St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, NYC

Department Chair
Jaskiran K. Mathur, Professor

BA (Honors) Delhi University
MA Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi
Ph.D. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Dr. Mathur is a US based sociologist with wide-ranging experience in gender issues, rehabilitation, development and voluntary work. Besides teaching in various institutions in India and the US she has worked as a Consultant to the World Bank at its Mission to the United Nations in New York, and she represented UNESCO in the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. She is the New York representative for the New Delhi based Institute of Social Studies Trust, an NGO with Consultative Status at the United Nations.

 

In India she has been part of the Zonal Cultural Centers’ endeavor to document, preserve and present the myriad cultural traditions of the country. She has worked as a Sociologist in the Rehabilitation Cell of the Narmada Valley Development Authority in Madhya Pradesh and in her role as President of the Mahila Samiti in the tribal district of Shahdhol MP, she took the initiative to start a counseling center, organize programs for adult literacy, vocational training and explore micro-credit opportunities for both urban and rural women.

 

She has continued her work with women in the U.S. – first as the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator and later Board Member of SAKHI for South Asian Women, a not for profit organization in New York where she continues to volunteer her time for advocacy and outreach efforts. Dr. Mathur served as the President of the New York State Sociological Association for the year 2007. She is an Associate Member of the ‘Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance, formed by the Washington based National Academy of Public Administration. She was elected to serve a three year term as a Professional Member on the Board of the US National Collegiate Honors Council that numbers more than 1200 colleges and universities amongst its members.

Michael Kaune, Professor

BS & MS, Northeast Louisiana University
Ph.D., Sam Houston State University

 

Professor Kaune's recent scholarly work has focused on hair testing for illegal drugs and was funded by the Edward Byrne Memorial Fund. He has presented his research to such organizations as the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, and the American Probation and Parole Association. He is a co-author of Criminal Justice in Action and Criminal Justice in Action: The Core. He has published or presented many criminal justice topics in the past, including - Community Policing, Cultural Conflicts and Policing, Law Enforcement Concerns with Raves and Police Liability for the Use of Force. Dr. Kaune worked in the field of criminal justice during the 1970's and 1980's as a police officer, a probation and parole officer and as a deputy marshal. Professor Kaune supervises all internships in the department.

 

Emily Horowitz, Associate Professor Co-Chair, Women’s Center BA, Bard College (History) MA, M.Phil. & Ph.D., Yale University (Sociology)

A professor of courses in both sociology and criminal justice, Dr. Emily Horowitz’s research extends from a focus on wrongful convictions to various topics in educational policy. Her research on wrongful convictions places a particular emphasis on crimes against children as well as the hysteria that surrounds those cases. Stepping from researcher to advocate in some of these cases, Dr. Horowitz serves on the board of directors of the National Center for Reason and Justice. She has also published papers in peer-reviewed social science journals on civil commitment policies and teaching race and gender in higher education. The New York Times, Counterpunch, and newsletters of national social science and legal organizations have published various articles about criminal justice written by Professor Horowitz.

Believing that words must be backed up by action, Dr. Horowitz has served as an elected officer on the New York City Community School District 6 (Manhattan) school board. She is the past president of the law and society committee of the Society for Social Problems, and is currently a board member of Class Size Matters (a national educational policy organization). Dr. Horowitz is now conducting a long-term research study focusing on overcrowding in public schools funded by the New York City Council. She has received numerous awards for her research and been invited to present her work at conferences nationally and internationally. Dr. Emily Horowitz has also hosted several major international conferences at St. Francis College on topics as varied as Mental Illness Courts in New York City, Domestic Violence and Teaching Race at the College Level. Read the Spotlight

Nickie Phillips, Assistant Professor
BS, Belmont University
MA, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center

From comic book villains to crime on TV news, Professor Nickie Phillips focuses her research on how a wide range of media portray crime and justice, including both fictional and non-fictional accounts. She recently had a paper published that analyzed crime and motivations for heroes and villains in contemporary American comics books and is currently conducting a study on the portrayal of crime on television news programs and the extent to which criminologists are participating in newsmaking as guests on top-rated cable news programs.  Dr. Phillips is also working on an article on the prosecution of hate crime cases. Read the Spotlight