You might be wondering who I am. You came to the right place!
My name is Rochelle Stevenson and I am as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Thompson Rivers University. Kamloops is quite a lovely place to live, work, and study.
My academic background is in Criminology. I was drawn to this field because I needed to know why people engage in cruelty to animals. Criminology seemed like a good place to start, and I was hooked! The diversity and constant change in the discipline means that there are always new and exciting areas of research to challenge the intellectual imagination. I received my BA (Honours) in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in beautiful Burnaby, British Columbia (oh, those mountain views!), and completed my MA in Criminology at the University of Ottawa. After completing my PhD at the University of Windsor, I knew I wanted to head west again – Kamloops and TRU was a perfect fit!
Throughout my undergraduate education, I learned about the connection between domestic violence and animal abuse. Given how much I adore and respect animals (of all shapes and sizes), my need to know why was instantly piqued. This intersection became the driving factor behind much of my research. My Honours thesis looked at safe pet programs in Western Canada, examining the avenues available to women who want to leave an abusive relationship but do not want to leave their companion animal in a situation of potential harm. My MA thesis looked at the issue from a different perspective: that of men who had committed abuse against their partner. Interviewing incarcerated men about their relationships with their partners and their companion animals was illuminating, albeit sometimes difficult, research. My PhD dissertation is a continuation and an expansion of my MA research. Please read more about my research on My Research page!
My passions are research, teaching, my Standard Poodle (Piper), my crazy cats (Quinn and Egon), travelling, and anything outdoors – not necessarily in that order!
Check out My Thoughts for articles, bits of my intellectual ramblings, funny cartoons, and of course, poodle pictures!
I love questions! Please email or post if you have a question or comment. Seriously, I love questions!
Have an awesome day!
