Teresa Elston is an instructor in the Department of Sociology. She completed her Ph.D. in Sociology in 2001 at the University of Notre Dame. She also has a master's degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Indiana University. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of power and inequality as well as community, urbanization, and culture. She teaches several classes at USD including Marriage and Family, Gender through the Prism of Difference, the U.S. Mosaic, Sexualities, and Introduction to Sociology. Dr. Elston's research and interests include the study of gender and families as well as gender and sexuality. Of particular interest is the daily life of contemporary families, including combining work and family in addition to family ceremonies and rituals. Her current research focuses on pedagogical issues in the teaching and learning of sociology. Dr. Elston uses film and documentaries in her classes and her current project focuses on strategies to include film in classes on sexualities. A recent publication in ASA Resource Materials focuses on the teaching and learning of social psychology. A book review was published in the summer 2007 in Teaching Sociology.
