Master of Science in Criminology Program Begins in August 2007

 

    

The Master of Science in Criminology program began taking applications from prospective students during the Spring of 2007, accepting an initial cohort of 16 students who began the program in August 2007.  The Department offered three on-campus graduate courses in the Fall Semester (“Analyzing Crime Data,” “Crime Theory and Policy,” and “Evaluating Criminal Justice Policy and Practice”) in addition to two online graduate courses (“Law Enforcement and Community” and “Correctional Theory and Practice”).  In the Spring 32008 Semester students can choose among various courses including “Advanced Social Research Methodology,” “Justice Administration,” and “Foundations of Homeland Security.”  In the very near future graduate students will be completing thesis work as well as graduate practicums in criminal justice related agencies.  The primary focus of the program is aspects of criminal justice policy analysis and evaluation.  Each course in the curriculum covers aspects of policy evaluation, including instruction on conducting this type of analysis.  We are very excited about the start of our new graduate program in Criminology and currently we are accepting applications for the August 2008 cohort.  For detailed information about entrance requirements, application procedures, requirements to complete the program, the graduate faculty, our courses, and other topics, please visit http://criminology.missouristate.edu and select the “Master of Science in Criminology” prompt. 

In October 2007, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education for the state of Missouri approved our Department to offer a new Master of Science program in Applied Anthropology.  The program will begin in Fall 2008 and the deadline for applications is March 1, 2008. This program will offer training in the application of anthropological skills and knowledge to the needs and problems of society today.  Applicants should have a strong undergraduate background in Anthropology.  The program emphasizes the cultivation of professional skills such as quantitative analysis, computer applications, technical writing, and public speaking.  There are many facets to Applied Anthropology, but the current focus of the program will be the study and preservation of cultural heritage through archaeology and ethnography.  The program is concerned chiefly with American culture and ethnic diversity, particularly Native American culture and the Ozarks region.  It is intended to meet a need for professionals in cultural resource management, public archaeology, cultural and linguistic preservation, and heritage tourism.  See the anthropology website for more information. 

 

Sociology Program Developing New Emphasis on "Public Sociology"

 

The Sociology program is being reorganized to develop and integrate “public sociology” with the traditional emphasis on the theories and methods for studying society. Public Sociology involves engaging sociological teaching and research with community organizations and agencies to address social problems. Developing public sociology is part of the Department’s larger effort to align its activities with the University’s public affairs mission. It is the application of what C.W. Mills called the “sociological imagination” – the ability to recognize the public issues that underlie private troubles like homelessness, substance abuse or domestic violence.

Engaging Sociology with the community has been an integral facet of the discipline since its inception in the late 19th century, and the Department has been practicing Public Sociology in many ways. Drs. Gary Brock and Mike Carlie brought key community practitioners into the "Social Problems" course to illustrate how Springfield addresses issues like poverty, crime, and health care. Similarly, Dr. Marty Prosono has members of the local legal community participate with students in “mock trials” in the "Sociology of Law" course, and Dr. Tim Knapp has a service learning component in the "Social Inequality" course which takes students into community agencies.

What is different about the current Public Sociology initiative is that the whole Sociology program is being redesigned to make the engagement of teaching and research with the community an integral pillar of the program. In the Spring of 2007, Dr. Philip Nyden was brought on campus to consult the Department on how to develop Public Sociology. Nyden was chair of the American Sociological Association’s Task Force on Public Sociology and practices Public Sociology at Loyola University in Chicago.

Informed by Nyden’s recommendations, the Department is currently in the process of hiring two new public sociologists. In addition, Drs. John Harms, Tim Knapp, Mike Stout, and Gary Brinker are collaborating with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to provide sociological survey data for the Foundation’s Community Focus Report Card, a central document guiding how Springfield addresses key community problems.

When the new program is completed, we hope to provide students with the foundations for informed civic engagement while making the Sociology Program a valued community resource helping translate private troubles into public affairs.