Gayle Letherby

Academic profile

Professor Gayle Letherby

Visiting Professor
Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

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The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Gayle's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

Goal 04: SDG 4 - Quality EducationGoal 06: SDG 6 - Clean Water and SanitationGoal 12: SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and ProductionGoal 14: SDG 14 - Life Below WaterGoal 16: SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong InstitutionsGoal 17: SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

About Gayle

Visiting Professor (Sociology) Faculty of Health, Plymouth 
Visiting Professor, University of Greenwich 
Visiting Professor, University of Bath, Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) 
HONOURS:  In October 2007 I was appointed an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.  Lifetime Contribution to Autoethnography Award 2023

Supervised Research Degrees

- Sue Melling (MPhil) ‘Parental, Maternal and Paternal Roles Related to ‘Family-Centred’ Care (AWARDED 2000 DoS)
- Louise Conneelley (PhD) 'The impact of rehabilitation for those with Severe Head Injury. Perceptions of the Patient, Significant Others and Rehabilitation Team' (AWARDED 2001 Supervisor)
- Kate Russell (PhD) ‘Body Image, Self-Esteem and Self-Identity: women’s participation motivation in rugby, cricket and netball’ (AWARDED 2002 Supervisor)
- Liz Holmes (MPhil) ‘Performance Indicators for Family Centres: theoretical and practical issues’ (AWARDED 2002 Supervisor)
- Nicola Bailey (MPhil) ‘Health Concepts and Social Context in Old Age: the conceptualisation of health related needs of people aged seventy-five and over in community care assessments’ (AWARDED 2005 Supervisor)
- Zoebia Ali (PhD) ‘Experiences of Bangladeshi and Pakistani young people with disabilities’ (AWARDED 2005 Supervisor )
- Patsy Staddon (PhD) ‘Making ‘Whoopee’: Women and Alcohol Use/Abuse’ (AWARDED 2009 DoS)
- Kevin Hugill (PhD, University of Central Lancashire) ‘The Role of Fathers in Special Care Baby Units’ (AWARDED 2009 External Supervisor)
- Sally Richards (PhD, Coventry University) ‘The Meanings of Gardens and Gardening for Older People’ (AWARDED 2010 External Supervisor)
- Sarah Church (PhD, The Open University) ‘With Mother: the significance of the parental identity of midwives’ (AWARDED 2010 External Supervisor)
- Michelle Jolley (PhD ESRC +3) ‘Geographical Variation in the Use of Anti-Social Behaviour Remedies: policy and practice’ (AWARDED 2011, Supervisor, Plymouth)
- Linda Adams (PhD) The social processes and individual reasoning that underlies causal attribution in a medical setting and to produce taxonomy of causal inference across a range of diagnosis’ (AWARDED 2013, DoS, Plymouth University)
- Rachel Jarvie (PhD ESRC 1+3) ‘An Exploration of the Mother/Daughter Relationship during Pregnancy and Early Motherhood for Women with Pre-Existing Diabetes and/or Obesity’ (AWARDED 2014, DoS, Plymouth University)
- Rosalind Paisey (MRes) ‘EAT: diet suppressing therapies for people living with diabetes’ (AWARDED 2014. Supervisor, Plymouth University)
- Julie Parsons (PhD part time) ‘Emotions and Food’ (AWARDED 2014,Supervisor, Plymouth)
- Geraldine Brown (PhD) ‘An exploration of the significance and meaning of ‘gun crime and ‘gang culture’ within the African Caribbean community living in two localities in the West Midlands’ (AWARDED 2015, Supervisor, Coventry University)
- Rebecca Twinley (PhD part time) ‘Occupational Impact of Women on Women Rape’ (AWARDED 2016, DoS (supervisor after leaving Plymouth full time))
- Sarah Elson (PhD ESRC 1 +3) ‘An Auto/biographical Analysis of Long Term
Conditions’ (AWARDED 2018 DoS (supervisor after leaving Plymouth full time))
- Nthabiseng (Violet) Moraka (PhD) ‘Enhancing Talent Management to Improve the Representation of Women Directors in Selected South African Mining Companies’ (AWARDED AUGUST 2018, Supervisor, University of South Africa)
- Beth Moran (EdD part time) ‘Does Peer Support Promote Boundary Spanning in Social Work?’ (AWARDED July 2020, supervisor, Plymouth)
- Patricia Eyres (PhD part time) ‘Faith Meanings in Occupational Therapy’ (AWARDED November 2020, supervisor, Plymouth)

