2023 - Dr. Erin Fredericks

Department of Sociology 
BA (STU) PhD (Dalhousie)

Dr. Erin Fredericks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology. She teaches courses in gender, disease, and health, as well as senior seminars in sociological concepts and healthcare policy. Her scholarly work examines the interconnections between gender and marginalization, representations of health and illness, and health behaviours. Her students know Dr. Fredericks as an accessible and engaging teacher who helps them to thoughtfully apply knowledge and develop critical perspectives. She also mentors students, supervises student researchers, and assists senior students applying to graduate and professional schools. Her teaching aims are to cultivate mutual respect, build skills for critical engagement, use trauma-informed perspectives, and create a community of learning, and through this she creates an “incredible classroom environment”. She believes that learning happens when professors and students think about what silences them and have the conversation they wish society was having—what is difficult to ask? why we feel ashamed when we don’t know? and why we strive for a certainty that is problematic? Her students find her “encouraging, supportive, and kind,” and she reaches out to those who may be struggling, helping them to engage and grow. As the Learning and Teaching Development Officer, she has organized professional learning opportunities to enhance the culture of teaching and learning at STU.