Professor Kevin Doran, Ph.D. | Sociology and Social Work Department
[Sociology] gives students the ability to take the position of the other. To understand all the things that led to that person existing the way they exist, and how that shapes the way they view the world, and therefore how they act.
Professor Kevin Doran is an associate professor and chair of the Sociology and Social Work Department at Saint Anselm College. He has been teaching for over 15 years, enriching his students with his subject knowledge on political/social attitudes and sociological perception.
When did you become interested in sociology?
I’m a first-generation college student, and I didn’t know what sociology was until I took a class in college called Wealth and Power. That class helped me see structures or processes in place where people have someone helping them understand what to expect. My dad was a train engineer, largely for the coal industry, and my mom did many things, including a job in parking enforcement, and when it came to knowing what to expect in a college setting, I had to figure out a lot on my own. But the way my parents talked to me about their work experiences or things happening in the world, I didn’t know at the time, was what C. Wright Mills calls ‘sociological imagination’—breaking down the link of this big structural process and how that explains a smaller thing. I was already looking at the world through that lens, and then I got to college and there was this thing called sociology, and it was doing what I’d already been trained to do. I became a Sociology and PPE (Politics, Philosophy, and Economics) major, and I enjoyed all of it, but I felt my heart was really with sociology.
Do you have a favorite class to teach?
Sociological Theory. My favorite part is looking at identity and what’s going on underneath the surface of people. The class ends with a project where students pick a piece of art, a song, TV show, anything, and then use six theoretical perspectives of their choosing that we discussed in class to analyze it. One student, a fine arts minor, really impressed me. He took six paintings and talked about the individual brushstrokes and the emotion they conveyed, and then connected that to things such as group conflict and personal identity. How he used the skills he learned in fine arts and combined it with the skills he learned in sociology, that was really fun.
Why should students major in sociology?
This major gives students the ability to take the position of the other. To understand all the things that led to that person existing the way they exist, and how that shapes the way they view the world, and therefore how they act. As an extreme example, if you want to stop terrorism, you must understand why a person thinks terrorism is the correct action. You don’t have to agree with it, but you have to understand what gets a person to that point of view. We hear from so many of our alumni that this is not only invaluable in their careers, but in helping them be better human beings. Sociology also pairs so well with many other majors, including Criminal Justice, Politics, Community and Public Health, Social Work, Peace and Justice Studies, Economics, Business Administration, and Psychology.
Can you talk about new bachelor’s degree in social work program?
We’re in the second year of a three-year process for an accredited bachelor’s degree in social work (B.S.W.) and expect to be accredited by fall 2026. We are Council on Social Work Education (C.S.W.E.) candidates, which means that students admitted to the program now are eligible for an accredited B.S.W. This would be acknowledged retroactively if we were not accredited before they graduated. Many master’s programs grant advanced standing to students with an accredited B.S.W., allowing them to move directly into second-year courses in their M.S.W. program.
What are people surprised to learn about you?
I see a few jaws drop when I mention I used to play bass in a punk band. But also, people can’t believe I’ve only seen one of the Star Wars movies—growing up we had a VHS tape recording of Return of the Jedi, and that’s the only one I’ve seen.
Adapted from “Focus on Faculty: Kevin Doran, Ph.D.” by Kate Grip Denon from the Spring/Summer 2025 edition of Portraits.