Meet Professor Llewellyn!

Professor Llewellyn offers to students a fresh new look at two areas of study which are common to most in the Sociology Department. Her research lies at the intersection between gender and migration. Her PhD dissertation, "Deciding What Counts as Persecution: An Analysis of Gender and Sexual Orientation Asylum Cases in the United States," addresses disparities in immigration policies which result in barriers for women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender asylum applicants. 

This semester, Professor Lewellyn is teaching Introduction to Sociology, a course in which she looks forward to incorporating her own interests in explanations of larger sociological forces. She engages with students in class through a conversational lecture style with supporting power points. She is excited to interact with students, to help them develop a "sociological imagination," and to serve as a guiding force toward reaching success after college. She hopes to teach new and innovative courses within her specialty and anticipates teaching Sociology of Gender in the future.

Meet Professor Beddoes!

Professor Beddoes brings an exciting new perspective to the Sociology Department. Her PhD is in Science and Technology Studies (STS), an interdisciplinary social science field focused on the relationships among science, technology and society. Professor Beddoes holds certificates in both Women’s and Gender Studies and Engineering Education, and studies engineering from a social science perspective. Her research focuses particularly on understanding women’s underrepresentation in engineering.

This semester, Professor Beddoes is teaching Social Problems. She looks forward to incorporating various teaching styles, such as group discussions and peer teaching. She hopes to instill in students an understanding of, “really big ideas…a lot of which run counter to what we are taught to believe,” while still maintaining a degree of difficulty appropriate for a one-hundred level course. In the future Professor Beddoes will be offering two new courses: Science, Technology and Society and Gender and Engineering. 

Nikki Rivera Takes Over Communications and Outreach!

Hello to all students, alum and faculty,

I am very excited to announce that I've taken over the Communications and Outreach Coordinator position for the Sociology Department! I look forward to connecting with each and every one of you.

My mission for this academic year is to continue to foster a community of togetherness and to promote networking among students, alum and other professionals. Please feel free to reach out to me for any type of support and I will do my best to direct to the best resources.

Nikki Rivera

Dominique Rivera
Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Sociology Department
University of Massachusetts Lowell
DominiqueNikkiRivera@gmail.com