Kevin Hans Waitkuweit
Kevin Hans Waitkuweit is a PhD student in the Department of Disability and Human Development. He received two AAs (French and Mathematics) from Los Angeles Valley College, a BA in History with minors in Chicana/o Studies, Disability Studies, and Public Affairs from UCLA, and a MA in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame. His research interests focus on the social impact of medical phenomena, with particular attention to meaning-making process. Waitkuweit’s research can be found in publications such as the Journal of Language and Politics, Context, and Development in Practice. His applied research and evaluations can be found on USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse. His forthcoming publications includes a chapter in the 15th volume of Research in Social Science and Disability, which explores the intersection of disability and family and how it is conceptualized among American physicians.
Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
As a social science researcher interested in the social impact of medical phenomena understanding the disabled experience is a critical factor. My research interests focus on how disability is defined across various groups, organizations, and individuals. DHD at UIC offers a unique opportunity to explore questions of the social impact of medical phenomena in an interdisciplinary environment.
What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
The prospect of providing an inclusive pedagogy and robust interdisciplinary research training for undergraduates and graduate students is an important factor in my work towards a DHD degree. With the degree, I will be able to train future scholars as a professor.
Research Interests
Disability Studies, Social Theory, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Medical Sociology, Medical Anthropology, Mixed-Methods
Selected Presentations
Waitkuweit, K.H. (2023). “The Meaning of Disability and Family: A Critical Content Analysis of the AMA’s Proceedings.” Roundtable presentation. 118th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Waitkuweit, K.H. (2022). “Political Engagement and Activism during COVID-19: Lessons from a Contemporary Honduran Case Study.” Panel presentation. 117th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, California.
Waitkuweit, K.H. (2018). “Identity Formation through Variances of Pride and Shame.” Panel presentation. 113th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Selected Publications
Waitkuweit, K.H. (Forthcoming). “The Meaning of Disability and Family in American Medicine: A Content Analysis of the Intersection of Disability and Family in the AMA’s Proceedings from 1846 to 2022.” Disability and the Changing Context of Family and Personal Relationships (Research in Social Science and Disability, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley. Waitkuweit, K.H. (2023). Teaching international development: a proposal for consolidating practitioner and academic training resources, Development in Practice, 33(6), 736-741, DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2023.2179566 Santa Ana, O., Waitkuweit, K. H., & Hernandez, M. E. (2017). Blood, soil, and tears: Conceptual metaphor-based critical discourse analysis of the legal debate on US citizenship. Journal of Language and Politics, 16(2), 149-175, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ jlp.15038.san
Awards and Honors
2022 – Infrastructure and Services Award, Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society 2022 – Research Impact Award, Pulte Institute for Global Development 2022 – National Coalition of Independent Scholars, Conference Support Grant 2021 – National Coalition of Independent Scholars, Special Research Grant 2017 – 2020 – Deans Fellowship, University of Notre Dame
Education
Associates of Arts, French, Mathematics, Los Angeles Valley College 2012, Bachelors of Arts with College Honors and Minors in Chicana/o Studies, Disability Studies, and Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015, Masters of Arts in Sociology, University of Notre Dame, 2020