Ingrid Castro

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Office: CLS-2097, Phone:  (773) 442-4771
E-mail: i-castro@neiu.edu

Years at Northeastern Illinois University: 2006 to present

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Education

PhD. Sociology. Graduate Certificates: Gender Studies & Cinema Studies. Northeastern University. 2005

MA. Sociology. Northeastern University. 1997

BA. Sociology. University of Delaware. 1995

BA. Psychology & Women's Studies. University of Delaware. 1994

Professional Interests

I am interested in the intersection of sociology and film analysis, as well as other parts of popular culture including television, advertising, music, art, and novels, in particular science fiction and fantasy. Another central research concentration of mine is on children/pre-adolescents and how they display and utilize agency in their everyday lives, particularly in the arena of immediate family. I am also invested in researching interracial friendships among young people that occur on college campuses utilizing qualitative methodology.

Recent Teaching

Introduction to Sociology. Women & Social Action. Sociology of Education. American Women: The Changing Image. Sociology of Film. Racial & Cultural Minorities. Popular Culture. Senior Seminar: Race, Class, and Gender in Sci-Fi.

Publications

• Castro, I. E. (2007)  Implicit Racism in Moore, J. (Ed in Chief) Encyclopedia of Race and Racism.  Gale Cengage.

• Castro, I. (2005). Children's Agency & Cinema's New Fairy Tale. Kinney, D. A. & Rosier, K. B. (eds). Sociological Studies of Children and Youth. Volume 10. New York: JAI Press/Elsevier

• Castro, I. (2005). A Consequence of Inequality: Women, Race, and Friendship on College Campuses. Dissertation.

Grants

• Facult-E Grant. Learning & Teaching Excellence Center. SUNY Potsdam. 2005.
• Latin American Studies Association Student Grant. 2003. [Funding Provided by LASA].
• Minority Fellowship Program in General Sociology/Mental Health. American Sociological Association. 2000-2002. [Funding Provided by ASA/NIMH].

Presentations

• American Sociological Association.  Boston, Massachusetts.  August 2008.  Presider.  Session:  Portraying Children:  Culture, Narrative, and Genre.
• American Sociological Association.  Boston, Massachusetts.  August 2008.  “Day Zero” Panel Speaker for the Minority Fellowship Program. 
• American Sociological Association.  Boston, Massachusetts.  August 2008.  Paper.  Otherworldly Children:  The Adventures of Those Presumed Innocent in Science Fiction.
• Midwestern Sociological Association.  St. Louis, Missouri.  March 2008.  Poster Session Organizer.  Sociology Student Groups:  Doing Sociology in the Academy, Community, & Beyond.
• NEIU.  Chicago, Illinois.  January 2008.  Annual African, African American, Native American, Caribbean, and the Americas Heritage Conference.  Introduction & Moderator.  Session:  Street Children in Iringa, Tanzania:  Problems and Possibilities. 
• NEIU.  Chicago, Illinois.  January 2008.  Annual African, African American, Native American, Caribbean, and the Americas Heritage Conference.  Introduction & Moderator.  Session:  Street Children in Iringa, Tanzania:  Problems and Possibilities. 
• Northwestern University.  Evanston, Illinois.  December 2007.  Preparing Future Faculty.  Panel Member.  The Academic Hiring Process for Humanities & Social Sciences.
• "The Future of Race Relations on Campus: Policy Implications from a Study on Interracial Friendships in Higher Education." American Sociological Association. New York, New York. August 2007.
• "Rumors, Excuses, and Consequences: The Social Construction of Campus Space and the Politics of Interracial Friendship." American Sociological Association. Montreal, Canada. August 2006.

Service

• Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium.  Faculty Sponsor for Two Student Projects.  NEIU.  April 2008.

• Women’s Studies Program Affiliated Faculty.  NEIU.  2007-Present.
• McNair Scholars Program Student Advisor.  NEIU.  2007 & 2008.
• Advisor. Sociology Club. Northeastern Illinois University. 2006-Present.
• Volunteer Grant Evaluator.  Chicago Foundation for Education.
• American Sociological Association. Honor's Program Undergraduate Student Mentor. 2004.
• American Sociological Association Member.