Dr. Jennifer Jarman
Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies ChairProfessor
Ph.D. in Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge University.
M.A. in Sociology, University of Toronto.
Honours B.A. in Sociology, University of Toronto.
Teaching: I am an award-winning teacher. I teach graduate and undergraduate courses in Sociology of Law; Law and Society; Research Methods; Social Inequality; Community Transitions; and the Interdisciplinary Studies Research Capstone in Social Justice. I like supervising graduate students, especially those with interests revolving around employment, equity, law and the impacts of fast-paced social and economic change.
Supervised Dissertations (Lakehead University)
Ph.D. Students (Committee Member)
2015-present Satenia Zimmerman, Faculty of Natural Resource Management. (In progress.)
Master's Dissertation Committees (Chair)
2015 Satenia Zimmerman. “Looking beyond education: examining the complex issue of employing Aboriginal women in Canada’s mining sector.” M.A. Paper, Sociology / Women’s Studies.
2014 Regina Belloso. “I Want to Find My Voice Again”: The New Directions Speakers’ School Approach to Combatting Poverty and Vulnerability,” M.A. Paper, Sociology / Women’s Studies.
2014 Nancy Bediako. “Skilled Visible Minorities In The Canadian Labour Market: A Perspective On The Point System,” M.A. Paper. 2014 Chris Jones. “Mobile Miners: Experiences of workers in Yukon's mining industry.” (Second reader)
2013 Lakhi Atwal. “Safe Streets and Communities Act (Bill C-10): A Step Forward or Backwards in Modern Youth Justice?” M.A. Paper, Sociology / Women’s Studies.
What Inspires Me: My research and teaching explore the changing world of work and its implications for those who slog off to a workplace every day, as well as for those who are unable to find a workplace to slog off to. I think that understanding the structure of possibilities facing individual workers is important not just for the individuals themselves. It is also the basis for understanding the future of the communities and regions whose continued existence depends upon the ability to foster acceptable, sustainable, and just work.
My publications cover topics including the development of equal pay legislation, gender segregation patterns in employment, the global call centre industry, and the growing employment insecurity and inequality of the 21st century. To investigate these topics, I use a variety of methods, such as archival research, statistical analysis of employment trends, interviews with employers and employees, and observations of diverse workplaces in North America, Europe, and Asia. My current research examines how employment issues translate into legislative agendas and, in turn, how legislative and judicial decisions shape employment outcomes. My current conference organizing brings researchers together to discuss issues about rural community challenges and envisioned futures.
Work in Progress: I am writing a book, The Legal-Rational Society, which explores the relationship of Canadian law and society both generally, and in the central domains of employment, education, and immigration.
My latest publication: “Social Inequality and its Consequences in the 21st Century”, Contemporary Social Science, 11(2): 103-112. It introduces an edited book to be published in 2018 by Routledge: https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Social-Inequality-in-the-21st-Centur...
Academic Community Membership: I am part of the “Resources, Economy and Society” Research Group (SSHRC) at Lakehead University. This group is busy organizing conferences and runs a blog and a working paper series. Since I am particularly interested in the implications of changed work patterns for rural communities, I founded the CSA's Rural Sociology research cluster a few years ago as a way of bringing together scholars with similar interests. In the past, I served on the Executive Board of the Canadian Sociological Association. For many years, I was also a member of the Sociological Research Group at Cambridge University.