Dr. Julius Haag (he/him) is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Sociology at UTM. Dr. Haag completed his BA (Waterloo) in Sociology, with a specialization in Crime, Deviance, and Regulation, his MA (Toronto) in Sociology, and his Ph.D. (Toronto) in Criminology. As a researcher, his areas of interest include policing, youth justice, gangs, racialization, ethnicity, criminalization, and teaching and learning. Dr. Haag’s research draws on urban sociology, critical race theory, and cultural criminology to explore the individual and community-level impacts of policing and criminalization on young people from racialized and marginalized backgrounds. His research has focused on the lived experiences of young people from the Afro-Caribbean community.

As a faculty member at UTM, Dr. Haag has contributed to several campus-based initiatives, including serving as the session lead, organizer, and moderator for the Race Based Data Collection and Use panel at the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities, a review panel member for the U of T Review of the Role of Campus Safety Services in Student Mental Health Crises, a faculty advisor for the UTM Sociology Anti-Racism Taskforce, and as a faculty representative for the Centre for Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies Cluster for the Study of Race and Inequality. Outside of U of T, he serves on the Steering Committee of the Black Caucus of the Canadian Sociological Association, and the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Undergraduate Law & Justice Programs.

Professor Haag’s ongoing research draws on qualitative methods in exploring how young people navigate community-level violence and forms of hyper-surveillance by both peers and the police. He is also interested in the growing role of social media as a vector for real-world conflicts. His research interests in teaching and learning focus on the experiences of racialized students with post-secondary education, including experiences with campus life, strategies for engagement and retention, and effective pedagogical practices.

As the Associate Director of Education & Training with Inlight, Julius is excited to work closely with U of T students, staff, and faculty in developing and supporting Inlight’s student training and mentorship initiatives, promoting engagement with student mental health research, and fostering and enhancing Inlight’s partnerships within and beyond the U of T community.