Teaching

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS  Methods, Methodology and Epistemology: interests include feminist methodology and epistemology together with practical elements of ‘doing feminist research’; general dilemmas in the field (e.g. ethics, power, emotion); auto/biography; the qualitative/quantitative paradigm ‘divide’ and general issues of praxis, creative methodologies and approaches.  Family, Kinship and Identity: interests include motherhood and non-motherhood; parenthood and non-parenthood; foster care; teenage pregnancy and young parenthood; ‘reconstructed’ families.  Medicine, Health and Caring: interests include theoretical approaches, scientific knowledge and power, women and men and health care, the NHS and inequalities in health care, reproductive issues, ‘alternative’ therapies, politics, morality and medicine.  Sex, Sexuality, Power and Oppression: interests include solo sex, interpersonal violence, prostitution, sexuality and identity.  Sociology of Crime and Deviance, Criminology: interests include theoretical perspectives, prisons and imprisonment, drugs and drug use.  Mobility: including time and space in relation to travel and transport; gender, emotion and travel; reproductive, medical and identity tourism.   Loss, Bereavement and Grief: interests include perinatal loss and creativity and bereavement.    I also have experience of other teaching in the Sociology, Criminology and Women’s Studies areas.     At Plymouth, Coventry and Staffordshire I have been module leader for the following undergraduate modules:   Principles of Sociological Inquiry (Level One) Key Skills and Concepts for Sociologists (Level One) Introduction to Sociology for Social Workers (Level One) Sociology of Crime and Deviance (Level Two) Sex, Sexuality, Power and Oppression (Level Two) Feminist Research: approaches and Epistemologies (Level Two) Feminism, Health and Caring (Level Three)  Social Theory in Action (Level Three) Gender and Society (Level Two and Three)   And the following Masters modules:   Crime and Deviance Qualitative Approaches in Social Research Me, Ourselves and Them: Auto/Biographical Approaches in Social Research Criminological Research  Researching Social Life (for an MA focusing on Digital Culture and Society)     I have also contributed/contribute to the following:   Introduction to Feminist Thought (Level Four) Sociological Perspectives of Modern Western Society (Level Four) Psychosocial Perspectives in Midwifery (Level Four) Sociological Imaginations (Level Four) Britain in a Changing World (Level Four) Doing Social Research (Level Five) Culture and Identities (Level Five) Knowing the Social World (Level Five) Women’s Issues: global and local (Level Six) The Sociology of Education (Level Six) Family, Gender and Society (Level Six) Gender and Sexuality (Level Five) Contemporary Issues in Social Policy (Level Six) Critical Studies on Oppression (Level Six) Social Research (Masters) Undergraduate Project Supervision (Sociology, Women’s Studies, Social Policy) (Level Six) Masters Project Supervision (Sociology, Social Research x 6 students to completion) Social Process and Social Change (Masters)  Methods for Criminologists (Level Five) Foodways (Level Five) Methods for Criminologists (Masters) Social and Political Theory and Action (Level Six)  Social Movements (Level Five)   A (Coventry) university-wide research module for MPhil/PhD students EXTERNAL TEACHING -          'The Politics of Reproduction' Guest Lecturer for Medical Ethics Week, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leicester (June 2001) -          'Reproductive Rights' Guest Lecturer - Issues in Women's Health, School of Management, Community and Communication, York St John, College of the University of Leeds (April 2002) -          'Storming the Doors of Academia or Giving in Gracefully: sociology, gender and higher education', Plenary Speaker for