PhD Student

Research Interests

Technology and Society, Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Social Robotics, Sociology of Robots, Sociology of AI, Sociology of Medicine, Sociology of Labour, Symbolic Capital

Contact Information:

Email: kgodboutkinn@mun.ca 

Also: kgodbout@grenfell.mun.ca

Areas of Expertise

• Social Theory
• Science and Technology Studies
• Actor-Network-Theory
• Gender Studies
• Queer Theory
• Feminist Theory
• Media Studies

Supervisor: Dr. Ailsa Craig

Personal Profile

Pronouns: (he/him/his)

Though I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, I consider myself to be a technology scholar. My areas of focus are science and technology studies, social and political theory, and medical sociology. I hold an MA in Women and Gender Studies from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, emphasizing science and technology studies, queer and feminist theory, and qualitative methodologies. My research focused on the emergence of sex robots under capitalism and the potential social and ethical implications. I also hold a BA in English (Hons) and Philosophy from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where I specialized in literary theory, ethics, and analytic philosophy.

My doctoral research focuses on the intersection of automation, human relations, and symbolic capital. I am interested in the rise of automation in the form of artificial intelligence and robotics, the potential implications for human relationality, and how we can make technological processes more just. My current research is on automation in hospitals, symbolic capital, and surgeon meaning-making and identity. I am also working to develop a sociology of robots/robotics and a sociology of artificial intelligence.

Affiliations

Society for the Social Studies of Science, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, Canadian Sociological Association, and the American Sociological Association