last thirty years affected church participation (both in attendance and participation).
Name: Natasha Fairweather
Supervisor: Dr. Abdie Kazemipur
Background: I graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2007 with a BA, double major in Sociology and Religious Studies. As an undergraduate assisted Dr. Kazemipur with his SSHRC- funded research on social capital and diversity, developing my own interest in social capital and social networking.
Research Interests: My research interests include: online community building and maintenance, social trust and religion, religion on the internet, social capital in religious and online contexts, and the formation and maintenance of new religious movements. In my graduate program I plan to examine the relation between religion and trust. With regard to the survey question "Do you think most people can be trusted or that you can't be too careful?" research has shown that generalized trust varies widely by religion. Also, the religions whose members tend to be the least trusting are the religions that are more likely to tend towards fundamentalism. I will examine these relationships using both quantitative (existing survey data) and qualitative (interviews) methods.