Randolph prioritizes small class sizes-- my introductory lectures usually contain 25 students, and upper level seminar courses range from 3-15 students. As a result, courses are interactive and hands-on, rooted in discussion and group work. I am dedicated to my students leaving my courses with a greater ability to analyze and critique arguments from a variety of perspectives, and to be well-versed in the diversity of methods that criminologists use to research, theorize, and present information. An interactive classroom structure of this kind allows students to practice the kinds of skills that will be crucial to their success in future workplaces: communication, cooperation, problem solving, and negotiation between diverse viewpoints.
Today's students live in a saturated media environment that presents near-unlimited sources of information. In all my classes, I present tools for media-literacy, helping students learn to critically interrogate the information they encounter and better understand the data collection methods, sources, and rhetorical purposes of all forms of media, from a 30 second TikTok video, to the AI-generated summary at the top of search engine, to a peer-reviewed academic journal article. These skills are essential for students to grow into effective employees, critical criminologists, and informed citizens. My classes center around primary documents: in Legal History of Policing we read SCOTUS decisions, and in FBI COINTELPRO we read declassified FBI briefings. Exposing students to primary documents offers them a deeper understanding of how various arms of the American Criminal Justice System function, and allows them the opportunity to form their own opinions about the material.
Courses
Introduction to Criminology
FBI COINTELPRO
Race, Class and Crime
Violence
The Legal History of Policing
Power, Authority, and Legitimacy
Introduction to Sociology
Sociological Theory
Social Problems