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Department of Sociology and Criminology

The mission of the Sociology and Criminology department is to empower our students to critically analyze society, engage in meaningful research, and navigate the complexities of a diverse and interconnected world. Embracing the Jesuit focus on developing the whole person and our long history of being student-centered, we provide our students with opportunities for intellectual growth inside and outside the classroom, and prepared them to become compassionate leaders dedicated to tackling major social challenges and the pursuit of social justice. 

Classes in sociology and criminology give students the strong analytic and theoretical skills to understand complex issues that face us in the 21st century, including global structures on inequality, crime rates, drug use, environmental justice, prejudice and discrimination, family, gender and many others. 

 

Sociology students

Want to get involved? Send an email and join the Sociology and Criminology Club today! Hang out with fellow majors, network, share career opportunities and have fun.

Programs of Study

John Carroll offers a major and minor in sociology and criminology. Sociology is the study of human social behavior, particularly the way people interact, organize and take action. One of the major areas within the discipline is criminology, which is the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior. The department coursework exposes students to theoretical insights about human behavior, and teaches analytical thinking and skills to work with, and help understand, people. 

Undergraduate

Major
Minor
Concentration/Option

Graduate

Master's
February 21

JCU Professor Brings Criminology Expertise to Investigation Discovery TV Series

January 28

JCU Launches New Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Minor

December 16

CAS Awards 19 Strategic Grants

  • Learning about elder abuse today!

  • SENIORS!!! Mark your calendar for May 1st at 5:30pm. Concentration certificates, AKD ceremony, and dinner together to celebrate your upcoming graduation! 🎉

  • Come check out this powerful documentary about healthcare issues incarcerated women face.

  • Criminology students have a range of opportunities. Internships are a great way to explore your career interests #internships #greatstudents #loveyourmajor

  • All our students who complete a Concentration do an internship. These are great ways to apply the skills learned in the classroom and build your resume! #greatstudents #internships #careerbuilding

  • Congratulations to a great student moving on to law school early. We’ll miss you next semester! #futurelawyer #accelerateyourdegree

  • Happy everything! Enjoy your winter break. Can’t wait to see you back on campus in January ☃️

  • Congrats on finishing your Final Exams! Hope all our students have a wonderful break!!

  • So glad our SC-2550 course students could work to assist this community partner and practice valuable skills. #communitypartners #highimpactlearning

  • We might not have power, but we do have lots of candy! Come on by for some trick or treating!

  • Study one of the most significant problems of our time #enviroment #climate #humanrights #sociology

  • Come meet your Sociology and Criminology majors! We've got some Cornhole outside of Dolan!

  • Hope to see you in #225 today to talk about how to get and register for an internship!

  • Thank you Allison McGrath, JD, Esq for speaking about a law career with our Criminal Justice course!

  • Thank you Special Agent McGrath (JCU alum!) for speaking with our Criminal Justice class about your career with the ATF and work on law enforcement!

  • Interested in forensic studies? Hearing from alumni? Mark your calendars and join us in o’Malley on 9/26! @jcucareercenter @jcu_cas #alumni #careers #johncarrolluniversity

  • Mark your calendars for the annual Geller lecture! #citizenship #publicintellectual #johncarrolluniversity

  • Great presentation Sam!

    Presenting her work for the SURF summer fellowship with Dr. Barnes.

  • Allie presenting her SURF summer research progress. Way to represent the Sociology department.

  • Allie Geletka (25’) has a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) to assist Dr. Katie Frey with her research studying racial and gender differences in police interactions while bicycling
    #undergradresearch #summerresearch #johncarrolluniversity

  • Great research collaborations this summer! Devon Skufca (‘25) is working with Dr. Gloria Vaquera to conduct a content analysis examining media framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in US press during his summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF)

    #undergraduateresearch #summerresearch #experientiallearning #johncarrolluniversity

  • Congratulations, Melissa Spahar! #halloffame #johncarrolluniversity #johncarrollathletics

  • Orianna and Arianna working on victim blaming exercise!

  • Thanks to those donors who helped make last week a success! We are excited for the future of our department #experientallearning #undergraduateresearch #presentation

  • JCU Day of Giving is here. If you’d like to support the department as we offer more opportunities for students to conduct and present research, the link is below. We appreciate any gift you make!
    https://www.givecampus.com/u24omq

    #research #undergraduate #sociology #criminology #donate #johncarrolluniversity

  • Dr. Clark and our amazing students down at the Capital for JRS Advocacy Day! What amazing work they are doing.

