Social Practice and Transformational Change PhD: An Interview with Amy Kipp

We had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Kipp, one of the Co-leads of the Live Work Well Research Centre’s Reimagining Care Cluster. Amy Kipp is the second person to have completed the PhD in Social Practice and Transformational Change (SOPR) from the University of Guelph as of January 28, 2025, when she defended her thesis. SOPR is a four-year, full-time graduate program that combines research-intensive classroom study with experiential and problem-based learning. The program started in 2019 with its first cohort.  

In addition, Amy was the recipient of the 2025 Erin Angus Graduate Student Engagement Award, which is presented to a graduate student who made significant contributions to graduate and all student life through their engagement within the campus community during the past year. 

What motivated you to pursue a PhD in the SOPR program? What sets this program apart from others in your field?  

I entered this program because I am committed to conducting research that contributes to meaningful social change and to thinking through and beyond traditional research practice. I was drawn to the program's focus on feminist and social justice praxis and its interdisciplinarity. I was really excited at the thought of joining a new program and the possibilities for co-creation that came with it.  

In terms of what sets SOPR apart from other programs, I think it is its commitment to interdisciplinarity, creative practice, and making space for ways of knowing, being, and doing, which are not often valued in academia. Throughout the program, there are so many opportunities to do things differently. We're given the space to bring our everyday practices—whether that's making art, participating in activism, or working with community organizations—into the program and to theorize from our experiences. We're encouraged to draw from seemingly disparate fields and make connections where they are not always obvious. The students in the program have also done a lot of work to create a community and culture of support. Through my time in the program, I have met some of the kindest people, seen some of the most creative scholarship, and been part of deep, meaningful, and critical conversations that have transformed my own thinking and practice. 

How did your role as Co-lead for Reimagining Care with the Live Work Well Research Centre integrate with your PhD work?  

I really appreciated being able to co-lead the Reimagining Care Research Cluster during my doctorate. My research is focused on community care in the context of collective artmaking and the pandemic, so there were countless connections to the theme of the cluster, and the Live Work Well Research Centre more broadly. Co-leading the Reimagining Care Cluster with Dr. Roberta Hawkins also gave us the opportunity to collaborate more closely on some of our shared research interests beyond my dissertation work, such as our exploration of feminist care ethics in academia.  

As the second graduate of the SOPR program, how does it feel to be part of such a unique milestone in the program’s history?  

It feels really special to be the second graduate of the SOPR program. To get to this point I was supported by so many—from the past and current program directors to affiliated facility, other students, community partners, and my friends and family. This “milestone” really feels like a collective effort. I also feel a responsibility that comes with being an alumnus of the SOPR program, to continue to advocate for its importance and push for more resources and support to make possible the type of scholarship it promotes. 

What skills have you gained from the SOPR program, and were there skills you didn’t expect to develop?  

I have gained, and am still working on developing, a lot of skills in the SOPR program. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to incorporate creativity into my scholarship. Over the last four years, this has involved things like zine-making, scrapbooking, digital storytelling, and creative writing—all practices that might not always come to mind when thinking about a social science degree. The time and care it takes to do community-engaged research was also really modelled to me. For example, I learned about the slow work of building trusting relationships and operating on different academic and community timelines.  

What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing any PhD, and more specifically, in the SOPR program at Guelph?  

I would encourage anyone thinking about pursuing a PhD to do some deep reflection and consider asking yourself: why do I want to get a PhD? What support will I need to make sure I can live and work well throughout my degree? What are the program's expectations of me, and do they align with my values and approach to scholarship? I'd also emphasize that the many different experiences, worldviews, identities, and ideas that you bring with you are so valuable, and I would encourage you to theorize from your everyday practices.  

For anyone thinking of applying to the SOPR program, I would encourage you to lean into the creativity of the program. It's really exciting to be able to shape your degree. It can also be overwhelming, so talking to others in the program—across different cohorts—can help give you a sense of what is possible and feasible with the time and resources available to you. 

Do you have any comments on what it means to you to be the recipient of the 2025 Erin Angus Graduate Student Engagement Award?  

I'm so honoured to be the Recipient of the 2025 Erin Angus Graduate Student Engagement Award. Being a part of the SOPR student community has been such a privilege, and being recognized for playing a role in this community is really meaningful. The amount of care that those who nominated me took in putting the application together was really evident and moving; it's also indicative of how wonderful the SOPR community is.  

Congratulations on your new postdoctoral positions. In March, you started researching “Exploring feminist approaches and practices in social media research” alongside Dr. Roberta Hawkins at the University of Guelph and Dr. Elisabeth Militz at Universität Innsbruck. And in September, you will be starting a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Guelph, which is affiliated with CESI, and you will be working with Dr. Leah Levac. What inspired you to continue in research? 

Thank you so much for the congratulations. Research really is what I am passionate about, so pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship felt like a good next step. I love learning more about the everyday experiences of different social issues and co-creating knowledge with others on issues of shared importance. My interest in research comes from having seen the change that it can bring and the stories it can uncover, such as an individual’s story about navigating healthcare systems, an organization's story about delivering community programs, or stories about how different policy decisions impact communities.  

-Written by Amy Kipp and Jordyne Craig

Photo credit: Nealob Kakar