So, it’s taken a bit with the start of the year, but I’m a doctoral student again. Thank you McGill Sociology!
This year’s incoming cohort is perhaps the Department’s largest ever, with 11 new Ph.D. students, as well as 6 new M.A. students. It’s a great group that has bonded remarkably well. I feel very privileged to be a part of it.
In terms of advancing the research project to which this site is dedicated, the 2022-23 academic year will be dedicated to coursework, so any steps forward will take the form of course papers. This is what I’m anticipating at this point:
| Fall 2022 | |
| Social Research Design & Methods | Project Prospectus |
| Contemporary Social Theory | “Getting the State to See: Making Images of the Child Visible” |
| Social Networks | Science Mapping Childhood Studies, Reconceptualist ECE and Child Indicators |
| Winter 2023 | |
| Qualitative Methods 1 | either some interviews with policy leaders about indicators or a content analysis of the provincial early learning frameworks |
| Quantitative Methods 2 | a pilot of the ideological-map workflow using Project Gutenberg data |
| Biosociology | a review of the epigenetic case for early childhood education and its critique |
I’ll then need to do an additional three courses in the 2023-24 year to meet all the course requirements.
(I find all these courses kind of funny. I know why they’re required and I don’t really object, for all that I hoped to do fewer. But it remains the case that I already have completed 27 graduate level courses and now have nine more to do. You’ll perhaps appreciate why I find this funny.)
I’m also now helping out with the teaching again, TAing for the undergraduate course in Socialization. I’m absolutely bouncing around to be in front of students again and getting them discussing ideas. I know that marking will be a burden, but I’m still happy to be teaching.
I’m going to try to post something once a week or so and be more regular. Let’s see how it goes. In the meantime, wish me luck!