Jamilah Dei-Sharpe PhD
Teaching Statement
Dr. Dei-Sharpe is an experienced educator who teaches undergraduate Sociology and Anthropology courses in-person, virtual and hybrid settings. Beyond the classroom, she mentors students into graduate and professional pathways, supervises teaching assistants and interns through the experiential learning program at the Decolonial Perspectives & Practices Hub. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in three commitments: embracing diverse knowledge systems and accessibility, preparing students to become future leaders in sociology and civic life, and fostering ethical and innovative learning. Grounded in active, experiential, and decolonial pedagogy, her approach emphasizes mentorship and advising, with many of her students advancing into graduate study and professional careers. Dr. Dei-Sharpe instructs foundational and advanced Sociology courses integrating canonical theorists with contemporary critical, decolonial, and subaltern scholars from the Global South, enabling students to examine race, gender, class, sexuality, and nation in global and historical contexts. She collaborates with accessibility centers to adapt course design and assessments to meet the diverse needs of students. Her teaching employs active and multimodal strategies, using platforms such as Moodle, Mentimeter, and Jamboard, along with multimedia and real-world examples of politics and culture. Each class is co-created with students through oral histories, collaborative dialogue, and peer-led discussions, cultivating classrooms where diverse perspectives thrive and students see themselves as producers of critical and transformative knowledge.
Teaching History
Sociology of Intersectional Feminism (SOCI 4040B) This course explores feminist approaches to social theory from classical to contemporary perspectives through an intersectional lens. It challenges positivist and androcentric frameworks by centering lived experience as knowledge, equipping students with critical tools to rethink how social theory is produced and applied. Sociology of Sex and Sexuality (SOCI 3044A) This course explores the social construction of sex, gender, and sexuality across historical and contemporary contexts. Using a critical lens, it examines how theories of the body, desire, reproduction, and gender relations have long been entangled with colonial projects, racial formations, and broader struggles over power and domination. Foundations of Sociological Inquiry (SOCI 2000A) This course introduces students to the foundations of sociological research, examining how social issues, theories, and debates are transformed into research questions. Students will engage both quantitative and qualitative methods—survey, field, experimental, and unobtrusive approaches—while also addressing research design, ethics, and considerations for studying diverse populations. Race and Ethnic Relations (SOCI/ANTH 230B) This course examines past and present racial and ethnic inequalities in Canada and beyond, tracing their roots in colonialism, nationalism, heterosexism, and other power relations. Students will engage anti-oppressive theories such as race-critical theories, intersectionality, and anti-colonial approaches to analyze how institutions, policies, and ideologies shape the construction and lived experiences of race and ethnic relations. Black Montreal (LOYC 298-02) This course explores major themes, issues, and debates in Black Montreal’s history from slavery to the present day. Emphasizing culture, resistance, community organizing, art, and literature, it examines how Black Montrealers have shaped the city’s identity and built dynamic communities on and beyond the island. Quantitative Methods (360-300-DW) This course introduces students to quantitative methods in the social sciences, focusing on the use of statistical tools to interpret and analyze data. Topics include identifying variables, presenting and measuring data, examining relationships between variables, and using samples to estimate population parameters.
Educational Initiatives
The Decolonial Perspectives & Practices Hub
The Decolonial Perspectives & Practices Hub (DPPH) is a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Dei-Sharpe in 2019, dedicated to promoting equity and decolonial/anticolonial methods in higher education. The Hub has a community network comprising over 400 faculty and students. The team has developed faculty resources and community initiatives that have reached global audiences and received national recognition.
The National Black Graduate Network
Dei-Sharpe was part of the founding team of the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN) during her tenure as an executive member of the Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA). The NBGN was created to provide Black graduate students and those pursuing Black Studies with a space to collaborate, build camaraderie, and counter isolation, exclusion, and academic racism.