Criminology - Albright College
Source: https://www.albright.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/criminology
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:19
Criminology - Albright College
Skip To Main Content
Criminology
Investigate causes. Analyze patterns. Understand crime in context.
Criminology at Albright helps students explore the social, psychological, and structural factors that contribute to criminal behavior. The curriculum emphasizes data-driven inquiry and theoretical analysis.
About the Program
Now a full major, Criminology offers clearer pathways for students pursuing careers in justice, policy, research, and social advocacy.
Hands-On Learning
Students complete internships, research-based senior seminar projects, and applied community work such as violence mapping initiatives.
Program Goals
Course Requirements
Opportunities
Faculty
Advising Sheets
Foster intellectual curiosity.
Achieve breadth of knowledge across socio-anthropological substantive areas and depth within one area
Write and speak clearly and fluently while also incorporating the socio-anthropological knowledge (i.e. terms, concepts, and theories) that they have gained in their socio-anthropological coursework.
Practice the skill of connecting social observations with theory so that the theories alluded to in #3 can be used by graduates throughout their lives to develop sophisticated assessments about the causes and effects of human actions.
Develop a foundation of socio-anthropological theory about the way humans interact with the social and physical world such that they can use them to understand and assess a variety of human actions around the world.
Develop the skills and knowledge to conduct basic socio-anthropological investigations. This would include being familiar with the process by which an individual can: develop sociological hypotheses; collect pertinent sociological data; analyze data qualitatively and quantitatively; develop conclusions about the issue(s) in question.
Find, understand, and critically assess scholarly and analytic socio-anthropological literature.
Break free from the leash of cultural conformity by learning to think critically and creatively about issues for themselves without relying on others (authorities) to make the assessments for them.
Full Course Catalogue
Course Descriptions
Major Requirements
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Foundations Quantitative Reasoning course)
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 490 Senior Seminar
SOC 251 Crime & Deviance
SOC 202 The Criminal Justice System
SOC 382/482 Internship, travel abroad course, or a 400-level approved substitution
Two of the following:
ANT 101 Intro to Cultural Anthropology
SOC 201 Social Problems
SOC 230 Cultural Sociology
SOC 231 Cults & New Religious Movements
SOC 261 The Family
SOC 262 Social Stratification
SOC266 Sociology of Race
SOC 291 Environmental Sociology
ANT 285 The Human Animal
Four of the following:
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation and SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation (must take both courses to satisfy one of the requirements from this list)
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
ANT 310 Crime, Culture, Conflict Resolution
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 345 School to Prison Pipeline
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence & Victims
One of the following:
SOC 440 Ethnographies in Crime and Deviance
SOC 450 White-Collar Crime
SOC 460 Serial Murder
Study Abroad courses are also encouraged as electives.
Combined Major Requirements
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Foundations Quantitative Reasoning course)
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 490 Senior Seminar
SOC 251 Crime & Deviance
One of the following intermediate specialized courses:
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation and SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation (must take both courses to satisfy one of the requirements from this list)
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
ANT 310 Crime, Culture, Conflict Resolution
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 345 School to Prison Pipeline
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence & Victims
One of the following advanced application courses:
SOC 440 Ethnographies in Crime and Deviance
SOC 450 White-Collar Crime
SOC 460 Serial Murder
Because this is a combined major, there are relatively few topically based requirements. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that criminology combined majors use their electives to take additional topical courses.
Minor Requirements
The criminology minor exposes students to the sociological perspective through study of the methodology of the field, basic theoretical paradigms, as well as the study of socialization, culture, deviance and conformity, social organization and societal development, complex organizations, and the principles of stratification and other forms of social inequality. In addition, students study the social problem of crime and deviance within the context of other social problems such as family dysfunction, poverty, education, racism, gender issues, and the sociology of work and occupations.
