JoAnn McAllister
Dr. McAllister is an interdisciplinary social science researcher and educator whose work is grounded in a systems perspective and the role of stories in shaping individual, organizational, and social beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Her doctorate is in Human Science, a humanistic approach to the social sciences grounded in Continental Philosophy. She also has degrees in American History and Culture and Spirituality. She has been teaching and mentoring graduate students since 2005. At Walden her focus is on teaching qualitative research and mentoring dissertation students. She has also worked with many non-profits and government agencies in the development of education programs related to criminal justice, at-risk youth, and the environment.
She was the Director of the Human Science program at Saybrook University and following its closure established, with colleagues, the Human Science Institute to create a trans-disciplinary learning community for scholars, practitioners, advocates, and activists to support a “humane and ecologically sustainable future.” She is a co-author of Doing Democracy: The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements written by Bill Moyer (2001). She is working on a new book, Still Doing Democracy: Finding Common Ground and Acting for the Common Good.
Courses Taught
RSCH 8360 - Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis
RSCH 8310 - Qualitative Reasoning
Education
PhD, Saybrook University
MA, Holy Names College
MA, Old Dominion University
Awards / Honors
Bernard L. Turner Award, , 2023
Publications
McAllister, J. (2022). Just Thinking: The Meaning of Our Words. Journal of Democracy and Peacemaking
McAllister, J. (2016). A Human Science Approach to Engaging in Transformational Social Change: Knowledge, Understanding, and Praxis. Human Science Perspectives
Moyer, B., McAllister, J., Finlay, M., Soifer, S. (2001). Doing democracy: The MAP model of organizing social movements..
Presentations
McAllister, J. (2022). Effective Collective Action. Western Social Science Association
McAllister, J. (2018). Participatory Democracy. Human Science Institute,