  • Spring is here on the JCU campus! #mostphotographed #johncarrolluniversity #spring2024

  • Dr. Sean Chaplin took part in an Author-meets-Critic session on Friday at the North Central Sociology Association annual meeting #raceandethnicity #urbanstudies #ncsa #johncarrolluniversity

  • Seniors, make plans today to celebrate with us! 🎉 #graduation #classof2024 #sociologymajor #criminologymajor

  • On Friday, Tyler Capron (25’) did a great job presenting original research on the factors that encourage engagement among first generation college students at the North Central Sociology Association annual meetings #ncsa #undergradresearch #researcher

  • How does being a Disney fan impact interaction patterns and belonging? #qualitativeresearch #researchassistant #mentorship

  • Happy Social Worker month to all our alum! #clinicalsocialworkers #communitysocialworker

  • Students have the option to complete their internship in the fall, spring or summer semesters for major credit, or a no-credit option is also available in the summer to meet requirements. Talk to Dr. Barnes if you have questions #internships #communitypartners

  • Thank you Brant DiChiera for coming to speak to our Law and Society class about your career as a public defender in Cleveland! #law #criminology #communitypartners

  • See you in the classroom! #loveyourmajor

  • CONGRATULATIONS! Dr. Katie Frey has officially received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. We’re so happy to have you as an integral part of the department and can’t wait to see the amazing things you continue to do in criminology and law! #promotion #tenure #congratulations🎉

  • Yay, congrats all on finishing your Sociology and Criminology Capstone!! Excellent papers and presentations, and now for just the final exam. Way to go all!

  • Looking for some relaxation and fellowship? Want to meet the faculty for next semester’s classes? Mark your calendars and bring a friend! #holidayseason #freecanes #endofthesemester #sociology #criminology

  • Feeling tired or cold? End of the semester getting you down? Stop by during business hours and have a warm beverage with faculty and staff in the department #hotchocolate #coffee #teatime

  • It’s JCU’s Fall Preview Day today. If you’re a high school Junior or Senior and interested in learning more about our programs reach out to Dr. Barnes at mbarnes@jcu.edu or schedule time to come to campus and meet ##sociology #criminology #jesuitschools #cleveland #curapersonalis

  • You want this on your schedule #takemeaningfulclasses #sociology #publichealth

  • Thank you Patcia (JCU alum!) and Sydni for talking to our majors about your work as Medicolegal death investigators!

  • Oh no! There's a crime scene in the Sociology and Criminology department!! We're getting ready for the spooky season, come by and grab some candy through October 🎃👻

  • Next Monday, come hear well know public intellectual, Dr. Phil Cohen, talk about his latest book examining how scholarship can be part of public contributions to civic life #publicsociology #appliedsociology #dialogueacrossdifference #johncarrolluniversity

  • Thinking about doing an internship in the next 18 months? Want more information? Come to this meeting and hear from faculty, fellow students and @jcucareercenter #planyourfuture #internships #appliedlearning #academicsuccess

  • Mark your calendars for the annual Geller lecture! #citizenship #publicintellectual #johncarrolluniversity

  • Gain valuable research experience and apply classroom learning. Contact Dr. Barnes if you’re interested in this undergraduate research assistant opportunity #experiential learning #researchassistant #undergraduatelearning #sociology #johncarrolluniversity

  • We’re missing our students but hope you’re all having a great summer! #july #summerlife #johncarrolluniversity

  • Participate in ongoing research TODAY. Some of you asked for more details about the Disney research. Here you go! If you’ve ever been to a Disney themed park, consider sharing your opinions today! Scan QR code or type the following link into your browser: https://bit.ly/3VxY1Gn

    #facultyresearch #summerresearch #undergraduateresearch #johncarrolluniversity

  • On our way! Chicago Immersion on “Intersecting Inequalities” #johncarrolluniversity #immersion #campusministry #community #sociology

  • Way to go Dr. Clark! Thank you for all the service you do with our students #servicelearning #civicengagement #jcucssa

  • Thanks, Wheezie for all the memories, love and tail-wagging joy this year #therapydogs #patadog #bestdogs

  • Did you know we have a department study table in the Library Learning Commons? It’s open until the end of the semester. Stop in and take advantage of this free resource! #studysmarter #peertutoring #learningresources #johncarrolluniversity

  • Dr. Rich Clark takes students to Washington DC each year for the Jesuit Refugee Services Advocacy Day. Good luck to them as they work on important humanitarian issues #jesuitrefugeeservice #advocacyday #talktocongress

  • Mark your calendars! Come mingle and celebrate the ending of the academic year #loveyourdepartment #loveyourmajor #alumni #endoftheschoolyear #johncarrolluniversity

  • Every year, Dr. Rich Clark brings students to Washington DC for Jesuit Refugee Services Advocacy Day. If you’re interested in participating this year, respond using the QR or email Dr. Clark!

