Spring Series Brings Together Students and Senior Citizens on Challenging Topics
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Pursue careers in social service, social work, law enforcement, parole, probation, and non-profit organizational service and management.
Overview
Johnathan Fleming spent more than 20 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. Rob Rahn '76, a St. Francis graduate, helped free him. Both came to St. Francis College to tell students about the experience.
Sociology and Criminal Justice come to life every day at the College. You'll meet the people who work in these fields; people who are making a difference in people's lives.
Our goal is for students to enter the workforce prepared to solve social problems such as addressing homelessness, helping crime victims find needed services, prosecuting criminals, defending clients in a court of law, fighting injustices, and creating meaningful public policy. Graduates from our program are prepared to attend law school as well as pursue graduate work in sociology, criminal justice, criminology, and psychology.Graduates from our program are prepared to attend law school as well as pursue graduate work in sociology, criminal justice, criminology, and psychology.
Faculty
Our faculty members conduct research in a range of areas within the disciplines of sociology and criminology including crime and popular culture, wrongful convictions, post-prison education, crime and media, and public school education in New York City. Their works have been published in their field and they frequently appear as experts on various media.
Students can work as research assistants and gain valuable for-credit internships at social service and criminal justice agencies, including:
- Victim service organizations,
- Non-profit criminal justice and social service think tanks,
- Senior centers,
- Child care centers,
- NYC Department of Buildings
- Hospitals,
- Federal and state probation and parole agencies,
- State and federal policing agencies,
- District Attorneys and law offices.
A Sampling of Recently Introduced Courses:
- Wrongful Convictions
- Prisons and Prisoners in America
- Problems of Urban Law Enforcement
- Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice
- Victimology
- Cultural Criminology
- Crime, Justice, and American Fiction
- Sex Crimes and American Justice
- Post-War Social Movements
Courses & Program Info
Mission
The mission of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice is to provide our students with the knowledge, confidence and motivation to think deeply about social issues in modern society. We seek to instill an intellectual curiosity in our students for lifelong learning and an appreciation for objectivity, application of the scientific method, and critical thinking. We intend for our students to become tolerant and open-minded individuals who are prepared intellectually and substantively for the modern workforce as well as further graduate and professional study. Our students will leave the department ready to purse constructive careers in the social services of criminal justice, social work and sociology.
Faculty
Kathleen Gray
Assistant Vice President Academic Affairs, Dean of the Curriculum & Student Support
Sociology & Criminal Justice, Academic Affairs
School:
718.489.5340
Emily Horowitz
Professor, Sociology & Criminal Justice, Director, Institute for Peace & Justice, Department Chairperson
Sociology & Criminal Justice
School:
718.489.5446
Halyna Lemekh
Assistant Professor, Director of Forum on Migration
Sociology & Criminal Justice
School:
718.489.5476
Jaskiran Mathur
Associate Professor of Sociology, Director Professional Studies
Sociology & Criminal Justice, Honors, Professional Studies
School:
718.489.5476
Nickie Phillips
Associate Professor
Sociology & Criminal Justice, American Studies
School:
718.489.3431
News & Events
News
Read more
about Spring Lecture Series: Critical Perspectives on Law/Media/Crime/Justice
More than 250 guests, including artists, activists, politicians, and formerly incarcerated individuals, attended the inaugural St. Francis College Prison Reentry, Reform and Possibilities Conference on November 14th and 15th.
This two-day conference aimed to highlight the achievements of SFC's Post-Prison Program through a series of panel discussions, while examining the moral and religious implications of reentry programs and raising awareness about the innovative programs for those currently in prison.
Upcoming conference tackles incarceration, solitary confinement, and life after prison from Nov. 14th - 15th at St. Francis College.
The Senior Citizens Lecture Series brings together current St. Francis College students with senior citizens from the Brooklyn community for an exchange of opinions and viewpoints about hot-button issues of the day.
The Graphic Justice Discussions: Law, Comics, Justice Conference is set for Oct. 20th at 180 Remsen Street.
For college students to succeed in our modern economy, there is no substitute for hands-on experience. SFC Innovate, is a new office dedicated to enhancing co-curricular experiences and career exploration. This is a partnership between St. Francis College and Ikove Venture Partners.
Upcoming Events
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Founder`s Hall
4202
St. Clare Lounge
Student Lounge, 6th floor
Brothers Chapel
Institutes & Centers
The Sociology & Criminal Justice Department houses three centers:
- Center for Crime and Popular Culture
- Post Prison College Opportunities Program @ St. Francis College
- Institute for Peace and Justice
These centers offer students the opportunity to hear lectures by experts in the fields of criminal justice and sociology including personal testimonies by those who have been wrongfully convicted such as Fernando Bermudez, film screenings featuring Q&A’s with directors/actors/producers such as the Compliance screening, book authors that discuss their recent research, world-renowned professionals working in criminal justice and security such as Gavin de Becker, and activists such as Jennifer Baumgardner who are dedicated to fighting for social justice. We also have frequent guest speakers, events, film screenings, and seminars.
Goals & Objectives
Sociology
- Students will develop and apply the “sociological imagination” to the study of the social world.
- Students will utilize qualitative and quantitative sociological methods in the pursuit of social research.
- Student will gain familiarity with social theory and the history of sociological thought.
- Students will be able to apply social theory and sociological concepts to the study of social problems.
- Students will be able to critique how race, ethnicity, sex, and gender relate to life chances in diverse societies.
- Students will develop and master the ability to understand and apply major sociological concepts and theories to complex contemporary social phenomena.
- Students will develop and master the ability to access, comprehend and synthesize sociological scholarship in order to assess others' work and for use in their own work.
Criminal Justice
- Students will understand key components of criminal justice system in the United States.
- Students will critically analyze key criminological theories.
- Students will contrast qualitative and quantitative methods as they are used in criminal justice research.
- Students will explain the role of race, ethnicity, and class in criminal justice outcomes.