Program: MA Critical Sociology

Supervisor: Dr. Tamari Kitossa

Graduated in 2018

My name is Tierney Kobryn-Dietrich, and this is my Brock Grad Story. I graduated earlier this year with a MA from Brock’s Critical Sociology Program. For my thesis, I analyzed Canada’s history of anti-sex work laws and demonstrated how these laws have been used as a tool to oppress indigenous women from the onset of colonization to present day. I have presented this research as part of a panel with Brock faculty members at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2018 and plan to continue to present this research at various conferences throughout 201I have been honoured to win a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council as well as to be nominated for the Brock Social Science Department’s Best Thesis Award.

My MA experience was made special by the close-knitted community that exists at Brock. Throughout my studies, I had the opportunity to work with various faculty members as a teaching assistant, as well as a research assistant working on a multitude of different projects. Brock’s small size makes it easy to develop meaningful relationships with faculty and colleagues, which in turn creates a positive and challenging learning environment. My experience at Brock has been essential for developing the skills and relationships necessary to pursue the next step in my academic career as a PhD candidate at McMaster University