Irene Shankar

E-mail: ishankar@mtroyal.ca

Education:
PhD (Sociology) University of Alberta

Research and Teaching Areas:

Sociology of Health and Illness (SLGY 2235)
Sociology of Gender (SLGY 2233)
Qualitative Research Methods (SLGY 3323)
(De)Constructing Health and Medicine (SLGY 4415)
Feminist Theories (SLGY 4435)

 

Academic Appointments

Associate Professor. (2015, June - present). Department of Sociology & Anthropology,
Mount Royal University.

Assistant Professor. (2009, August - 2015, May). Department of Sociology &
Anthropology, Mount Royal University.


Academic Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology. (2011, August). University of Alberta
Advanced Studies.

CIHR Qualitative Health Research Doctoral Fellowship. (2005 – 2007). International
Institute of Qualitative Methodology.


Academic Leadership Experience

Past President. (2023, July - 2024, June). Executive Committee. Canadian
Sociological Association. [National Professional Association with approximately 1000
members]

President. (2022, May – 2023, June). Executive Committee. Canadian Sociological
Association. [National Professional Association with approximately 1000 members]

President-Elect. (2021, June – 2022, June). Executive Committee. Canadian
Sociological Association. [National Professional Association with approximately 1000
members]

Executive Board Member. (2020, May – 2021, June). Mount Royal Faculty
Association.

Chair & CSA Executive Committee. (2021, June – 2020, June). Subcommittee on
Equity. Canadian Sociological Association.

Assistant Chair. (2019, September- 2021, June). Department of Sociology and
Anthropology. Mount Royal University.

Program Coordinator. (2013, August - 2015, June). The discipline of Sociology, Mount
Royal University.

Co-chair of Sociology Program Review. (2015 – 2017). The discipline of Sociology,
Mount Royal University.

Awards

Awards Conferred:

MRFA EDI Award. (2023, October). Mount Royal University Faculty Association Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusion Award.

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Scholar Award. (2023, April). Faculty of Arts, Mount
Royal University.

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Team Award. (2017, March). CAD 600. Faculty of Arts,
Mount Royal University.

Distinguished Faculty Award. (2016, June). CAD 4000. Mount Royal University.
SAMRU Champion Award. (2013, April 3). Students Association of Mount Royal
University.

Award Nominations:

CAUT Equity Award. (2023, February).

Canadian Association of University Teachers.

Research Recognition Award. (2020, May). Research and Scholarship Excellence.

Research, Scholarship and Community Engagements, Mount Royal University.

Undergraduate Student Supervision Award. (2019, March). Research, Scholarship
and Community Engagements, Mount Royal University.

Mount Royal Faculty Association Teaching Excellent Award. (2018, May). Mount
Royal University.

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teacher Award. (2016, January). Faculty of Arts, Mount
Royal University.

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teacher Award. (2015, November). Faculty of Arts,
Mount Royal University.

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teacher Award. (2014, October). Faculty of Arts, Mount
Royal University.

Mount Royal Faculty Association Teaching Excellence Award. (2014, May). Mount
Royal University.


Selected Funding

External Grants:

SSHRC Insight Development Grants. (2019, June). Project Title: #MeTooAcademia:
Knowledge (Im)mobilization of Sexualized Violence Research at Canadian Post-
Secondary Institutions. (Co-Investigator: Dr. Corinne Mason). $40,621.

CIHR EQUIPP Student Travel Grant. (2006). International Institute of Qualitative
Methodology, University of Alberta. $1000

CIHR Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research Fellowship (2005 – 2007).
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. $44,500

CIHR Workshop Training and Travel Grant. (2005). Faculty of Nursing, University of
Alberta. $1183

CIHR Graduate Training Fund. Workshop in Montreal. (2004). Canadian Institute of
Health Research, Government of Canada.


Internal Grants:

Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Assistant Fund. (2022, November). Out of Service:
Burnout and Disengagement of Faculty from Equity Seeking Groups within Academia.
(Co-investigator: Dr. Corinne Mason) $1500

Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Assistant Fund. (2022, November). Unmasking
Academia: Institutional inequities laid bare in COVID-19. (Co-investigator: Dr. Corinne
Mason) $1500

Faculty Development Committee Fund. (2019, June) Faculty of Arts. Canadian
Sociological Association Conference Funding. $1423

Special Projects Fund. (2019, January). Department of Sociology and Anthropology’s
Indigenizing and Decolonizing Working Group. Department of Sociology and
Anthropology, Mount Royal University). (Co-Investigators: Mulholland, M., Ayyash, M.,
Ulmer, F. Doetzel, N). $300

Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Assistant Fund. (2018, November). Post-secondary
institutions' policies on sexualized violence: Investigating (under)utilization of expert
knowledge and research. Mount Royal University. $1495.

