Staff profile

Originally joining the Department of Sociology as an undergraduate student in 2006, I had the fortune of studying at Durham for almost a decade before my appointment as Assistant Professor (Education) in 2015.

Broadly speaking, my academic background is in science and technology studies (STS) and the sociology of knowledge. I am particularly interested in how science, method and practices of knowing are implicated in the (re)production of social systems and structures, with particular emphasis on social scientific knowledge. This is underpinned by a particular sympathy towards Actor-Network Theory and the ideas that have been developed from it, which constituted the foundations of my PhD research. Beyond this, however, I have wide-ranging interests in various topics of sociological importance, including social stratification, identity, health, education and social inequalities.

Central to my role is teaching research methods and design. I convene the research strand of our undergraduate degree programmes, including our introductory level 1 Social Research Methods module; our advanced level 2 Research Methods in Action module; and also our final-year Dissertation module. My teaching covers all aspects of social research, including general issues in research design, quantitative and qualitative methods and analysis, as well as issues in the philosophy of social science. I also help convene the Combined Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Dissertation module and, in the past, have taught advanced methods of quantitative analysis at postgraduate level.

I also currently work as Deputy Director of Combined Social Sciences, supporting the academic organisation, co-ordination and management of the Combined Honours in Social Science degree programme.  Previously, I have also worked as the Director of Undergraduate Studies (2018-2023) and Director of Education (2023-2025) in the Department of Sociology, leading on educational issues and curriculum development.

Academic Interests

• Science, technology and society
• Practices of knowledge production
• Method, methodology and the philosophy of social science
• Learning and teaching in higher education
• Social stratification and social inequalities
• Health and wellbeing

Teaching

Current:

(Convenor - UG2) Research Methods in Action (2015-present)

(Convenor - UG1) Social Research Methods (2016-present)

(Convenor - UG3) Sociology/Criminology Dissertation (2016-present)

(Co-Convenor - UG3) Combined Social Sciences Dissertation (2019-present)

Previous:

(Convenor - PGT) Quantitative Research Methods (2018)

Publications

Reports

- Boliver, V., Crawford, C., Powell, M. & Craige, W. (2017). Admissions in Context: The use of contextual information by leading universities. London, Sutton Trust.

Conference Papers

- Craige, W. (2015) “Performing Complexity and Diversity: A Pinboard Approach”, presented at the 12^th Conference of the European Sociological Association, Prague, 27^th August 2015

- Craige, W. (2012) “Designing Healthcare: Early Telemedicine and the US Healthcare System”, presented at the EASST/4S Joint Conference, Copenhagen, 19^th October 2012