HSH is lucky to have Sara at the helm

As we kick off March - the month when women are recognized internationally - the release of Sara’s third book, Sociology Unlocked, reminds us all how lucky we are to have Sara at the helm of Home Suite Hope.

We often showcase Sara’s work in the community, making it easy for many to forget that her first love is academia and that she also has a full and rewarding career at Sheridan College, where she gives the same passion and soul she does to our participants to her students.

As we head into March - International Women's Day month - it's important to take a moment and be grateful for the talents and time Sara gives to Home Suite Hope, its participants and staff.

Sara received her PhD in Sociology and Legal Studies from the University of Waterloo and has been teaching post-secondary for 18 years, the last 10 as a Professor of Sociology at Sheridan College.

Professor Sara Cumming is often referred to as the ‘ism’ prof as she teaches all kinds of courses on intersecting inequalities (sexism, racism, heterosexism, ablism, Islamophobism and classism) and is course lead for Introduction to Sociology and for her brand-new class Working with No Pants: Navigating Workspaces and Places post-2020.

It was her love of introducing students to the discipline of sociology that led her to writing (now two) introductory textbooks. She states that she knows how important sociology is to our world, and that it can offer students tools to understand their own advantages/disadvantages and to be able to critically dissect their own attitudes and behaviours.

However, most textbooks are dry and theoretical. They do not hold the students’ attention enough to get them to engage with the actual material. In an effort to do better, Sara engaged with students across the post-secondary sector to better understand what would work for them.

In the end, Sociology Unlocked has become a sought-after textbook used across the sector in both colleges and universities across Canada due to its “authentic, real world application”, “concrete examples and hands-on activities” and “its relatability to students’ life experience and current public issues” (Reviewer feedback).

Congratulations, Sara!