Dr. Fehlbaum stands in solidarity and supports the fight against systemic racism and oppression of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and non-binary individuals. She stands with Pride and strongly believes that Black Lives Matter. She agrees with the American Sociological Association’s statement: “As sociological scholars and citizens, we have a responsibility to study and speak out regarding all forms of racism and injustice.”


Dr. Fehlbaum received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and joined the Youngstown State University faculty in the Fall of 2014 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences (formerly Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Gerontology). She is currently the Director of the Women's and Gender Studies program. She was a contributor to the Sociology in Focus blog. She achieved tenure and promotion to Associate Professor as of Fall of 2020. In 2022, she was awarded the YSU Distinguished Professor in Service Award.

Mandy was born and raised in Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Dallas where she received her B.A. in Gender Studies and M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. 

She currently lives in a Youngstown suburb with her spouse and four dogs. She is a triathlete coached by Crew Racing and a member of Steel Valley Triathlon Club. Mandy enjoys doing flower gardening and cross-stitching as well as engaging in lots of activist endeavors, such as the Steel Valley Reproductive Freedom Coalition.


“I love this course and everything we learned. The professor is hilarious and really relates everything to real life. She is easy to connect to and uses tools that you can relate to the subject and understand it better. Would really recommend her to anyone.”
— Student Evaluation, Spring 2017

CLASSES TAUGHT

  • Introduction to Sociology

  • Introduction to Women’s Studies

  • Identities and Differences

  • Social Problems

  • Gender in Society

  • Minority Groups

  • Family

  • Sociology of Health, Illness, and Healthcare

  • Sociology of the Body

  • Sociology of Sexuality

  • Sociology of This American Life (abridged online)

  • Social Research - Capstone/Thesis


Research areas and interests

  • Gender and Sexuality

  • Bodies and Embodiment

  • Sex Education

  • Culture and Media

  • Stratification

  • Feminism

  • Family

  • Qualitative Methods