Lecturer in Social Studies
I joined the Social Sciences department in 2020 supporting and teaching across Social Studies. I am passionate about the inequalities experienced by marginalised groups in society. As my research interests have developed, I have found I am most passionate about researching young people and their experiences of vulnerability, harm, and potential exploitation from a young age. I mostly teach these areas throughout our Criminology undergraduate degree and our Social Studies postgraduate degrees. My practice and research expertise currently feed into the young people, harm and vulnerability unit of the university's Advanced Social Work CPD. I am the Deputy Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Criminology.
My research interests are youth mental health, social media, cultural spaces online, disability studies (critical realism/Mad studies) digital criminology, and the relationship between harm and crime (zemiology) with previous experience investigating male victimisation in domestic violence and safeguarding in youth justice.
My working background outside of academia falls within supporting individuals from various backgrounds, across the north-east of England, in the community, during involuntary stays in psychiatric hospitals, and within the prison service. As well as practical support, I provided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) skills-based sessions and workshops across the country, in collaboration with survivors, service users, and professionals.
I completed my BSc (Hons) in Criminology at Teesside University in 2017, followed by my MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Durham University in 2018, and I'm currently a part-time PhD student at the University of Sunderland.
I am also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Teaching and supervision
I am currently module leader for the:
- CRM102: Criminal Justice: Theory and Practice
- CRM304: Pathologising Crime: Disability, Confinement, and Justice
- LCPM04: Inequality and Vulnerability in the Criminal Justice System
- SSCM48: Empowerment and Ability: Understanding a 'Disabling' Society
You will also find me teaching:
- CRM305: Exploring Violence and Social Harm
I also supervise dissertation students on BSc (Hons) Criminology, MSc Leadership in Criminal Justice and Policing, and MSc Inequality and Society. My supervision on these courses will vary each academic year.
Research interests for potential research students
- Youth mental health, body image and self-esteem
- Social media and the digital age
- Disability studies
- Hate studies (particularly, the normalisation of hate online)
- The relationship between harm and crime (zemiology)
- Vulnerability
- Safeguarding in youth justice
- Digital criminology
- Cultural spaces online (ie diet culture, influencer culture, media consumer culture)
Research
My research interests are predominantly based within under-investigated research areas around marginalised groups in society.
I have previously conducted research around the male victimisation of domestic violence, followed by qualitative data collection into the safeguarding of young people, involved in the Criminal Justice System based within Tees Valley and Darlington areas. My research predominantly uses mixed methodological approaches or multiple data collection methods to produce holistic perspectives within my research areas.
I am a part-time PhD student at the University of Sunderland with Dr Tom Rodgers as my Director of Studies, and Dr Donna Peacock (University of West Scotland) as my external co-supervisor. My doctoral research explores the application of 'harms' to diet culture, whilst considering not just the impact that this (and wider areas of social media) has on youth mental health and/or self-esteem, but the normalisation of online hate that takes place as a means of day-to-day communication online. Thus, the impact social media may have over disordered eating patterns, and body image-related issues – exploring vulnerability within diet culture.
Publications
Article
Roberts, Nicola, Doyle, Lauren and Roberts, Mark (2024) Changing the culture of sexual violence at UK universities: a website analysis of definitions, report/support and prevent mechanisms. Higher Education Policy, 37. pp. 549-567. ISSN 0952-8733
Roberts, Nicola, Doyle, Lauren and Roberts, Mark (2023) Deconstructing dangerous discourse: an analysis of personal safety advice to students on UK universities’ websites. Journal of Gender-Based Violence. ISSN 2398-6808
Doyle, Lauren (2023) Exploring the Impact of Youth Engagement in Social Media: Shifting the Boundaries of Harm and Criminality in the Digital World? Howard League for Penal Reform ECAN Bulletin (52). pp. 29-38. ISSN 2752-5953
Book Section
Doyle, Lauren (2024) Online Harm? Uncovering Experiences of (in)Visible Appearance-Based Trolling and Hostility. In: Disability Hate Crime: Perspective for Change. Routledge, London, p. 211. ISBN 9781032579795 (In Press)
Conference or Workshop Item
Doyle, Lauren (2024) Models of Disability: Applied in Custody Settings. In: Northumbria Local Appropriate Adult Scheme July Training Event 2024, 24th July 2024, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Roberts, Nicola, Doyle, Lauren and Roberts, Mark (2023) Changing the Culture of Sexual Violence at UK Universities: A Website Analysis of Definitions, Report/Support and Prevent Mechanisms. In: Economic and Social Inclusion, Fifth Annual Faculty of Education and Society Staff Research Conference, 12 June 2023, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Doyle, Lauren (2023) The Normalisation of Online Hate: Trolling, Diet Culture and Filtered Lifestyles. In: CASS Public Lecture Series, 26th April 2023, University of Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Roberts, Nicola, Doyle, Lauren, Roberts, Mark and Mulligan, Andy (2023) Deconstructing dangerous discourse: An analysis of personal safety advice to students on UK universities' websites. In: Research and Knowledge Exchange Conference, University of Sunderland, 13 January 2023, The Fire Station, Sunderland. (Unpublished)
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Exploring the Impact of Youth Engagement in Social Media: Shifting the Boundaries of Harm and Criminality in the Digital World? In: The Howard League for Penal Reform Annual Conference 2022: Crime, Justice, and the Human Condition., 13th September, 2022, University of Oxford.
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Doyle, L. (2022) Speculative Workshop Considering 'The Digital World vs. Virtual Teaching: Understanding the Adjustment to Agile Working/Teaching in 'Post-Covid' Education'. In: University of Sunderland, Faculty of Education and Society Annual Staff Student-Focused Conference, 14th June, 2022, Online.
Doyle, Lauren (2022) Doyle, L. (2022) Social Media and Harms: A Move to Criminalising Vulnerability of Digital World? In: British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Reimagining Criminological Futures: New Criminologies in a Changing World, 29th June-1st July, 2022, University of Surrey.
Doyle, Lauren and Rodgers, Tom (2021) Doyle, L. & Rodgers, T. (2021) 'Social Media and the Vulnerability of the Digital World: Platforms Not Fit for Purpose?'. In: British Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Crime and Harm: Challenges of Social and Global Justice, 7-9 July 2021, Online.
Other
Doyle, Lauren (2023) Normalisation of Online Hate: Trolling, Diet Culture and Filtered Lifestyles. British Society of Criminology.
- Youth mental health, body image and self-esteem
- Social media and technology
- Disability studies
- Hate studies (particularly, the normalisation of hate online)
- The relationship between harm and crime (zemiology)
- Vulnerability
- Safeguarding in youth justice
- Digital criminology
- Cultural spaces online (ie diet culture, influencer culture, media consumer culture)
In the media:
- Featured on The Sociology Show podcast with Matthew Wilkin in May 2022, to discuss ongoing research and Government legislative amendments around nutrition, body image, and digital media.
- Featured on the Out of the Blank podcast with Robbie Robertson discussing my ongoing research around online diet culture and the implications of virtual lifestyles and social media on the day-to-day living of young people.