Alanna Gillis, PhD

I am an Associate Professor of Sociology at St Lawrence University and graduated with my PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020. I study inequality in higher education. Specifically, my research examines academic, and social decisions and behaviors of college students, during college and after graduation. I am particularly interested in how these decisions are shaped by inequality and result in inequality reproduction. I additionally study teaching and learning to improve college instruction.

 

My largest ongoing project is a 5 year longitudinal study following cohorts of students at two universities, analyzing their experiences during college and their transition out. Additional current projects focus on inequality due to the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad experiences, and gender inequality in Greek life. My published works have appeared in Socius, Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, Sociological Forum, Qualitative Sociology, and Teaching Sociology, among others.

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I am also a committed instructor who teaches courses related to inequality and education. My current courses include: Introductory Sociology: Inequality, Education & Society, Sociology of Careers, Sociology of Family with Community Based Learning, and DEI in Higher Education seminar. My innovative teaching practices have been recognized with national and institutional awards. 

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