It is the College’s pleasure to welcome a new faculty member to the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.  Kristen Lavelle will begin her career as an Assistant Professor of Sociology in our Department of the Sociology, Criminology & Anthropology this fall.  Kristen graduated with her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Arkansas, her M.A. in Sociology from the University of Florida, and her PhD in Sociology from Texas A&M University. 

Here is some interesting information about Kristen:

Hobbies:  Running, cooking, gardening, board games

Research:  I study the sociology of race and ethnicity and social inequalities.  My research interests are: racism & antiracism, whiteness and identity, social memory, and qualitative research methods.  For my Ph.D. research I conducted interview with elder white southerners on their memories and perceptions of the legal segregation and civil rights eras.  In my analysis I highlight how they reconcile historical realities (segregation as oppressive, civil rights as a justice movement) with their own need to maintain a positive identity.

Family: My partner Nick is the other pea in my pod.