Sociology and Criminology Department

At Assumption, sociology and criminology students benefit from developing an empirical understanding of social structures, social interactions, and the linkages between the two necessary to address today’s complex social issues. The department focuses on personal, hands-on experiences and research opportunities where students gain valuable insight into these topics and real-world experiences that set students apart from competition.

Students craft customized academic paths, engage in faculty-student research projects, and build connections with career and internship opportunities. Senior seminar courses in both majors have a dual focus on professional development and student-driven individual research projects. Community Service Learning (CSL) courses that are part of elective course offerings enable students to put classroom theory to work in a community setting, providing significant benefits to local residents while enhancing personal knowledge and skills.

Sociology and criminology majors and minors are flexible and complement other academic programs, including accounting, cybersecurity, history, health and human services, psychology, philosophy, political science, theology, and women’s studies. These programs highlight the value of a Catholic liberal arts education that prepares students for thoughtful and meaningful engagement with their careers and lives beyond Assumption.

In recent years, sociology and criminology students have studied abroad at the Rome, Italy campus, and in Australia, South Africa, Spain, and Washington, D.C. Our students are also a diverse and active part of the vibrant campus life at Assumption; they are elected officers in student government, captains of varsity sports teams, members of the Honors program, and leaders in Residential Life, Campus Ministry, the ALANA Network, and PAWS (Peers Advocating Wellness for Students).

The Department of Sociology and Criminology seeks to educate students about the richness and diversity of social life and prepare them for professional careers. Department faculty offer students opportunities to cultivate the development of sociological and criminological perspectives, which link the individual to history, society and culture. We accomplish this through a variety of pedagogical practices both inside and outside of the classroom, enhancing critical intelligence (independent thinking), fostering compassionate service, and encouraging students to become informed, deliberative and engaged citizens.

Drawing on the theoretical and analytical tools of sociology and criminology, students are taught to use the results of empirical investigation to look under the surface of social phenomena and to probe the taken-for-granted social world in which they live. Developing the requisite skills to accomplish this also prepares students to compete successfully in the 21st century global economy where critical thinking, writing, and oral communication are at a premium.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology contributes to a liberal arts education within the context of Catholic intellectual traditions by encouraging self-discovery and promoting social justice. The department educates students to understand their world and encourages them to work for social change.

Department of Sociology and Criminology Faculty

Angela Kaufman-Parks, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology Department Chair, Sociology & Criminology

Michael P. Daigle

Adjunct Faculty, Criminology

Dhruba Das, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Steven D. Farough, Ph.D

Associate Professor of Sociology Director of Racial and Ethnic Studies

Erica Gagne

Visiting Faculty Professor

Susan Perschbacher, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Sociology

Francis Bruce Prior, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Sociology and Criminology

Bruce D. Tait

Adjunct Faculty, Criminology

Sociology and Criminology at Assumption University

- The option to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in both sociology and criminology in just 18 courses, providing students the opportunity to double major and receive a degree in only four years
- Acquire skills that are most sought by employers, including writing, oral presentations, data analysis, ability to work in groups, and the ability to analyze problems with complex causes
- Senior year classes in both majors with dual focus on professional development and student-driven individual research projects
- Develop mentoring relationships with faculty; all majors can be advised in house, facilitating faculty-student research projects and connections with career opportunities
- Connect with department alums in the field to learn more about potential career paths and build professional networks
- Develop an empirical understanding of social structures, social interactions, and the linkages between the two necessary to address today’s complex social issues.
- Community service learning courses enable students to put classroom theory to work in a community setting, providing significant benefits to local residents while enhancing their own personal knowledge and skills.
- Flexibility in selecting elective courses to match individual interests

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Sociology and Criminology Department

Discover how the social world is created and organized, and how it links to social issues like crime, inequality, and race relations.