British Sociological Association Postgraduate Summer School, Bath Spa University (September 2003) -          'Working with and For the Community: research and action' Guest Lecturer for Working with Communities - York St John, College of the University of Leeds (January 2004) -          ‘Women in (UK) HE: angels and umpires’ Guest Lecturer for Contemporary Perspectives on Women and Higher Education (graduate programme) University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (October 2004) -          ‘Sex, Lies and Audiotape: reflections on (qualitative) fieldwork’ Women’s Studies,  Edith Cowan University (December 2006) -          ‘Reflections on Interviewing (and other qualitative data gathering)’ Guest Lecture for Sociology, York University, Ontario (February 2007) -          ‘The ‘Problem’ of Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood in the UK’ Guest Lecture for Community Studies, York University, Ontario (February 2007) -          ‘Feminist Method (sic) , Methodology and Epistemology’ Guest Lecture for Sociology, York University, Ontario (February 2007) -          ‘Doing Gender’ Guest Lecture for Sociology, York University, Ontario (October 2007)  -          ‘Doing Gender 2’ Guest Lecture for Sociology, York University, Ontario (October 2009) (co-teaching with Deborah Davidson, York, Ontario)  -          ‘Doing In/fertility’ Guest Lecture for Sociology (Sociology of Human Reproduction Module) York University, Ontario (October 2011)  -          ‘Reflecting on Representations of and for Reproductive Identity and Non/Motherhood (Parenthood)’ Guest Lecture for Sociology (Sociology of Human Reproduction Module) York University, Ontario (October 2012) -          ‘Doing it Our Way: feminist attempts to make a difference in theory and in practice’ Non/Motherhood (Parenthood)’ Guest Lecture for Sociology (Selected topics in empirical methods: visual methods, Module) York University, Ontario (October 2012) -          ‘Auto/Biography’ Guest Lecture for Sociology (Foundations in Sociology) York University, Ontario (November 2015) -          ‘Doing In/fertility’ Guest Lecture for Sociology (Sociology of Human Reproduction Module) York University, Ontario (November 2015)  -          ‘What’s Gender Got To Do With It?: P/political reflections on gender (Gender Module) York University, Ontario (May 2017) -          ‘Ethics in Social Research (Social Research/Level 5) University of Greenwich (November 2017) -          ‘Researching Non/Motherhood (including Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood (or the Problem of the Problematisation of Young Parenthood)) (Family and Social Policy/Level 6) University of Greenwich (February 2018) -          ‘Gender’ (Family and Social Policy/Level 6) University of Greenwich (October 2018) -          ‘Researching Non/Motherhood (including Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood (or the Problem of the Problematisation of Young Parenthood)) (Family and Social Policy/Level 6) University of Greenwich (February 2019 and February 2020) -          (Doing Auto/Biography: reflecting on my identity as  academic, as activist etc. and so on) The Innocence Project, London (University of Greenwich) (Spring 2021 and 2022) -          ‘Introducing Creative Auto/Biography’ (Education Masters, Level 7) University of Greenwich (February 2022) -          ‘Introduction to Auto/Biographical and Creative Approaches’ (Social Science Masters, Level 7) University College Cork (February 2022) -          ‘Finding My Voice’  (Advanced Qualitative Research, Level 7) South East Technological University, Ireland (March 2023)  -          ‘Introduction to Auto/Biographical and Creative Approaches’ (Social Science Masters, Level 7) University College Cork (March 2023) POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION I have supervised/am supervising:  -          Sue Melling (MPhil) ‘Parental, Maternal and Paternal Roles