Alanna Gillis

CV

Alanna Gillis

Curriculum Vitae

CONTACT

Department of Sociology

St Lawrence University

Email:

Website: alannagillisphd.com

EDUCATION

2020    Ph.D. Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

                Dissertation: “Major Questions: Reproducing Inequality through College Major Decisions.”

2017    M.A. Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2013     B.A. Sociology, Furman University

                Minors: Poverty Studies, Latin American Studies

                Summa cum laude

RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS

Higher education, stratification, race/class/gender, family, civic engagement/volunteering, social psychology, teaching and learning, mixed methods (qualitative methods and statistics)

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS                                                                        

Nilsen, Ryan, Alanna Gillis, Bryant Hutson, and Lynn Blanchard. 2020. “From Reflection to Resumes: Alumni Perceptions of a Multi-Term Public Service Program’s Connection to Career.” Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education 12(3): 33-52. [Link and PDF]

Gillis, Alanna, and Laura M. Krull (equal authorship). 2020. “COVID-19 Remote Learning Transition in Spring 2020: Class Structures, Student Perceptions, and Inequality in College Courses.” Teaching Sociology: Online First.

Gillis, Alanna, and Laura M. Krull. 2019. “‘I was there for the free food’: Accidental Religious and Cultural Conversions in College.” Sociological Forum 34(4). [Link and PDF]

Gillis, Alanna. 2019. “Identity Exploration or Labor Market Reaction: Social Class Differences in College Student Participation in Peace Corps, Teach for America, and Other Service Programs.” Qualitative Sociology 42(4): 615-638. [Link and PDF]

      *2021 reprinted in SAGE Readings for Introductory Sociology, Third Edition, edited by Kimberly McGann.

Perrin, Andrew and Alanna Gillis. 2019. “How College Makes Citizens: Independent Effects of Higher Education on Political Engagement.” Socius 5:1-16. [Link and PDF]

Gillis, Alanna. 2019. “Reconceptualizing Participation Grading as Skill Building.” Teaching Sociology 47(1): 10-21. [Link and PDF]

    *2019 Graduate Contributions to the Sociological Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, ASA Section for Teaching     

            and Learning

Gillis, Alanna, and Brionca Taylor. 2019. “Social Networks and Labor Market Inequality: A Role-Playing Activity to Teach Difficult Concepts.” Teaching Sociology 47(2): 148-156. [Link and PDF]

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW AND IN PREPARATION

Gillis, Alanna, and Renee Ryberg. “Is Choosing a Major Choosing a Career or Interesting Courses?: Stability and Change in Orientations to College Majors.” (Under Review)

Gillis, Alanna. “Choosing a Major is Not an Individual Choice: How Institutions, Interactions, and Identity Processes Shape College Major Decisions.” (Draft available)

Gillis, Alanna. “Beyond Diverging Preferences and Chilly Climate: Why Gender and Racial Segregation in College Majors Increase During the First Year of College.” (Draft available)

Gillis, Alanna, Renee Ryberg, Myklynn LaPoint, and Sara McCauley. “'I don’t know how I will pay rent': Inequality in College Student Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact in Spring 2020.” (In progress)

Gillis, Alanna. "Sociology of Education." Invited manuscript for Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Sociology. (In progress)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Gillis, Alanna, and Renee Ryberg. 2020. “Housing Insecurity at Elite Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Sociology of Education Section Newsletter.

Gillis, Alanna. Forthcoming. “#MeTooPhD and Institutional Betrayal: When I Naively Thought A Guilty Finding Meant We Won.” In Who Belongs?: Institutional Betrayal in Higher Education, edited by Rebecca Martínez and Monica J. Casper.

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FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2020    Tanner Teaching Assistants Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, UNC-CH

2020    Wilson Teaching Award, Sociology Department, UNC-CH

2019    SAGE Publishing Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award

2019    Summer Research Fellowship, Graduate School at UNC-CH, $5,000

2019    GPSF Travel Award, UNC-CH

2018    UNC Sociology Department Pilot Study Grant, $500

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Department of Sociology, St Lawrence University

IntroSoc: Principles of Sociology (101): Fall 2020 HyFlex, Spring 2021 HyFlex

IntroSoc: Inequality (112): Fall 2020 online

Sociology of Family with Community Based Learning: Spring 2021 HyFlex

Sociology of Education: Summer 2021 HyFlex 

Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sociological Perspectives (101): Summer 2017, Spring 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2020

Sociology of Education (upper-level course): Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019

Published Peer-Reviewed Teaching Resources

Gillis, Alanna. 2018. “School Choice and Inequality: Choosing Schools Activity.” Class Activity published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC:  American Sociological Association. http://trails.asanet.org/Pages/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=13554.

            *7th most downloaded resource in TRAILS in 2019; 8th in 2018

Gillis, Alanna. 2018. “Class School Board Debate Activity: Should Tracking Be Reformed?” Class Activity published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC:  American Sociological Association. http://trails.asanet.org/Pages/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=13573.

