Jenny Pearson, PhD
Professor of Sociology
When did you realize you wanted to be a sociologist?
I started out as an architecture major in college because I loved both math and the arts. But in my second year of college, I took a Sociology of Gender class and was hooked. The class gave me a new way of looking at the world and understanding my own experiences, and I switched majors two weeks into that semester. I was especially excited about social research, and after completing an independent study I decided to go to graduate school.
What are some of your major research themes?
From that very first sociology class, I have been especially drawn to the sociology of gender. I find the ways in which our understandings of gender and sexuality vary across history and place to be fascinating. Most of my research has focused on the experiences and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and adults, exploring how their social environments either support or harm their well-being and success. For example, some of my research has examined how state-level policy can shape the experiences of LGBQ youth: my colleagues and I found that in states with more policy support for LGBTQ equality, sexual minority students are less likely to be bullied and have lower risk of suicide.
What do you hope to accomplish with your research?
I think I was also drawn to sociology because I was interested in working towards a better and more just world, so I鈥檓 driven to understanding how inequality is recreated within social contexts and the implications of that for people鈥檚 lives and well-being. Much of my previous research has examined inequalities by sexual and gender identity in things like mental health and educational success. I have been hopeful that more research documenting how certain programs and policies contribute to these inequalities might motivate educators and policy makers to take a different approach. Recently I have shifted my perspective a bit, and my current research explores the joy that comes from these identities. I want to learn about how we can create more opportunities for joy and well-being despite the existence of discrimination and harmful policies.
What are your favorite things about teaching at Wichita State?
The people! Wichita State is full of creative and eager students who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and I love learning from them as much as I enjoy sharing the tools and perspectives of Sociology. Engaging in research with students is probably my favorite experience, whether in a small-scale class project or on a research team.
Tell us about your own Inclusive Excellence work in your teaching, research, and service.
Aside from teaching research methods, I teach courses in gender, sexualities, and education. My primary goal in those courses is to help students understand how our social environments and social relationships shape our identities, beliefs, behaviors, and opportunities. I believe that the better our understanding of our own lives and those around us, the better able we are to create communities where people thrive. I use my research and teaching in much of my service work on campus and in the broader community. For example, I have been the faculty advisor for the student organization Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies for over 15 years, and I frequently work with those students and others on campus to advocate for policies and practices on campus that support all of our students, regardless of gender or sexual identity. Finally, I am finishing a presidential term with the Midwest Sociological Society, where my primary goals were creating a more inclusive organization.
Based on your expertise, what is an important Inclusive Excellence-related issue facing the college?
Many of us in the social sciences and humanities teach about topics that are currently being targeted politically, and I believe there is a misperception about what inclusive teaching means and why understanding the diversity of human experience is so important.
What would you like others to know about you as a person?
I love to be engaged in the community, whether through volunteering and advocacy or enjoying live music and the arts. I have a teenage daughter who amazes me daily. Her generation gives me so much hope for the future.