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 was the Accreditation Officer, Dean of Students, and the Director of the Human Science program at Saybrook University. She has also worked with government agencies, including the California Attorney General, San Francisco Sheriff's Office, and the San Francisco Superior Court, and non-profits in the development and evaluation of education programs related to domestic violence, at-risk youth, and children of incarcerated parents. With colleagues she facilitates a trans-disciplinary learning community, the Human Science Institute, 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) and numerous articles on social change, spirituality, and the environment. She facilitates workshops on effective social change and is working on a new book, Still Doing Democracy: 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

Public Service

American River Conservancy, Volunteer - Coloma

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..

McAllister, J. (2017). "Tearing Down the Walls That Keep Us From Finding Common Ground". WagingNonviolence.org

Presentations

McAllister, J. (2022). Effective Collective Action. Western Social Science Association

McAllister, J. (2018). Participatory Democracy. Human Science Institute

McAllister, J. (2015). Human Science: A Transdisciplinary Framework for Responding to Contemporary Environmental and Social Issues. Human Science Institute

McAllister, J. (2018). Participatory Democracy. Human Science Institute

McAllister, J., West, P., Rebelo, D. (2012). Phenomenological Storytelling: A Filmmaker, Phenomenologist, and Human Scientist A Filmmaker, Phenomenologist, and Human Scientist share their experience of cultivating a phenomenological attitude to inform and inspire self-expression. Human Science Institute