Teaching Trainings

2019    Teaching and Learning Preconference: Inclusive Pedagogy for a More Just World

2017    SAFE ZONE: Training Seminar by the UNC-CH LGBTQ Center

2017    Sociology 980: Seminar on the Teaching of Sociology, UNC-CH

2015    Carolina Firsts, Advocate for first-generation college students, UNC-CH

ADVISING/MENTORING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

2020-present Mentor for 4 research assistants at St Lawrence University 

2019-2020     Pre-Graduate School Advisor

2018-2020 Mentor for 7 research assistants at UNC-Chapel Hill

2018              Mentored undergraduate co-teacher at UNC Splash

2017-2018     Faculty Advisor for Cheeley, Sarah. 2018. “The AP United States History Curriculum: A Battle Between

                       Historical Perspectives.” UNC JOURney 2: 7-13. 

2016-2020   Assistant Director of Social and Economic Justice Minor at UNC-CH

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2021    Alanna Gillis and Alexandra Szabo. “Hybrid, Hyflex, and Online Courses: Student Perceptions, Barriers, and Learning

            during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Sociological Association. Chicago, IL (online).

2021    Alanna Gillis, Renee Ryberg, Myklynn LaPoint, and Sara McCauley. "'I don’t know how I will pay rent': Inequality in

            College Student Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact in Spring 2020." Southern Sociological Society. 

            New Orleans, LA (online). 

2020    Alanna Gillis. “Choosing a Major is Not an Individual Choice: How Institutions, Interactions, and Identity Processes

            Shape College Major Decisions.” Southern Sociological Society. Jacksonville, FL (canceled)

2019    Alanna Gillis. “Provisional Major Identities, Self-Concept, and Social Ties: The Social Process of Choosing a College

            Major.” American Sociological Association. New York, NY.

2019    Alanna Gillis and Renee Ryberg. “Is Choosing a Major Choosing a Career?: Gender, Social Class, and Racial Diversity

            in Orientations to College Majors.” Southern Sociological Society. Atlanta, GA.

2019    Ryan Nilsen and Alanna Gillis. “What Do Alumni Say? The Impact of Undergraduate Service Programming.” Pathways

            to Achieving Civic Engagement Conference. Greensboro, NC.

2018    Alanna Gillis and Laura Krull. “‘I was there for the free food’: Accidental Religious and Cultural Conversions

            in College.” American Sociological Association. Philadelphia, PA.

2018    Alanna Gillis. “Inequality in Classroom Comfort: Reconceptualizing Participation Grading as Skill Building.” Southern

            Sociological Society. New Orleans, LA.

2017    Alanna Gillis. “Enthusiasts, Backup Planners, and Professionals: How College Students Approach Participation in

            Service Programs after Graduation.” American Sociological Association. Montreal, Canada.

2017    Andrew Perrin and Alanna Gillis. “How College Makes Citizens: Independent Effects of Higher Education on Political

            Engagement.” American Sociological Association. Montreal, Canada.

2017    Alanna Gillis. “The Enthusiasts, Backup Planners, and Professionals: How College Students Approach Participation in                Service Programs after Graduation.” Southern Sociological Society. Greenville, SC.

2016    Andrew Perrin and Alanna Gillis. “Humanities Education and Public Conversation.” Invited Session. American

           Sociological Association. Seattle, WA.

SERVICE TO PROFESSION

2021               Panelist, "The Future of Education: Identifying Challenges and Opportunities in Pandemic Learning." National 

                       Communication Association virtual series.

2021               Organizer and Presider of Session, "Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era." Southern Sociological Society.                               Online.

2020-present  Pre-Conference Program Planning Committee for American Sociological Association’s Teaching and Learning

                       Section

2019-2020      Newsletter co-editor for Sociology of Education section

2019                Presider, Referred Roundtable on Sociology of Education. American Sociological Association. New York, NY.

2017                Presider, Referred Roundtable on Sociology of Education. American Sociological Association. Montreal,

                        Canada.

2015-2016       Assistant Editor, Mobilization

2015                Presider, Referred Roundtable on Race/Ethnicity. American Sociological Association. Chicago, IL.

Reviewer:       Mobilization, Sociatation, Qualitative Sociology, American Sociological Review, Teaching Sociology, Sustainability

SERVICE TO DEPARTMENT/UNIVERSITY

2020-present   Member of CARE (Committed to Action for Racial Equity)

2018-2020       Qualitative Analyst for Carolina Center for Public Service at UNC-CH

2015-2016       Co-coordinator of UNC-CH Sociology Department’s Recruitment Weekend

MEDIA AND OTHER COVERAGE OF MY WORK

2020    ASA News. “TS Podcast on COVID-19 Remote Learning.” American Sociological Association.

2020.   Maier, Jean M. “Service and Social Class in College Students’ Plans.” The Society Pages.

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PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

American Sociological Association

            Sections: Education; Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility; Race, Gender, and

            Class; Teaching and Learning; Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity

Southern Sociological Society

Phi Beta Kappa

Alpha Kappa Delta

COMMUNITY/VOLUNTEER SERVICE

2021-present Foster for Focus on Ferals 

2018              UNC Splash, co-teacher for course for high school students learning about college

2012-2019 Annunciation House, case manager at shelter for migrants and refugees

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2010 - present

2010 - present