Shadrick S
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
Expertise
cultural studies, social research methods, race and ethnicity, social history, digital humanities, social theory, American musical history, jazz history, the US recording industry
Bio
I earned a PhD in sociology from UC Berkeley in 2020. My dissertation traced the development of the phonograph and recording industries in the US prior to World War II, and my goal is to publish that research as a book in the near future. I'm also a data lead for a digital archive of primary source documents from 1790s Louisiana. Before that, I spent several semesters as a teaching assistant and grader for courses devoted to social and cultural analysis (and social research methods in particular). In general, I enjoy making sense of the weird, wonderful, and sometimes worrisome ways that human beings make their history together and I enjoy discussing the ins and outs of the practice of research with students. In my spare time, I enjoy playing and listening to music, dancing, tossing flying discs, and letting Bay Area sports teams repeatedly break my heart. (Fun fact: I was a Jeopardy contestant many, many years ago.) Very much looking forward to working with you as you embark on your journey of inquiry.Project ideas
Personal Troubles & Public Issues
Sociologist C. Wright Mills once asserted that one of the hallmarks of social science was in connecting what he called "personal troubles" of individual lives to the "public issues" affecting larger societies. With this project, you will connect an issue or concern of your choosing with broader social, cultural, and political currents by learning (1) which questions make for effective social analysis, (2) what kinds of data will help you answer those questions, and (3) how to go about getting that data. From there, we can discuss creative ways to share your newfound understanding with others, from a traditional paper to (for instance) a photo essay.