Related to ‘Family-Centred’ Care  (AWARDED 2000, DoS, Coventry) -          Louise Conneelley (PhD) 'The impact of rehabilitation for those with Severe Head Injury. Perceptions of the Patient, Significant Others and Rehabilitation Team' (AWARDED 2001, Supervisor, Coventry) -          Kate Russell (PhD) ‘Body Image, Self-Esteem and Self-Identity: women’s participation motivation in rugby, cricket and netball’ (AWARDED 2002, Supervisor, Coventry) -          Liz Holmes (MPhil) ‘Performance Indicators for Family Centres: theoretical and practical issues’ (AWARDED 2002, Supervisor, Coventry) -          Nicola Bailey (MPhil) ‘Health Concepts and Social Context in Old Age: the conceptualisation of health related needs of people aged seventy-five and over in community care assessments’ (AWARDED 2005, Supervisor, Coventry) -          Zoebia Ali (PhD) ‘Experiences of Bangladeshi and Pakistani young people with disabilities’ (AWARDED 2005, Supervisor, Coventry) -          Patsy Staddon (PhD) ‘Making ‘Whoopee’: Women and Alcohol Use/Abuse’ (AWARDED 2009, DoS, Plymouth University ) -          Kevin Hugill (PhD)‘The Role of Fathers in Special Care Baby Units’ (AWARDED 2009, DoS/Supervisor, University of Central Lancashire ) -          Sally Richards (PhD) ‘The Meanings of Gardens and Gardening for Older People’ (AWARDED 2010, Supervisor, Coventry University) -          Sarah Church (PhD) ‘With Mother: the significance of the parental identity of midwives’ (AWARDED 2010, Supervisor, The Open University)  -          Michelle Jolley (PhD ESRC +3) ‘Geographical Variation in the Use of Anti-Social Behaviour Remedies: policy and practice’ (AWARDED 2011, Supervisor, Plymouth University) -          Linda Adams (PhD) The social processes and individual reasoning that underlies causal attribution in a medical setting and to produce taxonomy of causal inference across a range of diagnosis’ (AWARDED 2013, DoS, Plymouth University) -          Rachel Jarvie (PhD ESRC 1+3) ‘An Exploration of the Mother/Daughter Relationship during Pregnancy and Early Motherhood for Women with Pre-Existing Diabetes and/or Obesity’ (AWARDED 2014,  DoS, Plymouth University) -          Rosalind Paisey (MRes) ‘EAT: diet suppressing therapies for people living with diabetes’ (AWARDED 2014. Supervisor, Plymouth University) -          Julie Parsons (PhD part time) ‘Emotions and Food’ (AWARDED 2014, Supervisor, Plymouth University) -          Geraldine Brown (PhD) ‘An exploration of the significance and meaning of ‘gun crime and ‘gang culture’ within the African Caribbean community living in two localities in the West Midlands’ (AWARDED 2015, Supervisor, Coventry University) -          Rebecca Twinley (PhD part time) ‘Occupational Impact of Women on Women Rape’ (AWARDED 2016, DoS (supervisor after leaving Plymouth full time)) -          Sarah Elson (PhD ESRC 1 +3) ‘An Auto/biographical Analysis of Long Term
  Conditions’ (AWARDED 2018 DoS (supervisor after leaving Plymouth full time)) -          Nthabiseng (Violet) Moraka (PhD) ‘Enhancing Talent Management to Improve the Representation of Women Directors in Selected South African Mining Companies’ (AWARDED AUGUST 2018, Supervisor, University of South Africa) -          Beth Moran (EdD part time) ‘Does Peer Support Promote Boundary Spanning in Social Work?’ (AWARDED July 2020, supervisor, University of Plymouth) -          Patricia Eyres (PhD part time) ‘Faith Meanings in Occupational Therapy’ (AWARDED December 2020, supervisor, University of Plymouth)  -          Esther Van Der Valt (PhD) ‘On Being a Mother’ (Director of Studies, University of Modena and Reggio Emila, Italy, Due to submit November 2023) -          Harriet Marks (PhD) ‘To What Extent are the Experiences and Perceptions of ‘High Functioning’ Autistic Women impacted by their Gender?’ (Supervisor, University of Plymouth, Due to Submit September 2025)

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