Getting to know Krista Brumley
Krista Brumley received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology at Tulane University, where she also earned her master's of public health. She earned her B.A. in Political Science at SUNY-Oswego. Her research interests are gender, work, work-family, social movements, organizations, qualitative methods, and Mexico. Dr. Brumley joined Wayne State University in 2007.
The professor
Current research
My research has focused on work organizations and social movements in Mexico. My current project explores work, gender, and family in U.S. multinational corporations. I plan to return to Mexico to conduct a comparative study with professional employees at Mexican multinational corporations.
How would you describe your teaching style?
My teaching philosophy is student-centered. I encourage students' active participation in their intellectual development. I promote an interactive learning environment inside and outside the classroom. A lively, engaging exchange of knowledge, ideas, and opinions among the students and with me provides one of the most effective opportunities to learn. I try to find new ways to motivate students to learn for the sake of learning and to develop a passion for curiosity.
What's been your best moment as a professor?
I don't think I can pick one moment — I am thrilled when I see that spark in a student's eye or when students transition into scholars. So, for me, the most fulfilling part of my job is seeing the intellectual growth of students and their passion for curiosity to discover more!
What do you want students to take away from your classes?
A love of sociology! And, a sociological lens to view the world critically — I want my students to question and never take life for granted without that questioning.
What advice would you give to students pursuing a career/degree in sociology?
Generally, be open to a variety of employment trajectories. For graduate students — follow your passion for deciding on a research focus, and be open to moving if academia is your goal!
The person
When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time?
Take a walk! What celebrity do you get mistaken for? I had a professor in graduate school that used to call me "Rita Hayworth" — it must have been the fiery red hair!
What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?
Queen, The Doors, and Van Morrison, but also Mozart — classical music got me through many days of writing in graduate school; The Iguanas, Oye Isabel, John Hiatt, Walk On, and just about any live music at the Howling Wolf or on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans — from jazz to blues to zydeco to second lines made all the hard work of graduate school worth it; Mercedes Sosa, Todo Cambia, Ana Belen, Caminando, and Miguel Rios, Santa Lucia represent my life in Mexico!
If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
Do I have to pick just one!? I would go back in time to see the Roaring Twenties, but particularly the women's suffrage movement when women finally got the right to vote; the 1960s, but particularly the March on Washington; Freedom Summer; the 1968 student movement in Mexico; the Prague Spring of 1968; and the list goes on...
What was your first job or oddest job outside of academia?
My first job was at Mcdonald's. Reflecting back, I think it gave me my first insight into gendered work organizations!
What is your favorite book?
Again, I can't pick just one, but these books influenced my fascination with Latin America, travel, and all things pagan: Isabel Allende, Of Love and Shadows and Eva Luna; Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate, and Jeanette Winterson, The Passion.
I am an avid reader (beyond academia 0: ), so anything that "transports" me to different places in the world — books give you a small sliver of the experience!