Department of Sociology

SOCI Melissa Munn and student

The Department of Sociology sheds light on how our society influences the way we think and act through its organization and structure. Studies in this discipline help students gain a better understanding of themselves and the social world.

Diploma in Criminal and Social Justice

Diploma in Communications, Culture and Journalism Studies

Associate of Arts, Sociology Emphasis

Courses

Sociology courses reflect the diversity of the discipline as topics include social problems, gender, childhood and adolescence, media, consumerism, race and ethnic relations, deviance, research methods and more.

Faculty 

Dr. Priscillia Lefebvre

Sociology - Chair
Office: Sunoka Building 003
Campus: Penticton
Phone: 250-492-4305 ext. 3255
Sociology instructor Priscillia Lefebvre

My research examines mental health within the context of the neoliberal restructuring of work and cuts to public funding around health care, social assistance, and education. I examine experiences of stress, worry, and struggle within the political context of economic crisis. I teach from a critical perspective and currently sit on the editorial board of Alternate Routes: A Journal of Critical Social Research (www.alternateroutes.ca). In my commitment to social justice and praxis, I have been involved with community activism and labour solidarity projects across the country and around the world.

Credentials:
PhD, Sociology with a specialization in Political Economy, Carleton University
MA, Social Justice and Equity Studies, Brock University
BA (Hons), Psychology, Bishop's University

Hannah Champion

Sociology
Office: C Building 287
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4453

Dr. Mary Hanlon

Sociology
Office: B Building 234
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4124

I am a critical sociologist, interested in understanding how and why garment worker rights are compromised across the global fashion and apparel industry. I have published research in such peer-reviewed journals as Fashion Theory, Dialogues in Human Geography, Australian Feminist Studies, and the Canadian Political Science Review. Alongside worker rights, I am interested in knowledge dissemination and enjoy working on projects which support and amplify open-access research, such as Knowledge Stitch.  

Credentials:
PhD, Sociology, University of Edinburgh
Master of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Athabasca University
Bachelor of Arts, International Development Studies and Spanish, Dalhousie University
Diploma, Textile Arts, Capilano University

Personal website

Dr. Shelly Ikebuchi

Sociology
Office: C Building 287
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4455
Sociology instructor Shelly Ikebuchi

I joined Okanagan College in 2012. Here, I teach Introduction to Sociology 1&2, Statistical Analysis in Sociology, Sex, Gender, and Society, and Sociology of Sexualities. I am a feminist, anti-racist, critical and historical sociologist. My past research focused on the Chinese Rescue Home in Victoria, BC. My current research focus is on the multi-generatonal cultural effects of the Japanese Canadian Internment. When I am not teaching or working on my research, I am most likely getting my hands dirty at the pottery studio.

Credentials:
PhD, Sociology, University of British Columbia
MA, Sociology, University of British Columbia
BA, Sociology, Okanagan University College

Google Scholar Profile

Dr. Melissa Munn

Interdisciplinary Studies/Sociology
Office: Main Building C319
Campus: Vernon
Phone: 250-545-7291 ext. 2222
Headshot of Melissa Munn

I am an activist and criminologist who joined Okanagan College in 2010. I teach sociology, criminology and gender studies classes in Vernon and Salmon Arm. I operate the only open-access, virtual library of Canadian prisoner-generated materials (www.penalpress.com) and have used these materials to co-author a book (with Prof. Clarkson, History department) on early penal reform in Canada. My areas of expertise are the effects of long-term imprisonment, penology, parole, and the rehabilitation & reintegration of prisoners. When not teaching or doing other professorial things, I travel to prisons to work with convicts, their support people and community agencies.

Credentials:
PhD, Criminology, University of Ottawa
MEd, Counselling, University of Northern BC
B.Soc.Sc, Criminology, University of Ottawa

www.penalpress.com

Dr. Grant Valentine

Interdisciplinary Studies/Sociology
Office: Sunoka Building C09B
Campus: Penticton
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 6495

Experience

Join an info session or become a student for a day.

Ask

Have your questions answered by an advisor or recruiter. 

Apply

Take the next step and enrol in a program or course at OC.