Jaye Cee Whitehead, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology
|
Education:
PhD University of California, Berkeley, Department of Sociology, 2007
MA University of California, Berkeley, Department of Sociology, 2003
BA Pacific University, Forest Grove OR, Department of Sociology, 2000
Why I Study Sociology....
My love for sociology began right here at Pacific University. The sociological imagination satisfied my curiosity about the social world at the same time that it ignited my passion for understanding power and inequality.
I didn’t come to Pacific knowing that I wanted to be a sociology major, let alone a sociologist. Frankly, I took my first sociology course by accident and soon discovered that it motivated me to actually get out of bed and go to class. In my sociology courses we discussed everything from the mundane activities of everyday life, to grand questions about the economy, politics, culture, gender, race, and religion.
My early love for sociology never disappeared. As a professor of sociology at Pacific, I enjoy the unique opportunity to contribute to the department that ignited my initial desires to understand and change the social world.
Courses that I teach...
At Pacific University, all faculty teach a variety of different courses. Typically, we do not use graduate teaching assistants, which means that your classes will be taught by professors and that you will have plenty of opportunity to get to know the faculty in your discipline.
Below, I have listed some of the courses that I teach. We are always developing and trying out new classes, so the list may change now and then. You can use the links to the left to read descriptions of the courses listed below.
| Soc | 102 | Social Problems |
| Soc | 208 | Race: Inequality and Identity |
| Soc | 217 | Gender and Sexuality |
| Soc | 300 | Introduction to Social Research |
| Soc | 301 | Social Statistics |
| Soc | 309 | Families |
What I would tell a student considering a major in Sociology....
Do it! Majoring in sociology will only expand your options. I know that sometimes choosing a major feels daunting; as if you are making the most important decision of your life. The sociology major at Pacific provides a broad training in critical thinking and research skills that will make you a seasoned problem solver – a skill essential to most careers and life in general. Sociology is the perfect major for those of you concerned about inequality and passionate about social justice.
Select Publications:
(2007) “Feminist Prison Activism: An Assessment of Empowerment.” Feminist Theory, 8(3): 299-314. (2006)
“Marrying for America” (with Dawne Moon). Chapter 2 in Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda, edited by L. Kowaleski-Jones and N. H. Wolfinger. Kluwer Academic Publishers. (2002)
“For a Sociologist of Categorization, Against a Sociology of Categories” (with Greggor Mattson). Berkeley Journal of Sociology, Vol. 46 (editors’ introduction).
Select Presentations:
“Love, Care and Neo-Liberal Governance,” paper presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, 2008.
“Same-Sex Marriage and Risk Management,” paper presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, 2006.
“Couples Managing Life’s Risk: Marriage as a Technology of Governance in the Contemporary United States,” paper presented for the Sacramento City College Sociology Department and Queer Alliance, Fall 2006.
“Governance and Intimacy,” guest lecture for Professor Nicholas Miller at Sacramento City College, Spring 2006.
“Marrying for America: A Feminist Discursive Approach to National Intimacy,” paper presented with Dawne Moon for the Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum on Fragile Families and the Marriage Agenda, University of Utah, 2003.
“Caring Collectively: Crafting the Deserving Feminist Inmate,” paper presented at Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meetings, 2003.