Damien Mason

Office

About

Dr. Damien Mason received his Ph.D. in May of 2020 from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on Social and Cultural Studies. His dissertation, “Command Presence: Video Observations of Police Civilian Encounters and the Practice of Coercive Force by Law Enforcement,” critically examines the training and education of police in the United States. Within the scope of this work, Damien undertakes an intersectional approach to center discourses of violence that underscore anti-blackness and anti-black policing. Damien earned his Master of Arts in Curriculum Teaching and Learning, with a focus on Educational Technology, from Sonoma State University. He obtained a Baccalaureate of Science in Criminal Justice, emphasizing Law Enforcement, from Sacramento State University.

As a police officer, Damien acquired his advanced officer certificate and a level one POST instructor certification. Damien also worked part-time as an In-Service Academy Instructor for the Santa Rosa Junior College Regional Training Center in Windsor, California. In addition to his assigned duties in the patrol division, Damien served as the lead defensive tactics instructor and a SWAT operator for the Petaluma Police Department. During his employment as a police officer, spanning a ten-year career, Damien worked closely with local schools to develop and implement a comprehensive data system to increase site-based preparedness and reduce mutual-aid response times in the event of a school-based emergency. Before his employment with the City of Petaluma as a police officer, Damien received his Single Subject Credential in Social Science through the School of Education at Sonoma State University. He worked in alternative education with Petaluma City Schools.

After retiring from law enforcement, Damien returned to the classroom as a Flex Academy Instructor in the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District. He taught in a blended learning environment to re-direct credit deficient students towards achieving their requirements for high school graduation. Shortly after that, Damien worked for K12 Incorporated and Fueled Education as an online instructor for several years and received his Career Technical Education Credential in Public Services through the Sonoma County Office of Education. Damien is a graduate of Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California. He now works for Sonoma State University as a Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education.

Education

• Ph.D., Education, Social and Cultural Studies, University of California, Berkeley
• MA, Education, Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, Educational Technology Focus, Sonoma State University
• BS, Criminal Justice, Emphasis in Law Enforcement, Sacramento State University

Academic Interests

• Community Relations: Schools, Parents, and Discipline
• Anti-Black Policing Practices, Tactics, and Use of Force
• Critical Race Theory
• Classic & Contemporary Social Theory
• Colonial & Decolonial Consciousness
• Grounded Theory–Situational Analysis
• Conversational Analysis
• Discourse Analysis
• Textual Analysis
• Video Analysis
• Social and Cultural Interactions

Concentrations

• EDSS 417: School & Society 
• EDSS 442: Equity & Agency in Teaching & Learning 
• EDMS 570: The Reflective Educator