Whitney D. Johnson

Whitney D. Johnson is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Science at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), holding this position since 2013. She holds a PhD (2018) and a Master of Public Policy (2009) from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on sound studies, cultural sociology, gender theory, and embodied perception, with notable exhibitions at venues like the Renaissance Society and ESS Sonic Pavilion Festival.

Her academic work includes presentations at the American Sociological Association, Roots and Branches of Interpretive Sociology Conference, and the International Social Theory Consortium. She has received prestigious awards, including the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant and the Robert Park Lectureship from the University of Chicago's Sociology Department.

Johnson teaches courses such as Introduction to Sound Practices, Retro Sound: Ghost in the Machine, and Top:Sounding Bodies, blending theoretical inquiry with hands-on studio work. Her courses explore analog sound technologies, gender theory in activism, and the intersection of sound with bodily and spatial experiences.