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 251 Crime and Deviance
Three of the following courses:
SOC 202 The Criminal Justice System
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Social Statistics
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation
SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence and Victims
ANT 310 Crime Culture, Conflict Resolution
Field Study Experiences:
The Albright College sociology and anthropology department hosts a variety of opportunities for field study within the City of Reading, and the city, in a way, becomes a socio-anthropological laboratory. Students have worked with faculty to assess local social service agencies, study changes in neighborhoods experiencing reinvestment, explore the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on communities, measure gang involvement and risk factors for gang membership, interview community members on town-gown relations, and compare religious services, among others.
Some of the field studies in which students have engaged took place in:
Barber shops
Pet stores
Roller rinks
Childcare facilities
Nightclubs
Homeless shelters
Agricultural animal auctions
Abortion clinics
Internships and Career Support
Students can connect with the
Career Development Center
to find internships where they can apply language proficiency in real‑world settings, locally, nationally, or internationally, and these can count toward major requirements with faculty approval.
ACRE Undergraduate Research
Students in any major can engage in interdisciplinary undergraduate research through the
Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE)
, partnering with faculty mentors to pursue independent research or creative projects and present their work beyond the classroom.
Carla Abodalo , M.S.
Senior Instructor of Sociology & Anthropology
Hilary Aquino , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Michael Armato , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science/Registrar
John Bougiamas
Adjunct Faculty
Charles Brown , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Brandon Clinton
Part-Time Faculty of Sociology & Anthropology
Alisa Hobart
Part-Time Faculty of Political Science
Kyle Hosking
Adjunct Faculty
Brian Jennings , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Adrienne Lodge
Adjunct Faculty
Jennifer Lukach Bradley
Part-Time Faculty of Political Science
Kennon Rice , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
1
2
>
next page
showing 1 - 12 of 15 constituents
Curriculum Highlights
Participation in Sociology 211 for statistical training
Applied research across justice-related issues
Faculty mentoring on research and thesis development
Collaborative community-based projects
Skip To Main Content
Criminology
Investigate causes. Analyze patterns. Understand crime in context.
Criminology at Albright helps students explore the social, psychological, and structural factors that contribute to criminal behavior. The curriculum emphasizes data-driven inquiry and theoretical analysis.
About the Program
Now a full major, Criminology offers clearer pathways for students pursuing careers in justice, policy, research, and social advocacy.
Hands-On Learning
Students complete internships, research-based senior seminar projects, and applied community work such as violence mapping initiatives.
Program Goals
Course Requirements
Opportunities
Faculty
Advising Sheets
Foster intellectual curiosity.
Achieve breadth of knowledge across socio-anthropological substantive areas and depth within one area
Write and speak clearly and fluently while also incorporating the socio-anthropological knowledge (i.e. terms, concepts, and theories) that they have gained in their socio-anthropological coursework.
Practice the skill of connecting social observations with theory so that the theories alluded to in #3 can be used by graduates throughout their lives to develop sophisticated assessments about the causes and effects of human actions.
Develop a foundation of socio-anthropological theory about the way humans interact with the social and physical world such that they can use them to understand and assess a variety of human actions around the world.
Develop the skills and knowledge to conduct basic socio-anthropological investigations. This would include being familiar with the process by which an individual can: develop sociological hypotheses; collect pertinent sociological data; analyze data qualitatively and quantitatively; develop conclusions about the issue(s) in question.
Find, understand, and critically assess scholarly and analytic socio-anthropological literature.
Break free from the leash of cultural conformity by learning to think critically and creatively about issues for themselves without relying on others (authorities) to make the assessments for them.
