On behalf of the faculty, students, and staff in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies at SIUE, welcome to our internet home.  As you page through our newly designed website, I hope you find what we already know:  The department offers top quality programs and courses delivered by faculty members with active research agendas and national reputations in their respective fields.   Our department is constantly striving to produce an optimal environment for both students and faculty to grow in knowledge as well as to put that knowledge to work to address problems and issues in society and the criminal justice system.

To help students achieve their intellectual and career goals, our department offers four programs of study leading to degrees in: (1) undergraduate Criminal Justice Studies, (2) general undergraduate Sociology, (3) Employment Relations undergraduate concentration in Sociology, and (4) the Masters of Sociology.  Each of these programs requires students to master the theoretical and methodological foundations of sociology or criminal justice, but also to pursue their own interests by choosing from numerous elective course offerings.  All of our programs offer internship opportunities as well.

Faculty interests, along with our programs and courses, reflect a variety of important topical areas in sociology and criminal justice studies including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, class, policing, corrections, juvenile justice, organizations, political economy, deviance and social control, crime, the workplace, popular culture, mental health, ethics, victimology, criminological and sociological theory, globalization, sexuality, justice systems, and methodology.  We take delight in the fact that much of the diversity within the fields of sociology and criminal justice studies are so well represented in the department.

In short, the sociology and criminal justice studies programs, faculty, and students at SIUE are diverse and vibrant.  Whether through our web site, a phone call, email, or a campus visit, I encourage you to find out for yourself why we consider our department among the best places in the country to study and teach sociology and criminal justice.

David Kauzlarich, Ph.D.
Chair