Coleen Carrigan
Associate Professor
Fields
- Critical race feminist theory
- Cultural anthropology
- Science and technology studies
- Medical anthropology
- Ethnography
- Action research
- Class theory
- Intersectionality
- Engineering education
- Critical methodologies
- Broadening participation
- Diversity
Contact Information
- Phone: (805) 756-2727
- E-mail: cmcarrig@calpoly.edu
- Website: coleencarrigan.com
About Coleen Carrigan
Dr. Coleen Carrigan is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Science, Technology & Society (STS) at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and the Principal Investigator of three National Science Foundation awards, including a five-year Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. She investigates the historical and cultural dimensions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), with a particular emphasis on Computer Science and Engineering, and why these high-status fields appear impervious to desegregation. Carrigan weaves together three threads of research to elucidate this vexing problem and sustainable solutions to it: action-oriented ethnography, feminist STS, and engineering education. She applies her research findings to create interventions that help foster welcoming environments for underrepresented groups in STEM and transform the powers of technology to advance social justice.
Dr. Carrigan’s work is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Luce Foundation, and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and has been cited in USA Today, Science, The Seattle Times, LA Times, and Inside Higher Ed.
For more information, please visit Professor Carrigan's Personal Website.
Courses Taught
- ANT 201: Cultural Anthropology
- ANT 401: Culture and Health
- ANT 460: Queer Anthropology
- ANT/ISLA 393: Action Oriented Ethnography
- WGS/ES 350: Gender, Race, Culture, Science and Technology
- ISLA 456: Advanced Project-Based Learning in Science, Technology & Society
Selected Research
- CAREER: Valuing the Social in Engineering and Computer Science (Engineering Education Centers. NSF 1751314)
- NAVIGATE: A Case-Study Approach to Overcoming Barriers to Advancement for Women in STEM (Research Traineeship Program. NSF 1735218-DGE)
- Launching Academics on the Tenure-Track: An Intentional Community in Engineering (LATTICE) (ADVANCE Plan-D NSF 14-573)
- Advancing Cultural Change (Cal Poly Provost's Office and Chancellor's Office Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant)