Debra Langan

My current research projects focus on women in policing (“police mothers”), police cultures, gendered violence, and security networks. My past projects centered on families and intimate relations and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Critical theorizing, discourse analysis, and other qualitative methodologies guide my research.

• Merit Award, Wilfrid Laurier University (2015).
• The University-Wide Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty, Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning, York University (2008).
• Merit Award, York University (2005).
• The John O’Neill Award for Teaching Excellence, Department of Sociology, York University (2001).

I employ fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students as Research Assistants for my projects from my fourth-year advanced criminological theories courses, and my MA courses in qualitative methodologies and research and professionalization. I am a member of the Graduate Program in Criminology, and I enjoy the roles of supervisor or committee member for Master of Arts theses.

Chapters in Books

• Oliver, Marcia, Rebecca Godderis, and Debra Langan. 2020. Alternative Practices and Politics of Care: Women Students’ Experiences of Rape Culture and Sexualized Violence on Campus. Violence Interrupted: Confronting Sexual Violence on University Campuses, ed. Diane Crocker, Joanne Minaker, and Amanda Nelund. McGill-Queen’s University Press. Montreal.
• Sanders, Carrie, Debra Langan, Katy Rozad & Taylor Knipe. 2019. Nodal Governance and Technologies of Control: One Approach to Risk Mitigation in Ontario. (Chapter 4) in Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice: Critical Perspectives, ed. Stacey Hannem, Carrie B. Sanders, Christopher J. Schneider, Aaron Doyle, and Tony Christensen (110-137). Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press.
• Langan, Debra and Mavis Morton. 2014. “Reflecting on Community/Academic 'Collaboration': The Challenge of /Doing/ Feminist Participatory Action Research.” (invited) (Chapter 2) in Corridor Talk: Canadian Feminist Scholars Share Stories of Research Partnerships, ed. Rachel Berman, 17-38. Toronto: Inanna Publications. (This chapter was originally published in 2009 in Action Research, 7:2 (June): 165-184).
  
• Langan, Debra. 2012. “Mothering in the Middle and Self Care: Just One More Thing To Do.” (Chapter 14) in Mediating Moms: Mothering in Popular Culture, ed. Liz Podnieks, 268-283. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. (This book was awarded the Outstanding Scholarship Prize [2012-2013] by the Women’s and Gender Studies Association, part of Canada’s Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences).
• Langan, Debra and Deborah Davidson. 2010. “Rethinking Intimate Questions: Intimacy as Discourse.” (invited) (Chapter 2) in Canadian Families: Diversity, Conflict and Change (Fourth Edition), ed. Nancy Mandell and Ann Duffy, 33-60. Toronto: Nelson Education Limited (This chapter was updated with new material from our originally published chapter in the Third Edition of the same book, 2005).
• Langan, Debra, Sheese, Ron, & Davidson, Deborah. 2009. “Constructive Teaching and Learning: Collaboration in a Sociology Classroom.” (invited) In Jack Mezirow, Ed Taylor (Eds.), Transformative Learning in Practice: Insights from Community, Workplace, and Higher Education. (pp 46-56). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Langan, Debra. 2009. “Roll On Down the Highway.” (invited) (Chapter 10) in Gendered Journeys, Mobile Emotions, eds. Gayle Letherby and Gillian Reynolds, 79-82. Abington, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
• Langan, Debra. 2001. “Talking About Violence Against Women: Deconstructing Uncontested Discourses.” (invited) In Feminism(s) on the Edge of the Millennium: Rethinking Foundations and Future Debates, ed. Krista Hunt and Christine Saulnier, 87-106. Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education Inc.