Faculty Development Committee Fund. (2018, June). Conference Funding Faculty of
Art, Mount Royal University. $2300.

Faculty of Arts Innovation Fund. (2018, October). Faculty of Art, Mount Royal
University. $622

Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Assistant Fund. (2014, November). Sexual Assault
Prevalence Rates and Service Needs among MRU Students. (Co-Investigators:
McDonald-Harker, C., Tavcer, S). Mount Royal University. $1500

Faculty of Arts Innovation Fund. (2014, October). Sexual Assault Prevalence Rates
and Services Needs among MRU Students. (Co-Investigators: McDonald-Harker, C.,
Tavcer, S). Mount Royal University. $2500

Internal Research Grant. (2013, October). (De)Constructing H1N1 Pandemic in
Alberta. Mount Royal University. $4000

Faculty of Arts Faculty Development Fund. (2013, January). Understanding Fluidity
of Power With(in) Qualitative Research. Mount Royal University. $3000

Kings University College Research Grant. (2012, March). Transnational Surrogacy:
Colonizing Bodies. Requested. (Co-Investigators: Lozanski, K). King's University
College. $3285

SSHRC Institutional Grant (SIG@MRU). (2011, December). Transnational Surrogacy:
Colonizing Bodies. Office of Research Services, Mount Royal
University. (Co-Investigator: Lozanski, K). $2500

Faculty of Arts Faculty Development Fund. (2011, October). Faculty of Arts.
Qualitative Health Research Conference. Mount Royal University. $1000

King's University College Research Grant. (2011, April). Reproductive Tourism:
Colonializing Bodies? (Co-Investigator: Lozanski, K.) King's University College. $4500


Academic Publications

Peer-Reviewed Chapters/Articles:

Shankar, I. and Dosani, A. (R&R). “Fighting on all fronts: Experiences of Erasure and
Exclusion within Academia.” Race, Ethnicity, and Education.

Shankar, I and Mason, C.L. (Under Review). “White Feminism on Campus: Governance
and Carceral Feminist Politics in Post-Secondary Responses to Sexualized Violence.”
Gender & Education.

Shankar, I. and Mason, C.L. (2023). “Sorry, my child is kicking me under the desk”:
Intersectional challenges to research during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Contemporary
Vulnerabilities Plans Unraveled: Reflections on Social Justice Methodologies. Chelsea
Jones and Claire Carter (Eds). University of Alberta Press.

Motapanyane, M. and Shankar, I. (2022). “Increasing Pathways for Leadership for
Black, Indigenous and Women of Colour.” Atlantis, 43(1), 3-18.
https://doi.org/10.7202/1096953ar

Shankar, I. and Lozanski, K. (2022). “Academia and the Propagation of Privilege.” In
Reading Sociology: Decolonizing Canada (4th edition). by Jean-Pierre, J., Watts, V.,
James, C. E., Albanese, P., Chen, X., & M. Graydon (Eds). Oxford University Press. pp.
266-272.

Shankar, I. and Tavcer, S. D. (2021). “Good People with Good Intentions”:
Deconstructing Post-Secondary Institution’s Sexual Violence Policy.” Canadian Journal
of Educational Administration and Policy, 95, 2-16. https://doi.org/10.7202/1075669ar

Magnussen, J. and Shankar, I. (2019). Where is it? Examining Post-Secondary
Students' Accessibility to Policies and Resources on Sexual Violence. Canadian Journal
of Higher Education, 49(2), 90-108. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v49i2.188203

Lozanski, K. and Shankar, I. (2018). Surrogates as risk or surrogates at risk? The
contradictory constitution of surrogates' bodies in transnational surrogacy. Social Theory
and Health, 1-17. DOI:10.1057/s41285-018-0066-5

Shankar, I. (2016). Risky Bodies: Allocation of Risk and Responsibility within Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 5(2), 152-177. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v5i2.276

Shankar, I. (2015). The Making of a Medical Disorder: Tracing the Emergence of Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Alberta. Social Work in Public Health, 30(1) 38 - 50.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2014.938390

Shankar, I., and Northcott, H. (2009). Through My Son: Immigrant Women Bargain with
Patriarchy. Women's Studies International Forum, 32(6), 424 - 434.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2009.09.004

Wall, S., and Shankar, I. (2008). Adventures in Transdisciplinary Learning. Studies in
Higher Education, 33(5), 551 - 565. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802373008


Public Scholarship:

Eubank, B., Shankar, I., and Mulholland, M. (In Press). “What’s a Peer?: Diversity and
Peer Evaluations of Teaching.” Inside Higher Education.

