Public/Policy-Oriented Writing

Media

Selected Public Presentations & Workshops

"Invisible White Poverty? How Racial Stereotypes Undermine Anti-Poverty Policy," Diversity and Inclusion Seminar Series, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, May 19 2018
​"Poverty Measurement and Risk Profiles," School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley, Nov 18 2015
Tutorial for Marginal Effects with Logistic Regression, UC Davis, 2015 (.do file) (.dta file)
​"A Brief Introduction to Bayesian Statistics," WZB Berlin Social Science Center, 2014

Courses Taught

Soc 003: Social Problems (syllabus) (essay assignment)

Fall 14, Winter 15, Fall 15, Winter 16, Fall 16, Winter 17, Spring 18
People talk about social issues being problems all the time, but what gets labeled a problem? Who decides what problems are, and why? Soc 3 will introduce you to sociological approaches to understanding social problems, which emphasize the way problems that may seem like individual troubles often reflect larger social issues. Examining these issues systematically can provide a new perspective on the origins of a given social problem, and may contradict many common sense explanations. The course surveys a variety of things that are labeled social problems (e.g., poverty, the gender pay gap, discrimination, crime/incarceration, immigration, etc.), and analyzes how they are shaped by social dimensions like race, class, and gender. The course will also address how social issues become problems, and compare and contrast current data on social problems with media portrayal and public opinion.

Soc 046B: Intro Statistics (syllabus) 

Winter 15, Winter 16, Spring 17, Spring 18
Sociological understandings of society and inequality can only be as good as the data they rely on. So how do we know what we know when relying on statistical information? Soc 46B introduces methods for analyzing quantitative data to help answer this question, with specific applications to classic research questions on poverty, inequality, and social mobility. We can understand quantitative information better when we know where it comes from. Soc 46B covers the relevance and practice of quantitative data analysis, the presentation of quantitative information, probability and uncertainty, basic statistical inference, and hypothesis testing. The course teaches both how to calculate relevant statistics, and to read and interpret quantitative sociological articles. Specifically, Soc 46B aims to fill UCD requirements for learning quantitative literacy. The course also provides a foundation for more advanced quantitative methods courses, like Soc 106. 

Soc 141: Industrialization and Social Change (syllabus)

Fall 16
Many people use the term 'industrialization' in many ways. For some, industrialization was a historical process centered on changes in forms of production. For others, industrialization is a continuing process related to development and globalization. Despite such ambiguity, industrialization is often highlighted as a source of profound changes in work, economies, politics, cities, and families. Moreover, these consequences are highly varied across time and place. Soc 141 covers classical perspectives on industrialization, contemporary analyses of its consequences, and the role of (de)industrialization for patterns of inequality in the US and around the world. 

Soc 295: Seminar on Stratification (syllabus)

Winter 17, Fall 18
​This course provides a survey of notable foundational and contemporary studies of stratification. Paired weeks will address a topical area within stratification (e.g., class/mobility, poverty, race/ethnicity, gender). Hopefully, these pairings help characterize (a small part of) the broad sociological literature within each area. The readings can also provide a partial foundation for a qualifying exam in stratification.