The Impact of Patricia Leavy’s Sociological Fiction

Authors

J. E. Sumerau, University of TampaFollow

Abstract

This article examines the impact of Patricia Leavy’s Sociological Fiction upon students, professors, and other readers. Utilizing examples from over seven years teaching and writing sociological fiction works at a private liberal arts university in the southeastern United States, I illustrate and discuss some ways Leavy’s works facilitate (1) students finding themselves and sociology as a field of study; (2) professors navigating personal and professional questions during the life course; and (3) readers, regardless of identity, navigating self-development, reflection, and sociological inquiry as a potential interest or commitment. In so doing, I suggest examples of sociological fiction by Leavy and others that may be utilized as the primary and/or supplemental contents for sociological teaching within and beyond sociology-specific course offerings at colleges and universities.

Keywords

teaching and learning, sociological fiction, social fictions, Patricia Leavy, qualitative methods, self-development, pedagogical resources, creative writing, sociology, applied sociology

Author Bio(s)

J. E. Sumerau (she/they) is a writer and scholar focused on the intersection of sexualities, gender, health, violence, and cultural forms in social life. They are also the author of seven novels and five nonfiction books including the Southern Gothic queer epistolary novel Transmission and an exploration of masculinities entitled Violent Manhood. They are also the director of applied sociology at the University of Tampa, and the author of over 100 short fiction and nonfiction works published in varied literary, medical, and social scientific journals and edited volumes. For more information, please visit www.jsumerau.com.

Publication Date

3-3-2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7948

Recommended APA Citation

Sumerau, J. E. (2025). The impact of Patricia Leavy’s sociological fiction. The Qualitative Report, 30(2), 3193-3202. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7948