Cory Blad: A Focus on Teaching

Cory Blad graduated in 2006 with his PhD in sociology and left Knoxville to launch his career. The next decade of his life turned out to be quite interesting and productive!

He began his academic career in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, just outside St. Louis.

“I learned a great deal from an outstanding group of colleagues and mentors on how to be a scholar and teacher,” says Blad.

After three years, he, his partner, and two daughters decided to move closer to family. Blad accepted a position at Manhattan College in the Bronx of New York City, a small, liberal arts college, which has given him the opportunity to focus on teaching.  Since the move, Blad earned tenured and will begin his first term as chair of the Department of Sociology in the fall of 2017.

“I’ve had a great time in formal classroom settings as well as more individualized student interactions, my favorite being research-oriented independent studies,” says Blad. “I’ve even had the chance to develop and refine a study abroad course in Scandinavian political economy and culture in January, which is much more enjoyable than it sounds!”

In addition to his teaching and in between moves, Blad published a book titled Neoliberalism and National Culture (Brill, 2011). He is the author of several book chapters and articles and has a forthcoming article in the Journal of Globalization Studies that he coauthored with an undergraduate student.

Blad has also presented his work both nationally and internationally. His research examines the intersection of state legitimation and political economic structures; essentially, neoliberalization. His current focus is on the effects of neoliberalization of nationalist political parties and rhetoric in several advanced capitalist democracies.

“In short, things have been going well despite regretting not getting back to Knoxville more often,” says Blad.
From all of here, we wish Cory Blad every success as he continues to examine solutions for social problems and carry the torch for social justice.