Catherine Harnois
Catherine Harnois
Professor
B.A. – Anthropology – University of Connecticut, 2000
M.A. – Sociology-University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2002
Ph.D. – Sociology – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2005
Dr. Catherine Harnois is Professor of Sociology at Wake Forest University (USA) and a Research Associate at the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change at the University of Essex (UK).
Her expertise is in research methodology, social psychology, social inequality, speech and censorship. She has written two books, edited a third, and authored many articles published in academic journals, including Sociological Methods & Research; The Journal of Health & Social Behavior; Social Science & Medicine; Social Psychology Quarterly; and Gender & Society. She serves on the Editorial Board of the journal, Sociological Methodology, and serves as an expert consultant on issues of discrimination and harassment for the US Federal Government.
One branch of her work investigates how taken-for-granted research practices, particularly quantitative measurement and modeling strategies, can obscure diversity and reproduce social inequality. She aims to identify and develop methodological tools and practices that are more inclusive, valid and reliable. A second branch focuses on the prevalence and correlates of discrimination — particularly discrimination based on multiple social statuses (e.g., gendered racism; gendered ageism) and a third brings an intersectional analytic and theoretical framework to the study of social identities and political consciousness. She asks questions like: What factors are associated with holding a feminist identity? How do diverse groups and people understand the term, “discrimination”? And a final branch brings sociological theories and methods to assess beliefs and discourse about free speech and censorship.
In her teaching, she aims to help students develop their quantitative literacy, information literacy, critical thinking and communication skills through courses on Research Methods, Social Statistics, Gender and Sexuality.
COURSES TAUGHT
SOC 152: Social Problems
SOC 153: Contemporary Families
SOC 271: Social Statistics
SOC 305: Gender in Society
SOC 381: Intersectionality: Theories and Methods
SOC 386: Sociological Perspectives on the Women’s Movement
WGS 221: Introduction to Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies