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Harold Dawson

Adjunct Professor

I started teaching because I enjoying sharing the insights of my discipline and showing students how sociology can help them make sense of their world.

Degrees Held:

M.A. in Sociology – Marshall University, 2007
B.A. in Psychology and Sociology – Marshall University, 2004

Career Highlights:

I have 12 years of teaching experience and have taught a variety of courses in sociology, including intro sociology, media and sociology, social movements, and social change. My area of expertise and research interests are in media and cultural sociology. I am also an expert in the following subject areas: social problems, sociological theory, social movements and social change, and political sociology.

Currently, my research consists of analyzing commercial news industries' visual representation of disaster. Clarifying the way in which images are used to construct a reality about terrorist attacks, plane crashes, and floods will – I hope – contribute to our understanding of the way in which these distinct events become infused with meaning, and become reproduced for mass consumption. How does a disaster “look” when presented to audiences? How are these images used to create drama in the news story? Do these images symbolically articulate values, beliefs, and biases supportive of class power? I've presented my research numerous time at professional conferences such as those held by North Central Sociological Association.

Which online degree program(s) do you teach?

B.S. in Sociology

Which classes do you teach online?
SOC: 100
What do you want students in your courses to learn? What is the learning outcome or objective?
Sociology can show students that there is a difference between the way we think about society and how it actually operates. Hence, it debunks many of their cherished notions via scientific study and helps them understand how to differentiate opinion from empirical evidence. Also, students can learn that inequality is shaped and maintained by culture and social institutions. Finally, since inequality is socially created, it can be challenged and changed.
What advice would you give to those considering this online program?
Enjoy the experience! This course is only a brief journey into the sociological perspective, but I hope they enjoy the ride and come out on the other side with a new appreciation for sociology and how it can be used to help us understand inequality in the modern world.
Why did you start teaching?
I started teaching because I enjoying sharing the insights of my discipline and showing students how sociology can help them make sense of their world.
What is the one book you think everyone should read?
“A People's History of the United States of America: 1492 to the Present” by Howard Zinn.

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