  • Today we welcomed Prosecutor Allison McGrath with the Major Trial Division, Juvenile Violent Crimes. She'll be teaching a course on Criminal Courts, so keep an eye out for the fall schedule! We're so excited to offer this new course taught by an incredibly knowledgeable lawyer #criminallaw #criminology #communitypartners

  • Join the @jcusoccrimclub this Monday, February 10th for some crime & mystery themed games!

  • Check out Dr. Frey tonight at 11pm on Very Scary Lovers on Investigation Discovery, or available for streaming after its premiere on HBO Max. This case covers a "thrill" kill in Ocean City.

  • Congratulations to our alums & current students who are AKD Honors Society members. We were recently recognized for our 35th chapter anniversary of celebrating student excellence. Notifications for this year’s AKD class will be announced in late spring!
    #alphakappadelta #honorssociety

  • We miss you! Stop by the department and say “hi” next week #springsemester #newstart #2025

  • Check out Dr. Katie Frey tomorrow night for the premiere of the new season of Very Scary People, covering Anthony Sowell, aka the Cleveland Strangler. You can watch on HBO Max (delayed release) or Investigation Discovery at 9pm!

  • Win department swag! See you at our Holiday party Monday at 1pm

  • Don’t miss today’s event hosted by the Sociology & Criminology Club and Women in Law Club. New location!

  • #firstgenerationcollegestudent #firstgenweek #johncarrolluniversity

  • Where are my future lawyers at? Not sure yet? Take this fascinating course! #lawandsociety #prelaw #criminology #interdisciplinary

  • Best syllabus #sociology #sexuality #publichealth #gsws

  • We’re excited to have Nikita talking to our students this Thursday! #upcoming #alumni #studentsuccess

  • Thanks to everyone who turned out Monday night! #johncarrolluniversity #dialogueacrossdifference #lectureseries #publicsociology

  • Join us on October 19th and list Sociology & Criminology as your team #fighthunger #johncarrolluniversity #fatimafamilycenter

  • Thank you Chief Hudson for speaking to our Criminal Justice class this morning! #criminology #guestspeaker #johncarrolluniversity

  • Sage McMillan has been the Administrative Assistant for Sociology and Criminology since fall 2023. Fun fact! She spent several years as a National Park Ranger and is always ready to talk about the cultural and natural history of Cuyahoga Valley National Parks. If you haven’t yet, make sure you stop by this academic year and strike up a conversation! #meetourdepartment #johncarrolluniversity

  • Excited to help welcome JCU Class of 2028! Wonderful to meet so many great new Sociology & Criminology majors this summer! #newstudentorientation #classof2028 #johncarrolluniversity #sociologymajor #criminologymajor

  • Summer research collaboration! Samantha Chisling (‘25) is working with Dr. Medora Barnes to research Disney fandom & identity using surveys and interviews during her summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) #fandom #undergraduateresearch #experientiallearning #summerresearch #disney #johncarrolluniversity

  • Good luck to Professors Rich Clark & Jean Ferrick and the JCU students heading to Northern Ireland to learn about conflict and peace building #studyabroad #northernireland #justice

  • Good luck to students finishing papers, presentations and lab assignments! Remember to use your resources and ask questions #heretohelp #officehours #endofthesemester #researchmethods #youvegotthis

  • Check out this event tomorrow sponsored by @jcustudentgov Engage with an attorney who is a local expert in civil rights and activism #law #criminology #knowyourrights

  • REMINDER—TODAY!! See you in the Sociology & Criminology department #freefood #networking #meetyourfaculty #loveyourmajor

  • Dr. Medora Barnes is leading workshops with faculty colleagues on Accompanying LGBTQ Youth in Catholic Schools #jesuiteducation #careforthewholeperson #johncarrolluniversity

  • Looking for a summer internship that helps youth? Check this out!

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