Sara Tomczuk

I am interested in sociology of culture,  interethnic relations, qualitative methods, and innovative pedagogy. I am currently employed in a teaching and learning postdoctoral position at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany. I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington in 2017. I also earned my M.A. in sociology from UW in 2011 and my B.A. in sociology and history from The College of New Jersey in 2008. My work appears in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and the International Journal of Comparative Sociology. 

 

My dissertation, "Environment of Tension, Moments of Conflict: A Comparative Study of Majority-Roma Relations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia," furthers the study of interethnic relations by showing how perceived threats to the dominant group can trigger conflict racially divided societies. On the other hand, however, peaceful, unequal relations can limit the advance of minority groups. For this project, I conducted interview-based fieldwork in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from June 2014 to June 2015, primarily funded by a fellowship from IREX. 

 

As an instructor, I’ve enjoyed teaching introductory, upper-level, online, and service-learning courses. As the UW Department of Sociology Writing Center tutor, I advised students in their essays and instructors in designing goal-oriented prompts. I’ve pursued varied teaching opportunities such as an international exchange to Slovenia, teaching at a Seattle community college, and enrolling in pedagogical courses.