Karina Bull

Karina Bull is originally from Southern California, where she received her BA honors degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Karina decided that the interdisciplinary nature of the City, Culture, and Community Program was for her after attending the University of Chicago's Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS). In the MAPSS interdisciplinary program, she specialized in Social Psychology and Comparative Human Development. For her Master's thesis she implemented a study on the effects of social exclusion on an individual's personal and social needs as they relate to animal companionship. This study informed Karina's interests as a doctoral student in the CCC Program and she hopes to continue her research on marginalized communities and anti-poverty policy. On the Sociology track of this program, her interests have also grown to include issues of social control and penal policy, as well as researching prison-based animal programs.

Between her various academic commitments, Karina has studied abroad in Sweden, obtained her TEFL license in Greece, spent a year as an English teacher in the Czech Republic, and worked with a non-profit in Haiti. She also served as a Literature and Statistics instructor for middle and high-school students in Chicago. These various courses have translated into her own research methods, as she aims to integrate both qualitative and quantitative methods in her work. Moreover, she obtained a backstage look at the publication process while serving as an Associate Editor for 'Qualitative Sociology.'

Research Interests

Social & Penal Policy, Sociology of Animals, Social Control, Sociology of Culture