Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, National Teaching Fellow 2020
I am a Senior Lecturer and research lead in the Social Sciences team (Faculty of Education and Society). After I gained my MA Women's Studies (Applied) at University of Bradford, I completed the PgCert in Higher Education and later my PhD at University of Sunderland. My research interests fall into two main areas. These are sociology of families and critical pedagogies.
My projects include my current UKRI-funded evaluation of the impact of hospital gardens on patient well-being, earlier research on fatherhood and parental leave in Sweden and the UK, same-sex parenting, and learning and teaching approaches to diversity. My approach to research is participatory and my pedagogical approach is shaped by a commitment to creating powerful learning environments. I use interdisciplinary approaches and visual teaching methods.
Research projects:- UKRI-funded evaluation – Bringing humanising influences into critical care through power of natural environments
- Troubling knowledge and difficult pedagogical moments in students' learning
- M/otherhood: Narratives of women who are not mothers
- Critical Visual Pedagogies
Fellowships:
- Senior Fellow Advance HE
- National Teaching Fellow 2020
- Member of the Association of National Teaching Fellows
Teaching and supervision
I teach students on BSc (Hons) Sociology and MSc Inequality and Society.
I am Module Leader for:
- SSC 331 Changing Worlds: Understanding Globalised Society, Work and Identities in the 21st Century.
- SSC M25 Inequalities, Diversity and Intersectionality: Theory and Practice
- SSC M44 Sex, Citizenship and the State
Research interests for potential research students
Supervision for PhD projects:
- Domestic Violence
- The use of ICT in High School Education
- Women Balancing Academia and Motherhood
I welcome proposals for further projects on:
- Experiences of children raised in same-sex parental families
- Domestic violence
- Inequalities
- Critical pedagogies
- Co-construction of learning in higher education
Research
I completed my MA in Women's Studies (Applied) with a dissertation on criminal justice responses to women who kill violent partners. This led to my role on the editorial team for two edited collections on the issues of domestic violence and child abuse.
My first major project in the north-east was a collaborative study with University of Sunderland and University of Gothenburg on Fatherhood and Masculinities which explored men and women's perceptions of fatherhood.
My PhD research focused on families with the focus on lesbian couples, motherhood and parental/family identities.
I have also delivered conference papers on motherhood, social impact of reproductive technologies, feminist methodologies, ethnicity culture and familial identities, 'race', ethnicity, culture, families and emotionality in research practice.
I delivered several funded ESRC Festivals of Social Sciences which were entitled 'Mum's the Word' Celebrating Motherhood Voices and led to my current collaboration with Thought Foundation Community Arts project, with several ESRC-funded conferences in a series entitled 'Nature Nurture Future' covering families, parenting, the environment, education, social care.
My current research projects:
Pedagogies, diversity, and difficult moments in teaching and learning. This work explores the difficult issues in classroom identity dynamics when teaching diversity in a diverse world.
Bringing Humanizing Influences into Critical Care through the power of natural environment. This is my current collaboration with independent artists and science academics to explore the health and wellbeing impacts of gardens on the care of hospital patients, staff, and families.
Publications
Article
Williams, Helen and Quaid, Sheila (2023) 'You don't get taught that' – How ‘safe’ classrooms can hinder learning. Teaching in Higher Education. ISSN 1470-1294
Quaid, Sheila and Williams, Helen (2021) Troubling Knowledges and Difficult Pedagogical Moments for Students Learning. International Journal of Inclusive Education. ISSN 1464-5173
Quaid, Sheila (2018) Vote 100. British Sociological Association Blog.