Full Course Catalogue
Course Descriptions
Major Requirements
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Foundations Quantitative Reasoning course)
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 490 Senior Seminar
SOC 251 Crime & Deviance
SOC 202 The Criminal Justice System
SOC 382/482 Internship, travel abroad course, or a 400-level approved substitution
Two of the following:
ANT 101 Intro to Cultural Anthropology
SOC 201 Social Problems
SOC 230 Cultural Sociology
SOC 231 Cults & New Religious Movements
SOC 261 The Family
SOC 262 Social Stratification
SOC266 Sociology of Race
SOC 291 Environmental Sociology
ANT 285 The Human Animal
Four of the following:
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation and SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation (must take both courses to satisfy one of the requirements from this list)
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
ANT 310 Crime, Culture, Conflict Resolution
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 345 School to Prison Pipeline
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence & Victims
One of the following:
SOC 440 Ethnographies in Crime and Deviance
SOC 450 White-Collar Crime
SOC 460 Serial Murder
Study Abroad courses are also encouraged as electives.
Combined Major Requirements
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Foundations Quantitative Reasoning course)
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 490 Senior Seminar
SOC 251 Crime & Deviance
One of the following intermediate specialized courses:
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation and SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation (must take both courses to satisfy one of the requirements from this list)
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
ANT 310 Crime, Culture, Conflict Resolution
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 345 School to Prison Pipeline
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence & Victims
One of the following advanced application courses:
SOC 440 Ethnographies in Crime and Deviance
SOC 450 White-Collar Crime
SOC 460 Serial Murder
Because this is a combined major, there are relatively few topically based requirements. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that criminology combined majors use their electives to take additional topical courses.
Minor Requirements
The criminology minor exposes students to the sociological perspective through study of the methodology of the field, basic theoretical paradigms, as well as the study of socialization, culture, deviance and conformity, social organization and societal development, complex organizations, and the principles of stratification and other forms of social inequality. In addition, students study the social problem of crime and deviance within the context of other social problems such as family dysfunction, poverty, education, racism, gender issues, and the sociology of work and occupations.
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 251 Crime and Deviance
Three of the following courses:
SOC 202 The Criminal Justice System
SOC 210 Research Methods
SOC 211 Social Statistics
SOC 213 Social Theory
SOC 253 Criminal Investigation
SOC 254 Advanced Criminal Investigation
SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 305 Terrorism
SOC 307 Organized Crime
SOC 311 Domestic Violence
SOC 360 Crime and the Media
SOC 385 Violence and Victims
ANT 310 Crime Culture, Conflict Resolution
Field Study Experiences:
The Albright College sociology and anthropology department hosts a variety of opportunities for field study within the City of Reading, and the city, in a way, becomes a socio-anthropological laboratory. Students have worked with faculty to assess local social service agencies, study changes in neighborhoods experiencing reinvestment, explore the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on communities, measure gang involvement and risk factors for gang membership, interview community members on town-gown relations, and compare religious services, among others.
Some of the field studies in which students have engaged took place in:
Barber shops
Pet stores
Roller rinks
Childcare facilities
Nightclubs
Homeless shelters
Agricultural animal auctions
Abortion clinics
Internships and Career Support
Students can connect with the
Career Development Center
to find internships where they can apply language proficiency in real‑world settings, locally, nationally, or internationally, and these can count toward major requirements with faculty approval.
ACRE Undergraduate Research
Students in any major can engage in interdisciplinary undergraduate research through the
Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE)
, partnering with faculty mentors to pursue independent research or creative projects and present their work beyond the classroom.
Carla Abodalo , M.S.
Senior Instructor of Sociology & Anthropology
Hilary Aquino , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Michael Armato , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science/Registrar
John Bougiamas
Adjunct Faculty
Charles Brown , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Brandon Clinton
Part-Time Faculty of Sociology & Anthropology
Alisa Hobart
Part-Time Faculty of Political Science
Kyle Hosking
Adjunct Faculty
Brian Jennings , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
Adrienne Lodge
Adjunct Faculty
Jennifer Lukach Bradley
Part-Time Faculty of Political Science
Kennon Rice , Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
1
2
>
next page
showing 1 - 12 of 15 constituents
Curriculum Highlights
Participation in Sociology 211 for statistical training
Applied research across justice-related issues
Faculty mentoring on research and thesis development
Collaborative community-based projects