Refereed Journal Articles

• Danielle E. Thompson, Debra Langan, and Carrie B. Sanders. 2022. Policemen, COVID-19, and Police Culture: Navigating the Pandemic with Colleagues, the Public, and Family. (Online First in Policing & Society, 26 June). https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2022.2080826 
• Sanders, Carrie B., Julie Gouweloos, and Debra Langan. 2022. Gender, Police Culture, and Structured Ambivalence: Navigating ‘Fit’ with the Brotherhood, Boys’ Club, and Sisterhood (Online First in Feminist Criminology, 3 May). https://doi.org/10.1177/15570851221098040 
• Sanders, Carrie B. and Debra Langan. 2021. Collaboration Consequences: New Public Management and Police-Academic Partnerships (Online First, 12 February, in Journal of Applied Social Science).
• Sanders, Carrie B. and Debra Langan. 2019. New Public Management and the Extension of Police Control: Community Safety and Security Networks in Canada. Policing and Society: An International Journal, 29:5: 566-578.
• Langan, Debra, Carrie B. Sanders & Julie Gouweloos. 2019. Policing Women's Bodies: Pregnancy, Embodiment, and Gender Relations in Canadian Police Work. Feminist Criminology. 14:4: 466-487.
• Langan, Debra, Carrie B. Sanders, & Julie Gouweloos. 2018. Danger-protection mothering practices: How work and home influence the parenting of women police officers. International Journal of Birth and Parenting Education, 5:4:11-16.
• Langan, Debra, Carrie B. Sanders, and Tricia Agocs. 2017. Canadian Police Mothers and the Boys’ Club: Pregnancy, Maternity Leave and Returning to Work. Women & Criminal Justice, 27:4: 235-249.
• Langan, Debra, Stacey Hannem, and Catherine Stewart. 2016. “Deconstructing Accounts of Intimate Partner Violence: Doing Interviews, Identities, and Neoliberalism.” Applied Linguistics, 37:2: 219-238.
• Langan, Debra, Nicole Schott, Timothy Wykes, Justin Szeto, Samantha Kolpin, Carla Lopez, and Nathan Smith. 2016. “Students’ Use of Technology in the University Classroom: Analysing the Perceptions of the Digital Generation.” Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 25:1:101-117.
• Schott, Nicole and Debra Langan. 2016. “Pro-anorexia/bulimia censorship and public service announcements: The price of controlling women.” Media, Culture & Society, 37:8 (November): 1158-1175.
• Hannem, Stacey, Debra Langan, and Catherine Stewart. 2015. “'Every couple has their fights…': Stigma and Subjective Narratives of Verbal Violence,” Deviant Behavior, 36:5 (May): 388-404.
• Agocs, Tricia, Debra Langan, and Carrie Sanders. 2015. “Police Mothers at Home: Police Work and Danger-Protection Parenting Practices," Gender & Society, 29:2 (April): 265-289.
• Stewart, Catherine, Debra Langan, and Stacey Hannem. 2013. “Victim Experiences and Perspectives on Police Responses to Verbal Violence in Domestic Settings.” Feminist Criminology, 8:4 (October): 269-294.
• Langan, Debra and Mavis Morton. 2009. “Through the Eyes of Farmers’ Daughters: Academics Working on Marginal Land.” Women’s Studies International Forum, 32:6 (November): 395-405.
• Langan, Debra and Mavis Morton. 2009. “Reflecting on Community/Academic “Collaboration”: The Challenge of "Doing" Feminist Participatory Action Research.” Action Research, 7:2 (June): 165-184.
• Langan, Debra, Marcia Oliver, and Laurel Atkinson. 2007. “The Political is Personal: TAs on the Front Lines of the Critical Consciousness Campaign.” Radical Pedagogy, 9:1.
• Davidson, Deborah and Debra Langan. 2006. “The Breastfeeding Incident: Teaching and Learning Through Transgression.” Studies in Higher Education, 31:4 (August): 439-452.
• Langan, Debra and Deborah Davidson. 2005. “Critical Pedagogy and Personal Struggles: Feminist Scholarship Outside Women’s Studies.” Feminist Teacher 15:2 (Winter): 132-158.
• Langan, Debra. 2004. “Using Mothering at Work: Embracing the Contradictions in Pedagogy and Praxis.” Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering: Mothering and Work/Mothering as Work, 6, No.2 (Fall/Winter): 27-35.  

Articles in Trade Magazines

• Langan, Debra, Carrie Sanders, and Julie Gouweloos. 2019. “Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Women Police Officers conference seeks evidence-based solutions.” Blue Line: Canada’s Law Enforcement Magazine, May 01. https://www.blueline.ca/recruiting-retaining-and-promoting-women-police-officers-conference-seeks-evidence-based-solutions-•-photos-6375/#
• Langan, Debra, Carrie Sanders, and Julie Gouweloos. 2018.“Policing and mothering: The combined challenges of work and home.” Blue Line: Canada’s Law Enforcement Magazine, 30, 3 (March 16): 18-19. http://magazine.blueline.ca/publication/?i=480231&ver=html5&p=18
• Langan, Debra. 2012. "Challenging "Nothing Works" Conclusions: Community Policing Philosophies and Practices in Action." The BLUEPRINT: Ontario Association of Law Enforcement Planners Semi-Annual Newsletter, Issue 05 (Summer):6.
  