Quaid, Sheila and Ravetz, Joe (1992) An Expert System to Advise on Sex and Marital Discrimination. Information Technology and the Human Services., 6 (3). pp. 5-11. ISSN 0959-0684
Book Section
Quaid, Sheila, Hugman, Catriona and Wilcock, Angela (2021) Introduction: Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century. In: Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century: Exploring Diversity , Social Change and Inequalities. Routledge. ISBN 9780367483401 (In Press)
Quaid, Sheila, Hugman, Catriona and Wilcock, Angela (2021) Looking Ahead: What does this mean for the sociology of families and personal lives in the future? In: Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century: Exploring Diversity, Social Change and Inequalities. Routledge. ISBN 9780367483401 (In Press)
Quaid, Sheila (2021) Negotiating Identities and Kinship in Lesbian Parental Couples. In: Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century: Exploring Diversity , Social Change and Inequalities. Routledge. ISBN 9780367483401 (In Press)
Quaid, Sheila (2018) Mothering in an Age of Austerity. In: Austerity Policies – Bad Ideas in Practice. Palgrave. ISBN 978-3-319-79119-7
Quaid, Sheila (2017) Reflections on Reading Spare Rib: Personal and Political. In: Re-reading Spare Rib. Palgrave macmillan. ISBN 978-3-319-49309-1
Quaid, Sheila (2013) Lesbian Mothering and Risky Choices; ‘Dangerous’ New forms of love and kinship. In: Constructing Risky Identities. Palgrave. ISBN 9781137276070
Quaid, Sheila (2001) The Criminal Justice Response to Women who Kill. In: Home Truths about Domestic Violence. Routledge, London, pp. 153-167. ISBN 9780415241564
Quaid, Sheila (2001) The criminal justice response to women who kill An interview with Helena Kennedy Sheila Quaid and Catherine Itzin. In: Home Truths About Domestic Violence. Routledge. ISBN 9780415241564
Smith, Angela and Quaid, Sheila Introduction to Re-Reading Spare Rib. In: Re-Reading Spare Rib. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 1-20. ISBN 978-3-319-49310-7
Reports, briefing/ working papers
Quaid, Sheila and Young, Amy (2024) Bringing Humanising Influences to Critical Care Through the Natural Environment: Collaborative Evaluation of the new Critical Care Garden at James Cook University Hospital Summary Report. Project Report. University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2024) Bringing Humanising Influences to Critical Care Through the Natural Environment: Collaborative Evaluation of the new Critical Care Garden at James Cook University Hospital : Policy Brief. Project Report. University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Wilcock, Angela and Quaid, Sheila (2018) Exploring the Dynamics of Situated Emotionality in Feminist Standpoint Epistemology CASS. Working Paper. University of Sunderland, Sunderland.
Kearney, Jeremy, Mansson, Sven-Axel, Plantin, Lars and Quaid, Sheila (2000) Fatherhood and Masculinities A comparative study of the ideals and realities of fatherhood and masculinity in Britain and Sweden. Project Report. University of Sunderland Press, Centre for research and Practice University of Sunderland.
Conference or Workshop Item
Quaid, Sheila (2022) Critical and Visual Sociological Pedagogies. In: BSA Annual Conference 2022: Building Equality and Justice Now, 20 Apr 2022, Online.
Quaid, Sheila, Williams, Helen and Wilcock, Angela (2022) Do we need the HE classroom in Social Sciences to be a safe space or a discomforting space ? Research from the teacher perspective. In: CASS Public Seminar Series, 26 Jan 2022, University of Sunderland. (In Press)
Quaid, Sheila and Williams, Helen (2021) Troubling Knowledges and Difficult Pedagogical Moments for Students Learning. In: Knowledge Exchange for Learning and Teaching in HE |Three Rivers Conference, 25 June 2021, Online. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila and Connelly, Sarah (2021) Visual Research Practice and Sociology Teaching: Sociology Theory and the Use of Cinematic Film. In: Annual Faculty of Education & Society Staff Research Conference, 14 June 2021, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila and Connelly, Sarah (2021) Visual Research Practice and Sociology Teaching: Sociology Theory and the Use of Cinematic Film. In: Professions-Facing 3rd Annual Faculty of Education and Society Staff Research Conference, 14 Jun 2021, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2021) The Future, Reproductive Autonomy, Choice and Care: Narratives on life and future from women who are not mothers. In: British Sociology Association Annual Conference 2021, 13 April 2021, Online. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2020) Care, Choice, Reproductive Autonomy and the Future: The case of M/otherhood. In: CASS Seminar Series, 28 Oct 2020, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2019) M/Otherhood: We are all invested in the Future: Narratives from Women who are not Mothers. In: Parenting: Nature Nurture Future 3, 9 November 2019, Thought Foundation Community Arts Birtley Gateshead.
