Dr. Amanda Fehlbaum

Associate Professor
Dr. Amanda Fehlbaum - profile photo

Dr. Amanda Fehlbaum

Associate Professor

Humanities & Social Sciences

DeBartolo Hall 507

phone: (330) 941-2716

afehlbaum@ysu.edu

www.amandafehlbaumphd.com

Bio

Dr. Fehlbaum received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and joined the Youngstown State University faculty in the Fall of 2014 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences (formerly Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Gerontology). She is currently the Director of the Women's and Gender Studies program. She was a contributor to the Sociology in Focus blog. She achieved tenure and promotion to Associate Professor as of Fall of 2020. In 2022, she was awarded the YSU Distinguished Professor in Service Award.

Mandy was born and raised in Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Dallas where she received her B.A. in Gender Studies and M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies.
She currently lives in a Youngstown suburb with her spouse and three dogs. She is a triathlete coached by Crew Racing and a member of Steel Valley Triathlon Club. Mandy enjoys doing flower gardening and cross-stitching as well as engaging in lots of activist endeavors, such as the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown and the Steel Valley Reproductive Freedom Coalition.

Dr. Fehlbaum stands in solidarity and supports the fight against systemic racism and oppression of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and non-binary individuals. She stands with Pride and strongly believes that Black Lives Matter. She agrees with the American Sociological Association’s statement: “As sociological scholars and citizens, we have a responsibility to study and speak out regarding all forms of racism and injustice.”

Research Interests

Gender and Sexuality, Feminism, Race and Ethnicity, Body and Embodiment, Qualitative Methods, Media and Culture, Family, Stratification, Sociology of the Life Course, Adolescence, Health and Medical Sociology, Deviance

Teaching Interests

Gender and Sexuality, Feminism, Race and Ethnicity, Family, Body and Embodiment, Qualitative Methods, Health and Medical Sociology, Deviance

  • Education
    • 2014

      Ph D, Sociology

      The University of Oklahoma

      Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Sex Ex Libris: Abstinence Messages in High School Health Textbooks Cultivate Sex Negativity Among Teens "

    • 2012

      Other, Women's and Gender Studies

      The University of Oklahoma

    • 2009

      MA, Interdisciplinary Studies

      The University of Texas at Dallas

      Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Reading is Feministing: Third Wave Feminism in Literary Theory, History, and the Internet"

    • 2007

      BA, Gender Studies

      The University of Texas at Dallas

      Dissertation/Thesis Title — "Reading LOST: A Show Built for Fans"

  • Awards and Honors
    • 2022

      Youngstown State University

      Distinguished Professor in Service Award

    • 2020

      Mahoning Valley Young Professionals

      25 Under 35 Honoree

  • Professional Positions
    • 2020 -

      Youngstown State University

      Associate Professor of Sociology

    • 2014 - 2020

      Youngstown State University

      Assistant Professor of Sociology

  • Intellectual Contributions
    • 2023

      "Hair and Career: The Impact of Hair Bias on Women of Color"

      C. Jackson Leftwich, N. Powe, A. Fehlbaum

      IGI Global, p. 126-153

    • 2021

      "Adolescent Sexuality"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Routledge Books: Criminology Series, issue 2nd

    • 2020

      "The Role of Health Educators in a Variety of Work Settings: A Scoping Review on Roles and Responsibilities"

      N. Powe, C. Rosario, A. Fehlbaum, D. Brown, J. Martin, C. Kabore

      Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Health Promotion Practice

    • 2020

      "Battling Against Demeaning and Abusive Selfie Shaming: Empowerment Through Activism After Image Abuse"

      A. Fehlbaum, K. Bowden

      IGI Global, p. 30-53

    • 2019

      "Delayed Gratification: How High School Health Textbooks Portray Marriage and Sex"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sexuality Research and Social Policy, volume 17, issue 3, p. 454-468

    • 2017

      "How to be Human: Lessons in Socialization from Elf"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2017

      "Dysfunctional Donations: Situational Altruism and the Sending of Stuff After Disasters"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Trump's Locker Room Talk: Proving Masculinity Through Objectification"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Gotta Catch 'Em All: Pokémon Go and Hyperreality"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Weighty Matters: The Biggest Loser and Framing Fatness"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Matching Men: Tinder & The Presentation of Masculinity"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Wiley-Blackwell

    • 2016

      "Cult of Domesticity"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Wiley-Blackwell

    • 2016

      "Bun in a New Oven: Our Social Bodies in the Age of Uterus Transplants"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2016

      "Don't Drink the Water: The Crisis in Flint from a Sociological Perspective"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2015

      "Running on Red: A Marathoner Tests the Menstruation Taboo"

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sociology in Focus Blog

    • 2015

      "Defiantly Fat, Gay, and Sexual: Negotiating Shame of Size and Sexuality: Fat Gay Men: Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma by Jason Whitesel, New York, NYU Press 2014."

      A. Fehlbaum

      Sex Roles, volume 72, p. 262-264

  • Professional Service
    • 2024 - 2024

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Sex and Gender Section Feminist Activist-Scholar Award Committee

    • 2024 - 2024

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Bodies and Embodiment Book Award Committee

    • 2020 - 2020

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Sex and Gender Section Book Award Committee

    • 2017 - 2017

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Sex and Gender Section Sally Hacker Award Committee

    • 2011 - 2011

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Sexualities Student Paper Award Committee

    • 2011 - 2011

      Committee Member
      American Sociological Association Bodies and Embodiment Student Paper Award Committee