Teaching
As a sociologist and educator, my teaching is grounded in decolonial, feminist, and anti-racist pedagogies. I strive toward engaged pedagogy—a framework that emphasizes showing up as a whole person in the classroom, and recognizing that learning is not a one-way street. It’s not just the teacher teaching and students learning, but a collective process where everyone grows. I try to create classroom spaces that are intellectually rigorous, rooted in care, and open to multiple ways of knowing.
SJSC 1100: Social Justice and Social Change
This course introduces students to foundational debates and contemporary issues in social justice, with an emphasis on the histories and futures of struggle across race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources—including scholarly texts, film, and student reflection—we explore what social change entails and who gets to define it. The course is designed as a three-part journey: we begin with theoretical frameworks, then examine contemporary case studies, and finally turn inward to consider personal and collective action.
Students have described the course as both “engaging” and “transformative,” with one noting:
“Professor Masood demonstrated that she was very well informed with the material and she presented the content in a very organized fashion. She was very compassionate to her students and made us all feel comfortable sharing our opinions.”
SJSC 1110: Society and Social Change
In this course, students explore the relationship between individual lives and larger social structures. We examine how ideas of “truth” and “knowledge” are shaped by power, and how forces such as capitalism, colonialism, gender, race, and one’s global social position shape the world we live in. The course invites students to critically reflect on the narratives they have inherited—and those they might wish to transform.
Student feedback highlights the clarity and accessibility of instruction, as well as the collaborative learning environment. One student wrote:
“Professor Masood facilitated amazing discussions. I enjoyed learning about the many different concepts of race and gender. Her feedback on assignments helped me understand how to apply sociological ideas to real-world problems.”