Quaid, Sheila (2019) International focus on Equality, Identity and Kinship in Lesbian Led Donor Conceived Families. In: XI AFIN International Conference: Towards Reproductive (IN)Justice?: Mobilities, Technologies, Labourings & Decisions, 2nd to 6th September 2019, University of Granada Spain.
Quaid, Sheila (2019) Interdisciplinarity and The Power of the Visual in Research Practice and in Sociological Pedagogy. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference Glasgow Caledonian University 26/4/19 #britsoc2019, 26/4/19, Glasgow Caledonian University. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2019) Equality, Identity and Kinship in Lesbian Led Donor Conceived Families. Paper presented at British Sociological Association Annual Conference Glasgow Caledonian University 25/4/19 #britsoc2019. In: British Sociological Association Annual Conference Glasgow Caledonian University 25/4/19 #britsoc2019, 23- 26th April 2019, Glascow Caledonian University.
Quaid, Sheila (2018) Exploring the Dynamics of Situated Emotionality in Feminist Standpoint Epistemology. In: BSA Annual Conference 2018 - Identity, Community and Social Solidarity, 10-12 Apr 2018, Northumbria University, UK. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2018) Identity and Kinship in Lesbian Led Donor Conceived Families: Poster presentation. In: BSA Annual Conference 2018: Identity, Community and Social Solidarity, 10-12 Apr 2018, Northumbria University, UK. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila and Wilcock, Angela (2016) Exploring the Dynamics of Situated Emotionality in Feminist Standpoint Epistemology. In: BSA Post Graduate Forum Closer to Home: Emotional Dilemmas in Research., 15 May 2016, London School of Economics. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Identities and Kinship in Donor Conceived Lesbian Led Families. In: Making parents? Parenting culture meets reproductive technology at Roehampton conference, 11 Dec 2015, University of Roehampton. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Difficult Moments in Teaching Diversity and Difference in a Diverse World. In: University of Sunderland Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, 3 Jul 2015, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Has Homophobia Decreased Since the 1980s? In: Student Union Conference for International Day Against Homophobia, 15 May 2015, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Defining the Self: Identities, Interconnections, Kinship and Belonging in Lesbian Led Families. In: The British Sociological Association Annual Conference 2015, 15-17 Apr 2015, Glasgow Caledonian University. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Difficult Moments in Teaching Diversity and Difference in a Diverse World. In: The North East Three Rivers Consortium 2015, 27 Mar 2017, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Quaid, Sheila (2015) Mothering under Austerity. In: NRF Third Seminar Series 2015-16, 28 Jan 2015, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Book
Quaid, Sheila, Hugman, Catriona and Wilcock, Angela (2021) Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century: Exploring Diversity, Social Change and Inequalities. Sociological Futures . Routledge, UK. ISBN 9780367483401 (In Press)
Hammer, Jalna, Itzin, Catherine, Quaid, Sheila and Wigglesworth, Debra (2000) Home Truths about Domestic Violence : Feminist Influences on Policy and practice - A Reader. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415241564
Quaid, Sheila (1988) Women and men in Lancashire Polytechnic. Lancashire Polytechnic Press.
Thesis
Quaid, Sheila (2008) Finding a Place: Negotiating Lesbian Parental Identities. Doctoral thesis, University of Sunderland.
Audio
Lonbay, Sarah and Deacon, Lesley (2022) The Portal Podcast: Linking research and practice for social work. Series one, episode five: A conversation with Angie and Sheila. [Audio]
Other
Quaid, Sheila, Wilcock, Angela and Hugman, Catriona (2022) Blog - Negotiating families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century, Exploring Diversity, Social Change and Inequalities. British Sociology Society, UK.
Quaid, Sheila (2016) Mums the Word. University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
- Equality and diversity
- Sociology of families
- Gender
- Sexualities
- Culture
- Critical pedagogies
- Feminist standpoint methodologies
Follow me on twitter @SheilaSq85.
In the press:
