Listen to this article
Salvationist and THQ employee also teaches sociology at CFOT.
Christopher Doughty will be recognized as an Educator of the Year by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club Nov. 7 at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Doughty, who is also the Territorial Social Services Research Specialist, has been teaching Introduction to Sociology at the College for Officer Training (CFOT) at Crestmont for several years. He has a master’s degree in social work.
“You have demonstrated your passion for your subject matter and your skill in the classroom, and we would like to honor you,” CFOT Training Principal Major Brian Saunders told Doughty, prior to submitting his name for the honor.
Doughty commented on the difficulty of teaching social sciences in a world that is increasingly interconnected and complex.
“The social work field has been grappling with new ideologies that challenge traditional methods of service provision, such as harm reduction and housing first,” he said. “Basically every topic is controversial, as we explore concepts like gender, religion, race/ethnicity, poverty and even the social impact of climate change.”
He also noted that the cadet cohorts are diverse, comprising individuals of various ages, education levels, socioeconomic statuses, racial/ethnic identities and political leanings.
“My objective is to expose students to new ideas, raise their tolerance for differing perspectives, develop their capacity for critical thinking and provide tools for collecting and analyzing information about the world around them,” Doughty said. “If a student is able to take away an analytical lens that helps them develop a better program or show more compassion to a challenging client or feel more comfortable with their social identity, then that is a success, regardless of what their grades were like.”
Doughty believes the course has a positive impact, and that some students change without realizing it.
“From my vantage point, I don’t think anyone has ever not improved in some way by the end of the class,” Doughty said. “And that matters more to me than what people think of me or the class by the conclusion of our time together.”
Doughty will give a brief presentation at the Nov. 7 event, which will be filmed by RPV-TV for later showing on public television.
Download this page as a PDF
