• CRIM 101. Introduction to Criminology (In-person & Online)
• CRM 209. Criminological Theory
• CRM 210. Deviance and Social Control
• CRM 220. Victimology (In-person & Online)
• CRM 252. Race and Crime
• CRM 253/WS 253. Gender, Crime and Deviance (Online)
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Serial Killers
• CRM 420. Special Topics: War Crimes (Online)
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Deviance and Social Control: A Case Study: Greece (Online)
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Media and Crime (Online)
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Crime Trends across Non-Western Cultures (Online)
• SOC 101. Introduction to Sociology
• SOC 111. Honors Introduction to Sociology
• SOC 207. Quantitative Research Methods
• SOC 301. Sociology Current Social Problems: Field Work Study (In-person & Online)
• SOC 402. Family Violence
• SOC 412. Senior Seminar (In-person & Online)
• SOC 420. Special Topics: Policing, Race Relations, and Culture
• HON 299. Policing, Race Relations, and Culture
• HON 299. Race and Crime
• BONA 101. Introduction to St. Bonaventure

• Ph.D., Criminology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2019
• M.A., Criminology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2014
• B.S., Criminology and Criminal Justice, Keuka College, 2012
• B.A., Sociology, Keuka College, 2012

Full Time Lecturer, Administration of Justice, Penn State New Kensington (2018-2019 Academic Year).
    Courses Taught: Introduction to Criminal Justice, Courts and the Prosecution Process, Field Research in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Issues in the American Criminal Justice System, Research Topics, and Race, Crime, and Justice.

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, West Virginia Wesleyan College (2017-2018 Academic Year).
     Courses Taught: Senior Seminar, Research Methods in Social Sciences (In person and online), Criminology, Deviance and Social Control, Criminal Law and Procedures, Issues in Criminal Justice – Victimology, Special Topics – Serial Killers, Domestic Violence, Special Topics – