Publications

​"EMOTIONS ON CAMPUS"

In this project, I am exploring a variety of issues related to the emotional experiences of university students, including causes and consequences of fear and anxiety in the college classroom and the availability and effectiveness of social support. 

PAST FOCUS: Born in 2013, this project began with a series of anonymous student surveys focused upon fear and anxiety in the classroom.  

In 2018, I led a team of 21 graduate students in my Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology course to expand the study by incorporating a series of focus groups and qualitative interviews of current CSULA students.

CURRENT FOCUS: The current stage of this project involves analysis of the various datasets constructed over the last several years. In collaboration with a few very capable graduate students, I am exploring several pointed research questions. My intention is to co-author peer-reviewed journal publications on these topics with my graduate students and to present our work at national conferences.

"EXPLORING IDENTITY, EMOTION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AFTER TRAUMATIC LOSS" 

Through my original study focused upon loss of a loved one to homicide, I became interested in exploring the effects of what I now call 'traumatic identities.' ‘Traumatic identities’ are non-voluntary, non-normative, stigmatized, permanent identities associated with the sudden and unanticipated loss of another identity and prolonged, intense, negative emotions including powerlessness, grief and anger. 

I discovered that the experiences of individuals with ‘traumatic identities’ are unique and often misunderstood. Traumatic, life-altering events, which redefine one's identities and disrupt one’s sense of self, have effects that reach a wide range of areas of individuals’ lives. Past research on emotion, identity and social support typically focuses upon identities that are more common, voluntary, non-stigmatized, and/or better understood by social scientists and society at large. By focusing upon ‘traumatic identities,’ and taking a sociological approach by considering meaning-making processes and the impact supportive others have upon the individual, I investigate the way ‘traumatic identities’ affect one’s sense of self, emotions, views of the world in general, and social relationships. 

Through such work, we will come to better understand the personal and social consequences associated with loss of identities and acceptance of new, ‘traumatic identities.' 

PAST FOCUS: The first stage of this project focused upon individuals who had lost loved ones to homicide (details below). The methods included in-depth interviews and participant observations. 

CURRENT FOCUS: The second stage of this project is focused upon individuals' experiences following severe spinal cord injury. Methods involve longitudinal interviews.

FUTURE FOCUS: The next stage of this project will focus upon individuals who have been wrongfully convicted. Methods will include content analysis of auto-biographies.

"VET NET STUDENT AMBASSADOR PROJECT"

The goal of this project is to investigate the various ways we can better support student-veterans on our campus. Through a series of student-led focus groups, we are gathering data on student experiences and perspectives with regard to student-veterans on campus. In collaboration with the Veterans Resource Center at CSULA, our intention is to use this research to design a Vet Net Student Ambassador Program on campus that will increase the level of support for current and future student-veterans at CSULA by raising awareness of, and sensitivity toward, the unique experiences of student-veterans.

“REDEFINING MURDER: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF EMOTION, IDENTITY, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT FOLLOWING LOSS OF A LOVED ONE TO HOMICIDE"​

Using a symbolic interactionist’s perspective, this research explores issues of identity, social support, and emotion (including forgiveness/non-forgiveness) after loss due to homicide. Since 2013, I have been interviewing people who have lost loved ones in this tragic manner. Participants share their stories with me in confidential, informal interviews so that we can better understand what their experiences have been. Too often, the loved ones of murder victims are left unheard, and this is an opportunity to give these individuals a voice. During this time, I have also been completing participant observation of victim networks and self-help groups in order to better understand the social ties that bond those who have lost, as well as the ways in which survivors use their stories to bring change to the world, give meaning to the loss, and reconstruct their identities.

Please contact me with any questions or to inquire about you, or someone you know, taking part in any of these studies