Meet the Faculty
I try to get out of my office and walk the campus as often as I can.
A few days ago, I noticed a new display in the Winslow Academic Center. The College’s Archivist/Library Director filled the glass cabinets with many of the "works" of our published faculty. The display had something for everyone, from fiction and children’s stories; to scientific research and biographies.
I am often asked "what makes Lasell College special?" Or "how is Lasell College different?" My answer, simple, the people. Ironically, the same people whose published work caught my attention during my walk - our faculty. But unless you visit campus, you might not have an opportunity to meet them. So, let me introduce you...
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Dr. James Ostrow (Jim) is Lasell’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and a Professor of Sociology. He earned his Ph.D. from Boston University with areas of specialization in Social Theory and Philosophy of Education.
About teaching, Jim writes: "Nothing matters to me more than converting subject matter into a perspective on the world for my students, a perspective they are driven to have and use toward positive change in the world. Students acquiring and proving that they know certain information is unimportant to me if I haven’t succeeded in affecting this conversion. I find that there is no better way to succeed in this than by collaborating with students on activities and projects where we are actually using ideas and methods of exploration in creative ways leading to actual discoveries."
Prior to his position at Lasell College, Jim served as Director of Academic Affairs/Chief Academic Officer of Penn State University, Fayette Campus, and before that was Director of the Bentley College Service-Learning Center and Chairperson of Bentley College’s Department of Behavioral Sciences. He was Review Editor for the journal Human Studies, and he has served on the Steering Committee for "Project Connect," a HUD funded collaborative providing voice mail service to homeless people in the Boston area. He is currently Co-chair of the Newton South High School Council and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Second Step (an organization providing transitional housing and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence).
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Jim Ostrow’s principal scholarly interests lie within the intersection of social theory, continental philosophy, and American pragmatist philosophy. He is the author of Social Sensitivity: A Study of Habit and Experience (State University of New York Press) and Cultivating the Sociological Imagination: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Sociology with Garry Hesser and Sandra Enos (American Association of Higher Education). Interested in picking up a copy? Click on the image of his book - Social Sensitivity, to order it online.
He has written articles in sociological theory, qualitative research, educational philosophy, and educational research methods, appearing in such journals as Sociological Perspectives, Human Studies, Qualitative Sociology, Perspectives, International Journal for Qualitative Studies in Education, and NSEE Quarterly.
Jim's office is located in Potter Hall, and when he's not teaching or spending time with his family, Jim can be found playing tennis or fishing, two of his favorite past times.
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Preview of future "Meet the Faculty" Blogs:
I'll be introducing you to Professor Tessa le Roux