As the fall semester at TAMUT has begun, you might be thinking about what classes to choose or what may be interesting. Doctor Kimberly Murray is the Associate Professor of Sociology who teaches many different courses in this subject. An alumnus from the University of Arkansas where she earned her Bachelor’s in Sociology and Criminal Justice and her Masters in Sociology, Dr. Murray has been teaching since Graduate School. She then earned her doctorate at the University of Oklahoma.
Originally from the small town of Maud, TX, Dr. Murray has been teaching at TAMUT for 10 years now. She loves her job and enjoys teaching. “The students here have been really enthusiastic and receptive to the topics that I teach so it’s been fun,” she said. Murray has a bubbly personality and in her free time she loves making interior design Pinterest boards and likes to watch television series. Because of her interests in tv, Dr. Murray and former student Leslie Welch helped publish an article for a book, based on the television series Shameless. Which the show inspired them to tie the tv show with sociology topics like marriage and motherhood.
Dr. Murray says any student can benefit from taking a sociology course. Students learn about society, different groups and anything that can be relevant to everybody and overall depends on where the student wants to go career wise. She suggests starting with taking the intro to sociology course offered online, for a glimpse and introduction to sociology.
Murray advises first-year students who are just starting college “to not be afraid to ask for help.” As Murray and her brother were first generation students to attend college, she needed help in navigating college, and she wished to be able to ask more questions and seek help in the areas she needed in. As for sociology majors or anyone interested and thinking about choosing sociology as a major or minor, she says to “Come talk to me if you have any questions about Sociology or where you might be able to get a job”. She says they are a small department but are mighty and it’s a great discipline to have a lot of versatility in the workforce.