Lecturer in Social Studies
I joined the Social Sciences department in July 2020 supporting and teaching across Social Studies. I am passionate about the inequalities experienced by marginalised groups in society. As my research interests have developed, I have found I am most passionate about researching young people and their experiences of vulnerability, harm, and potential exploitation from a young age. I mostly teach these areas throughout our Criminology undergraduate degree and our Social Studies postgraduate degrees.
My research interests are youth mental health, social media, and technology, MAD studies/disability studies, and the relationship between harm and crime (zemiology) with previous experience investigating male victimisation in domestic violence and safeguarding in youth justice.
My working background outside of academia falls within supporting individuals from various backgrounds, across the north east of England, in the community, during involuntary stays in psychiatric hospitals, and within the prison service. As well as practical support, I provided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) skills-based sessions and workshops across the country, in collaboration with survivors, to service users, and professionals.
I completed my BSc (Hons) in Criminology at Teesside University in 2017, followed by my MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Durham University in 2018, and I'm currently a part-time PhD student at the University of Sunderland.
I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Teaching and supervision
I am currently module leader for the following modules:
- CRM102: Criminal Justice: Theory and Practice
- CRM304: Pathologising Crime: Disability, Confinement, and Justice
- LCPM04: Inequality and Vulnerability in the Criminal Justice System
- SSCM48: Empowerment and Ability: Understanding a 'Disabling' Society
You will also find me teaching across/supporting the following modules:
- HSC104: Biopsychosocial Theory
- SSCM25: Inequalities, Diversity and Intersectionality: Theory and Practice
I also supervise dissertation students on BSc (Hons) Criminology, MSc Leadership in Criminal Justice and Policing, and MSc Inequality and Society.
Research interests for potential research students
- Youth mental health
- Social media and technology
- MAD studies/disability studies
- The relationship between harm and crime (zemiology)
- Vulnerability
- Safeguarding in youth justice
- Body image and self-esteem
Research
My research interests are predominantly based within under-investigated research areas around marginalised groups in society.
I have previously conducted research around the male victimisation of domestic violence, followed by qualitative data collection into the safeguarding of young people, involved in the Criminal Justice System based within Tees Valley and Darlington areas. My research predominantly uses mixed methodological approaches or multiple data collection methods to produce holistic perspectives within my research areas.
I am a part-time PhD student at the University of Sunderland with Dr Donna Peacock as my Director of Studies, and Dr Tom Rodgers, as my co-supervisor. As part of my PhD I am currently exploring the impact of social media and related online/offline harms on youth mental health, specific to the impact social media use may have over disordered eating patterns, and body image-related issues – exploring vulnerability within diet culture. This research came as a result of particular interest around the impact of the growing accessibility to the online world, highlighted in previous research projects.
Publications
Article
Doyle, Lauren (2023) Exploring the Impact of Youth Engagement in Social Media: Shifting the Boundaries of Harm and Criminality in the Digital World? Howard League for Penal Reform ECAN Bulletin (52). pp. 29-38. ISSN 2752-5953
Conference or Workshop Item
Roberts, Nicola, Doyle, Lauren, Roberts, Mark and Mulligan, Andy (2023) Deconstructing dangerous discourse: An analysis of personal safety advice to students on UK universities' websites. In: Research and Knowledge Exchange Conference, University of Sunderland, 13 January 2023, The Fire Station, Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Exploring the Impact of Youth Engagement in Social Media: Shifting the Boundaries of Harm and Criminality in the Digital World? In: The Howard League for Penal Reform Annual Conference 2022: Crime, Justice, and the Human Condition., 13th September, 2022, University of Oxford.
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Doyle, L. (2022) Speculative Workshop Considering 'The Digital World vs. Virtual Teaching: Understanding the Adjustment to Agile Working/Teaching in 'Post-Covid' Education'. In: University of Sunderland, Faculty of Education and Society Annual Staff Student-Focused Conference, 14th June, 2022, Online.
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Doyle, L. (2022) Social Media and Harms: A Move to Criminalising Vulnerability of Digital World? In: British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Reimagining Criminological Futures: New Criminologies in a Changing World, 29th June-1st July, 2022, University of Surrey.
Doyle, Lauren and Rodgers, Tom (2021) Doyle, L. & Rodgers, T. (2021) 'Social Media and the Vulnerability of the Digital World: Platforms Not Fit for Purpose?'. In: British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Crime and Harm: Challenges of Social and Global Justice, 7-9 July 2021, Online.
- Youth mental health
- Social media and technology
- MAD studies/disability studies
- Zemiology
- Vulnerability
In the media:
- Featured on The Sociology Show podcast with Matthew Wilkin in May 2022, to discuss ongoing research and Government legislative amendments around nutrition, body image and digital media.
- Featured on the Out of the Blank podcast with Robbie Robertson discussing my ongoing research around online diet culture and implications of virtual lifestyles and social media on the day-to-day living of young people.