Kersti Alice Yllo
Professor of Sociology
Office: Knapton 305
Phone: 286-3654
Email: kyllo@wheatoncollege.edu
Degrees
Ph.D., M.A., University of New Hampshire
B.A., Denison University
Main Interests
Sociology of the Family, Gender Inequality, Domestic Violence, Feminist Research
Research Interests
My research focuses on wife abuse, including battering, marital rape, and abuse during pregnancy. I have published a number of articles and books on these issues. My current work is focusing increasingly on intervention into violence. I am presently working on projects with both Boston Children's Hospital and the U.S. Marine Corps, evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to reduce domestic violence. I also serve on the editorial boards of several journals including Gender and Society, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Violence Abstracts.
Teaching Interests
I teach courses on families in transition, aging in America, gender inequality, and a seminar on violence against women. The seminar has a field component in which students intern at a local battered women's shelter.
Other Interests
In addition to my work in Sociology, I am interested in alternative education. I worked with my husband to found The Pinecroft School, an independent elementary school, where our two chidren are students. A number of Wheaton students serve as Pinecroft interns each year.
Student Projects
All Sociology majors conduct independent research culminating in a senior thesis. Recent topics have included children and cyberporn, media exposure and body-image among adolescents, Cape Verdian identity in the U.S., socio-spatial segregation and the geography of wealth.