Alex Briesacher
Associate Professor
My research hovers around the intersection of sociological social psychology and psychological social psychology with specific applications primarily focused on racialized experiences in different educational setting. Working within a department with a focus on public sociology and social justice has provided opportunities to fuse more traditional scholarship approaches with the application of my research to both the University community and Worcester at large.
Education
2006-2014
Kent State University
Sociology
AA
2002-2006
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Sociology
AA
1998-2002
Illinois State University
Mathematics
AA
Skills
Race and Ethnicity
Social Psychology
Quantitative Sociology
Achievements
Publications
Service
Research
Courses
Courses
SO100
Introduction to Sociology
The nature of group behavior and social interaction viewed through analysis of structure, norms, and values.
3 credits
SO201
Prejudice, Privilege, and Power
This course is an introduction to the social psychological foundations of identity and its relation to prejudice, privilege, and power in micro-interactions and social structures. Students will engage with social psychological understandings of categorizations and their implications at the individual and structural levels.
3 credits
SO275
Social and Behavioral Statistics
Data tabulation; graphing; measurement of central tendency, variability, and correlation; hypothesis testing applied to psychological and sociological data. Hand and computer analysis.
SO320
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
This course focuses on historical and contemporary discussions of Race and Ethnicity within Sociology. The course will familiarize students with central threads in the study of race and ethnicity and work to identify gaps, particularly as they are relevant for the academic and social sphere of today.
3 credits
SO340
Social Psycholgy
Dynamics of small group involvement and other environmental influences on the shaping of an individual's personality.
3 credits
SO350
Wealth, Poverty, and Power
Sociological examination of economic stratification; focuses on the translation of class into power via politics, education and collective struggle.
3 credits