Message from the Chair

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to the web site of the Department of Sociology/Criminal Justice & Criminology. As you explore the various links, you will see that we are a dynamic department that contributes significantly to the life of UMKC, Kansas City, and the larger professional community.

We have a very talented group of faculty members who have garnered honors for their teaching, research productivity, and extensive involvements in the Kansas City community. We are also well represented in the leadership of regional and national professional organizations. Faculty members are often called upon for their expertise by various local, state, and national groups.

Our most basic commitment is to provide an excellent education to our students and help them to become life-long learners. We challenge students to become critical and analytical consumers of social issues. Our students discover new ways to view the world around them and become prepared to be community leaders and engaged citizens. We support UMKC’s vision of a campus without borders through many opportunities for internships in the community. Several courses have developed exciting service learning activities.

We offer undergraduate majors in Sociology and Criminal Justice/Criminology and an undergraduate minor in Anthropology. At the graduate level we offer a Master of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology. We participate in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program with Sociology as both a coordinating discipline and a co-discipline. Our affiliated programs offer opportunities to concentrate course work in gerontology, family studies, or urban studies.

Please feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance in providing more information about our activities in relation to your interests.

Sincerely,

Linda Breytspraak, Ph.D.
Chair
816.235.2514
breytspraakl@umkc.edu