Rachel K. Daack PhD
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Credentials
MA, University of Iowa, 1999
PhD, University of Iowa, 2009
Dr. Daack has taught sociology at the college level in the Dubuque area for over twenty years. Her teaching career at Loras began teaching in 2022 as a half-time faculty member. Prior to that she taught at Clarke University for over 15 years. She entered academia after working as a book editor, HTML programmer, and environmental editor.
Dr. Daack earned her interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Iowa. Her program combined geography, history, and sociology, which served as a foundation for studying 19th-century US education. She analyzed a woman-led school system that opened over fifty schools from 1833-1887. The structure and culture of their organization resulted in a healthy yet geographically dispersed school system.
Dr. Daack continues to study schools. Most recently she analyzed grades 6-12 social studies textbook images for racial, ethnic, and gender representation. Other areas of expertise relate to her MA in geography: nature society theory.
As a half-time faculty member, she spends her other working days doing property maintenance/repair, working as a grant consultant, ramping up a non-profit arts center, making art, and performing music in a group call Pennyroyal. Dr. Daack loves spending time with my family and friends, cooking, and gardening.
