Anthony E. Ladd

Associate Professor of Sociology
Office: Monroe Hall, Room 537-D, Box 30
Email: aladd@loyno.edu
Phone: 504-865-3640
Home Page:
Curriculum Vitae

 

Personal Sketch

Anthony Ladd joined Loyola's Department of Sociology in 1987, having previously taught at North Georgia College State University, Carson-Newman College, and the University of Tennessee. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Tennessee in 1981, his M.A. in Sociology from the University of Tennessee in 1978, and his B.S. in Sociology from Ball State University in 1976.

Teaching/Learning

Currently, Dr. Ladd teaches the following courses: Environment and Society, Global Environmental Crisis, Planet Earth Blues, Social Protest Movements, The Sixties, Race and Ethnic Conflict, and Social Problems. These courses are all electives in the sociology curriculum, while some count as electives in other university programs like Environmental Studies, Africana Studies, or Honors.

His philosophy concerning teaching and learning is best expressed by John DeweyÕs Theory of Learning, which states that:

"We learn what we live; to the degree that we live it, to the degree that we count it important, to the degree that it relates to what we already know, to the degree that we act on it."

Dedicated to teaching students about the most pressing social and environmental problems that threaten our sustainability, Dr. Ladd strives to challenge his classes to question their society and think more critically about the world that they take for granted. More importantly, he tries to urge students to develop both a knowledge base and set of social justice principles that will not only serve their lives well, but serve the larger needs of humanity and the planet. Quoting Gandhi, Dr. Ladd likes to remind his students to: "Be the change you wish to see in the world!"

Some examples of his classroom assignments and projects include:

• What's in my Backyard project, where students learn how to analyze national E.P.A. data from the web concerning the degree of toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants in their hometown or neighborhood.
• How Big is My Ecological Footprint project, another web-based assignment where students get to analyze their personal consumption habits and how they impact the resources and ecosystems of the planet.
• Understanding the Sixties Generation project, where students get to personally interview an adult from the 1960s about how their life was significantly impacted by the many social changes (e.g. The Vietnam War, The Civil Rights Movement, The New Left, Feminism, the Counterculture etc.) of that turbulent decade.
• Race and Ethnic Biography project, where students get to research their racial and ethnic roots within the context of both their family genealogy and American immigration history.

In all of his classes, Dr. Ladd emphasizes the importance of learning the history behind today's social and environmental problems, gaining a "Sociological Imagination," developing strong writing, communication, and research skills, and being an active citizen-not just a consumer in the community and society.

Research interests

Dr. Ladd's primary area of research centers around the impacts of environmental controversies on communities and the emergence of grassroots social movements as a response to environmental degradation. He is currently conducting research on the socioenvironmental impacts and conflicts surrounding salmon aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest.

Publications

His articles and book reviews have appeared in such journals as Sociological Inquiry, Sociological Spectrum, Social Justice, Humanity and Society, Blueprint for Social Justice, Proteus, Social Forces, Human Ecology, Contemporary Sociology, Rural Sociology, and Environmental History.

Courses

Social Problems, Environment and Society, Social Protest Movements, The Sixties