The School of Politics, Society, Justice and Public Service offers a Social and Criminal Justice major and minor, a Youth Studies major and minor and a Sociology major. With one of these degrees, you will learn how people in our world work together.
Our sociology graduates work in research, teaching, health care and public policy. By studying how people behave and the patterns they follow, you can create strategies to deal with issues like inequality, bias and poverty. The goal is to work towards a fair and just world for everyone. With a degree in youth studies, our alumni are working in community development, social work and family studies. Our graduates who earn a degree in social and criminal justice are getting jobs as police officers, private investigators, crime prevention, correctional officer, victim advocacy and federal agencies.
If you're driven to make a difference in your community through justice and reform, a minor in social and criminal studies is the perfect fit. You’ll immerse yourself in the study of corrections and criminology and prepare for a rewarding career at the intersection of social justice and criminal reform. Our minor gives you the knowledge and skills to advocate for meaningful change in the justice system.
A minor in youth studies builds your understanding of the issues young people face and prepares you to work with children and adolescents in a variety of settings. CMU is the nation’s first and only school to offer a youth studies concentration in the sociology major as well as a youth studies minor.
Our sociology major examines the impact of inequality and explores social justice and diversity. Learn to solve real-world problems using data-driven research and effect lasting social change.
Immerse yourself in the study of our social and criminal justice major through the lens of inequality and social justice. This program leads to fulfilling careers in corrections, advocacy, social services, policing and beyond.
Make a real impact on young lives with our youth studies major. This program equips you with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in community and school settings focused on youth development. You'll gain practical skills through hands-on experiences and coursework that addresses the unique challenges young people face today. Prepare for a fulfilling career where you can drive change and advocate for the next generation.
Sociology
Alan Rudy | Email Alan Rudy | 989-774-7611
Cedric Taylor | Email Cedric Taylor | 989-774-1478
Elbert Almazan | Email Elbert Almazan | 989-774-7337
Youth Studies
Amanda Garrison |
Email Amanda Garrison | 989-774-1942
David Kinney |
Email David Kinney | 989-774-1488
Social & Criminal Justice
Mensah Adinkrah |
Email Mensah Adinkrah| 989-774-3367
Elizabeth Bradshaw |
Email Elizabeth Bradshaw | 989-774-3469
Rebecca Hayes |
Email Rebecca Hayes | 989-774-3442
Brian Smith |
Email Brian Smith | 989-774-3428
Central Michigan University student, Calvin Older has received the 2025 President’s Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishments. Older was nominated by two of his professors, Christi Brookes Ph.D. and Prakash Adhikari Ph.D.
Older was inspired to take on a research project with Brookes after studying Russian in the country of Georgia. During his stay, he heard about the experiences of multiple Russians who decided to relocate. These stories piqued his curiosity to find a political activist/journalist to interview, providing even more sources to contact.
Older interviewed Russian political activists who fled their home country due to the Russia-Ukraine war and turned his conversations into a 48-minute podcast episode called Troika.
“The main challenge of creating the podcast was compiling and arranging the interviews in a compressible format," Older said. He also had to provide context to his interviewees’ statements through narration.
Older's motivation was to clear up misconceptions. “I started working on the podcast in 2023, there was a lot of misinformation on what Russians thought of the war,” Older said. The goal of the project was to have natives explain what citizens think and feel to an American audience. Older hopes that his audience will find his work educational.
Brookes and Older are planning to submit his work to NPR next year, but first they have to boil the original 48-minute recording into a 15-minute episode.
