Loyola University Chicago

Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy

Staff Profiles

Melissa Kinsella

Title/s:  Graduate Student in the Department of Sociology

About

Melissa Kinsella (she/her) is a Graduate Assistant for the Teaching Effectiveness Seminar, and a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. Melissa began teaching at Loyola in Spring 2019. She was a Teaching Scholars Fellow during the 2021-2022 academic year. At Loyola, Melissa has taught courses that are part of the Core Curriculum including SOCL 101: Society in a Global Age and SOCL 171: Sociology of Sex and Gender, as well as elective courses, such as SOCL 255: Deviance and Social Control and SOCL 210: Gender and Work. Additionally, she has taught at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. She is a reflective, structured, and enthusiastic instructor. In addition to teaching, Melissa contributes to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by developing and publishing lesson plans and presenting on best practices for teaching within sociology. She has created pedagogical tools in the form of podcast interviews with authors discussing their recent published work in the academic journal, Gender & Society. Currently, Melissa is teaching and working on her dissertation, which examines meaning making within the #MeToo Movement.