The Sociology Department of John Jay College has a distinguished faculty of internationally known scholars in sociology, criminology, dispute resolution, and related areas and offers outstanding academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The department’s wide array of foundational, specialized and interdisciplinary courses encourage students to develop a sociological understanding of the nature and structure of society and its institutions. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology provides students with both traditional and groundbreaking theoretical and empirical understandings of the causes, consequences and processing of crimes. Courses offered by the Sociology Department play a key role in the interdisciplinary Bachelors of Arts in International Criminal Justice and the Dispute Resolution Certificate Program, one of the nation's pioneer academic programs in dispute resolution, designed to provide students with an understanding of the conceptual issues involving conflict and the skills required to act effectively as a dispute resolver. Courses offered by the department also play an important role in the baccalaureate programs in Criminal Justice and Deviant Behavior and Social Control as well as the master’s degree programs in Criminal Justice and Forensic Computing. Minors in Sociology and Criminology are offered. Plans are currently underway to create a Master’s Degree in Criminology. Members of the faculty also teach in the sociology and criminal justice Doctoral Programs of the City University of New York (CUNY).
The Journal of African American Studies, a forum for social scientists engaged in the analysis of the black race, is housed in the department. Our diverse and pre-eminent faculty are committed to research, scholarship and teaching a diverse student body that is drawn from around the world.