Alumni - Graduate Students

Here are Some Updates on Past Grad Students

Tiffany Boulton
Tiffany received a BA in Sociology from the University of Lethbridge. During her undergraduate degree she assisted Dr. Claudia Malacrida with her SSHRC-funded research on gender and disability, and became interested in further studying sociological issues relating to gender, sexuality, and the body. She completed her M.A. “Cuts Both Ways: Women’s Experiences of Cosmetic Breast Surgery” in July 2007, supervised by Dr. Malacrida. In the thesis, she explored questions of risk, knowledge production, gender norms, and the medicalization of beauty. Recently, she published an article from that project: Boulton, Tiffany and Claudia Malacrida (2102) “Women and Cosmetic Breast Surgery: Weighing the Medical, Social and Lifestyle Risks.”Qualitative Health Research. 22 (4). 511 – 523. Tiffany is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Leeds in England, where her research concerns social aspects of living with invisible disabilities.

Jennifer Franks
Jennifer obtained an MA in Sociology, supervised by Dr. Muriel Mellow. Her thesis examined 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. Her thesis explored how workers experience and understand a form of workplace social control called the mystery shopper program (MSP). Currently, Jennifer is pursuing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Alberta.

Tamara Larter
Tamara received her BA from the University of Alberta with a minor in English and a major in Sociology, and she completed her MA in Sociology, supervised by Dr. Claudia Malacrida. She is 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 conducted a thesis concerning the representation of female sex-trade workers in print media, entitled “More than ‘Whore: A Discourse Analysis on the Media Coverage of the Murders of Sex Trade Workers in Edmonton, Canada, 2001-2008.” Currently, Tamara is living and teaching in South Korea.

Natasha Fairweather
Natasha graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2007 with a BA, double major in Sociology and Religious Studies. As an undergraduate she assisted Dr. Kazemipur with his SSHRC- funded research on social capital and diversity, developing her own interest in social capital and social networking. She completed her MA in Sociology in 2009, supervised by Dr. Abdie Kazemipur. Her thesis, entitled “Religion and Trust in Canada”, explored the relation between religion and trust. Currently, Natasha is a disaster relief coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross in Lethbridge.

Michael Granzow
Michael graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of Lethbridge. He completed his MA in Sociology in Dr. William Ramp and Dr. Claudia Malacrida in early 2010. His thesis, entitled, “Bringing People to the Park”, examined politics, representation and citizenship that centered on an ethnography of Galt Gardens as a racialized and marginalizing space. He spent a year teaching English in Montreal, and will begin doctoral studies in September, 2012.