teaching
Check out the trailer for my graduate seminar, SOC 591: Qualitative Interviewing, which will be taught remotely at Stony Brook University this fall . . .
I fell in love with teaching during my very first year as an Assistant Professor, nearly a decade ago. The possibilities for educational growth and personal transformation that emerge in the classroom are sacred and unique for students and professors alike. One of my greatest joys is engaging students' intellectual curiosity, whether I'm teaching a course with over 200 undergraduates or guiding discussion in a small graduate seminar. The common thread linking all of my courses is a critical pedagogy that promotes reflexivity, historical consciousness, intersectional awareness and a dash of my dark humor. (I like to think I'm funny.)
At Stony Brook, I teach the following courses:
At Stony Brook, I teach the following courses:
- Historical Development of Sociological Theory (undergraduate)
- Racism and Ethnic Relations (undergraduate)
- The Sociology of Racism (graduate)
- Cultural Sociology (graduate)
- Advanced Topics in Qualitative Methods (graduate)
- Qualitative Interviewing (graduate)
Featured Student Testimonial*
“I can easily say, without hesitation or exaggeration, that Professor Fleming . . . is the best professor I have ever had at Stony Brook University, and I recommend that any student, regardless to their major, take at least one of her classes. From an academic standpoint, it is abundantly clear that Dr. Fleming has an extensive knowledge base on all of the subject matter she teaches. She is highly proficient in explaining even the most complex theories in a way that guarantees a class-wide understanding of the material. Her teaching style has a very calming feel to it, almost conversational, that makes learning from her such an enjoyable experience . . . I’ve taken both Historical Development of Social Theory (SOC 361) and Ethnic and Race Relations (SOC 310) with Dr. Fleming and in both courses I have taken away much more than just the material alone. From both of these classes, I was able to take away the greatest message of all: Don’t take knowledge for granted. Question everything. Take control of your education . . . Sociological canons of past generations must be questioned in regards to their claims, taking into account the social context in which they were conceived; the education system and previous information given to us about race and race relations must be heavily critiqued . . . We are in charge of our own education, and to be completely honest, being in her classes made me realize that I don’t know half as much as I thought I did. By that I mean, I passively accepted knowledge; I didn’t question those who supplied me with it. But after taking Dr. Fleming’s class, I question everything, I do my own research from credible sources and take a step further to learn about those actual sources and their writers’ social locations. The things I’ve learned from Dr. Fleming that I find most important aren’t necessarily the things that I can be tested and graded on, it’s much more than that. They are the things I am able to take and apply to every aspect of my life, and for that I am forever grateful.”
—Kelsea Johnson
Stony Brook graduate and contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”
Stony Brook graduate and contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”
*I am deeply grateful to the many students who often reach out to share how the courses they've taken with me have made an impact on their life. With their permission, I occasionally share some of their testimonials on this site.