Hamilton, L., Mason, C.L and I. Shankar. (May 23, 2023). In the Alberta election, the
stakes are high for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/in-the-alberta-election-the-stakes-are-high-for-2slgbtq-
youth-205966.
Also, published in Lakeland Today, Yahoo News, The Tyee, Pix Story, Flip Board, and
Tolerance.ca.

Shankar, I., Hamilton, L., and C. L Mason. (October 21, 2022). UCP resolutions banning
diversity, sexuality education are deeply troubling. Edmonton Journal. Also, published in
Calgary Herald. https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-ucp-
resolutions-banning-diversity-sexuality-education-are-deeply-troubling

Hamilton, L., Shankar, I and M. E. Hazzouri. (March 26, 2021). Why University
Marketing/Communications Offices need to hire Critical Race Theory experts .
University Affairs. https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/whyuniversity-
marketing-communications-offices-need-to-hire-critical-race-theory-experts/

Hamilton, L., Shankar, I and M. E. Hazzouri. (December 2, 2020). Northeast Calgary
needs elimination of structural racism, not a ‘wake-up call’. Calgary Herald.
https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-northeast-calgary-needs-
structural-racism-to-end-not-a-wake-up-call

Shankar, I. (2018). #MoreThanHashtags: Universities Should Take Concrete Actions to
End Sexual Violence. Insider Higher Education.
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2017/07/28/universities-should-take-
concreteactions-stop-sexual-assault-essay.

Shankar, I. (2017). Pay Inequity at Canadian Universities. Mount Royal Faculty
Association Newsletter (pp. 7). Calgary, Alberta: MRFA.


Reports:

Cross, G., Anderson, C., Shankar, I., Mulholland, M., Miller, J., Roberts, K., Baxter, J.,
Gulbert, K.M.L. (2014). Mount Royal Faculty Association Child Care Committee Report
(2013-14) (pp. 26).

Shankar, I. (2002). Ethnic Senior Friendly Manual. Prairie Centre of Excellence for
Research on Immigration and Integration.

Shankar, I. (2001). Elderly Immigrants and Refugees: An Annotated Bibliography.
Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration.

Lamba, N., Maximova, K., Mulder, M., Shankar, I. (2001). Graduate Student
Involvement in the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and
Integration: An Evaluation of Academic and Professional Development.

Media Interviews and Coverage:

(April 28, 2021). Community leader empowers women through her volunteer work.
Reporter: Noel Ormita . Calgary Journal.
https://calgaryjournal.ca/2021/04/28/community-leader-empowers-women-through-
hervolunteer-work/

Leow, Valerie. (June 4, 2021). Addressing Burnout: is Doing Equity Work Worth the
Costs? Congress 2021 blog. https://congress2021.ca/node/4475

(March 8, 2020). “Women’s roles appreciated through COVID, but does their pay reflect
that?” Calgary Herald. Reporter: Licia Corbella.
https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/corbella-womens-roles-
appreciatedthrough-covid-but-does-their-pay-reflect-that

(November 7, 2020). Virus of Hate. W5. CTV. National Broadcast. Reporter: Kathy Le.
Available at https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/asian-people-become-targets-of-racist-
attacksduring-the-pandemic-
1.5176366?fbclid=IwAR1S3oVLZ8wFZ2nNWyxIIUq2pOrCxR8Xnuhshup_1M48o4o4fqx
HmZkz1MU

(October 12, 2020). COVID-19: The Spread of Racism. CTV Documentaries and
Specials.

Alberta Broadcast. Reporter: Kathy Le. Available at
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2053973&binId=1.1201926&playlistPageNum=1
(Role: Subject Expert)

Cross, Marlena. (Fall/Winter 2019). Mistrust in Science and Medicine Seen Through a
Feminist Lens. (pg 27). Summit: Imposter Syndrome.
https://issuu.com/mountroyaluniversity/docs/final-summit_fall-winter_2019-complete

(2016, June). Crafting sexual assault policies at universities across Canada a difficult
venture: researcher. Kenny Mason, News1130.
http://www.news1130.com/2016/09/04/crafting-sexual-assault-policies-at-
universitiesacross-canada-a-difficult-venture-researcher/. (Type: Media Interview).
(Role: Subject Expert)

(2016, June). Universities must choose to be on the right side of the sex-assault debate.
Rosemary Westwood, Metro News. Article Available at:
http://www.metronews.ca/views/metro-views/2016/06/14/universities-must-choose-tobe-
on-the-right-side-.html. (Type: Media Interview). (Role: Subject Expert)