Matt Reid

Matt Reid, PhD

  • Assistant Professor
Media Expertise:
  • Social Justice
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Affiliated Programs

Education

  • PhD, Sociology (2020)
    Western Michigan University (MI)
  • MA, Sociology (2014)
     Western Michigan University (MI)
  • BA, Sociology (2012)
    Kean University (NJ)
  •  AA, Liberal Arts (2010)
    Ocean County College (NJ)
  • AS, Science (2010)
    Ocean County College (NJ)

About Me

I have taught a wide variety of courses where I emphasize sociological mindfulness as a means to resist individualistic thinking regarding the social problems of our time. My teaching is informed by social justice, and I encourage students to be critical of how social power shapes our understanding of things. I am also a firm believer in the power of humor as a tool to break down cognitive barriers and as a way to get students to see the relevance of sociology in their everyday lives. 

Students in my classes become actively involved in their learning through field trips, presentations, group activities, and other immersive experiences. My teaching style also imparts transferable skills valued in almost any career path or field. Relatedly, since sociological concepts and methods can be used to study any topic imaginable, I encourage students to apply course content to their own interests and professional aspirations.

Research Interests

I earned my doctoral degree in Sociology at Western Michigan University where I studied Michigan’s medical cannabis community during the state’s shift to a legal adult-use market. Being among the first to document the experiences of cannabis patients in a post-prohibition state, my research has helped re-center patients' voices in academic conversations of cannabis as medicine. I continue to research the social dynamics of cannabis with attention to medicalization, inequalities, stigmas, and evolving cultural norms.

Media Expertise

  • Social Justice
  • Cannabis
  • Drugs
  • Deviance

Publications

Reid, M. (2024). "Visual Sociology: A Methodological Review". Sociological Viewpoints, 38(1), 5-19.

Reid, Matt. (2023). How the Incomplete Medicalization of Cannabis Shapes Patient Experiences. Sociological Focus, 56(1), 97-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2022.2163014

Reid, Matt. (2022). The Transforming Landscape of Cannabis in Southwest Michigan: A Case Study of Regulations and the Role of Small-Scale Growers. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 29(4), 393-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2021.1994924

Reid, Matt. (2021). Troubling Claims of Normalization: Continuing Stigmas within Michigan’s Medical Cannabis Community. Deviant Behavior, 43(9), 1068-1087. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2021.1953947

Reid, Matt. (2020). A Qualitative Review of Cannabis Stigmas at the Twilight of Prohibition. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(46), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00056-8

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

  • American Sociological Association
  • Pennsylvania Sociological Society