Teaching
What I teach…
As a sociology professor at Delaware Valley University, I’m passionate about helping students connect big sociological ideas to their everyday lives. My teaching explores how systems of power—like race, gender, class, and colonialism—shape our world, and how people organize to challenge those systems.
Over the years, I’ve taught a wide range of courses, including Social Movements, Protest, and Conflict; Feeling Race and Resistance in Philadelphia; Living for Change: Autobiographies of Women in Social Movements; and Sociology of Yoga.
Across all of them, I aim to create spaces where students can think critically, learn experientially, and see the relevance of sociology far beyond the classroom.
Interested in my yoga classes & workshops? Visit my Yoga page.
Sample Syllabi
My approach to teaching is rooted in engaged pedagogy, a practice inspired by bell hooks and grounded in social justice. I see teaching as a collaborative process that invites students to bring their full selves into the room—body, mind, and spirit—and to learn from the world around them.
I have designed and taught introductory and advanced sociology and criminal justice courses on the following topics:
- Social Movements, Protest, Conflict
- Feeling Race & Resistance in Philly: Exploring Local Social Movements
- Living for Change: Autobiographies of Women in Social Movements
- Border Crossings: Globalization & Gender
- Sociology of Yoga
- Sociological courses on race, gender, immigration and social justice, and the family
Testimonials from university students
Undergraduate student, Social Movements“The instructor was very friendly and really aimed to help us understand the material/assignments. Her class was my favorite this semester.”
Delaware Valley University
Undergraduate student, Intro to Sociology“This course was a good introduction to sociological concepts. It made students uncomfortable, but in the way sociology is supposed to. The open discussion format about content and topics which we learned was a nice way to see the differing opinions of the students interpreting the content and their own approaches to each topic.”
Delaware Valley University
Undergraduate student, Social Movements“Dr. Sood is very knowledgeable about each topic that was taught in this course, and you can tell she is passionate about what she is talking about. She also is very down to earth and approachable and keeps things “real” with students.”
Delaware Valley University
I first fell in love with sociology in my introductory course at Oxford College of Emory University, where I realized that theory could help make sense of my family’s story and connect personal experience to larger systems of power.
Collective liberation in the classroom
Whether we’re exploring Philadelphia’s rich history of social movements or hearing directly from community organizers and activists, I want students to experience sociology as something alive and transformative. I strive to make my classroom inclusive, flexible, and responsive, where every student feels seen and challenged to imagine new possibilities for justice and collective liberation.