In the News

• Langan, Debra. 2014. “Under the Gun: How Does Being a Police Officer Affect Mothering?” Gender & Society social media blog to promote published article (Agocs, Langan & Sanders 2014). https://gendersociety.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/under-the-gun/
• Hess, Amanda. (2014, July 14). Let them Blog: The panic over pro-anorexia websites and social media isn’t healthy. Slate. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com
• Evans, Robert. (2017, February 11). The Bizarre World of the Pro Anorexia Internet Community. Cracked. Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2452-a-look-inside-disturbingly-large-pro-anorexia-community.html
• Wilfrid Laurier University Website. (2017, March 24). Laurier research points to continuing prevalence of “boys’ club” in policing. Retrieved from https://www.wlu.ca/news/spotlights/2017/march/laurier-research-points-to-continuing-prevalence-of-boys-club-in-policing.html
• Gillis, Wendy. (2017, April 17). Study highlights barriers faced by police officers who become mothers. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2017/04/17/study-highlights-barriers-faced-by-police-who-become-mothers.html
• Gillis, Wendy. (2017, April 17). Study highlights barriers faced by police officers who become mothers. The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved from http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7246765-study-highlights-barriers-faced-by-police-officers-who-become-mothers/
• CBC News. (2017, April 20). Pregnant police officers penalized, Wilfrid Laurier report says. CBC Kitchener – Waterloo. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/pregnant-police-officers-penalized-wilfrid-laurier-report-says-1.4077477
• CTV News Television Interview, CP24 Toronto, with Nathan Downer (3:15 p.m. - April 18, 2017).
• CBC Radio Interview, Ottawa, All in a Day with Alan Neal (4:45 p.m. - 2017, April 18, 2017).
• CTV News Television Interview Excerpt, CP24 Toronto, Ask the Chief with Stephanie Smyth (8:55 p.m. - April 18, 2017).
• CBC Radio Interview, Kitchener-Waterloo, The Morning Edition- K-W, with Craig Norris (8:15 a.m. – April 20, 2017).
• Laurier News Hub, International Laurier conference to focus on recruitment, retention and promotion of women police officers, (April 24, 2019). https://www.wlu.ca/news/news-releases/2019/april/international-laurier-conference-to-focus-on-recruitment-retention-and-promotion-of-women-police-officers.html

Reports

• Langan, Debra, Carrie B. Sanders, and Julie Gouweloos. June 2019. “Gender, Policing and Inclusion: Opportunities for Change.” A report from the 2-day international workshop - “Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Women Police Officers: An International Comparison of Challenges and Opportunities for Change Workshop”
• Langan, Debra, Kosta Barka, Nicole Coomber, Hannah Eggett, Latasha VanEvery, Claudia Volpe. January 2018. "Understanding the Experiences of Brantford Youth When They Want Services.” A report prepared for Brantford Youth and the City of Brantford’s Children and Youth Services Committee.
• Oliver, Marcia, Debra Langan, and Rebecca Godderis. June 2015. “Confronting Rape Culture and Resistance to Anti-Violence Discourse: Methodological Challenges and Student Training.” A report prepared for the Wilfrid Laurier University Gendered Violence Taskforce.
• Sanders, Carrie and Debra Langan. 2015. “’No More Silos’ Survey Report.” Community Risk Identified Situations Intervention Strategy (CRISIS) Table Conference Evaluation Questionnaire.
• Langan, Debra, Laurel Atkinson, Tomoko Mizuguchi, Jessica Park, Laural Raine, Rob Teixeira, Catherine Tuey. 2007. “Working Together: Enhancing Collaboration in Tutorials.” TA Resource Handbook, Department of Sociology, York University.
• Langan, Debra and Mavis Morton 1998. Region of Peel Emergency Response Sexual Assault Protocol Implementation Project: Training and Implementation Report.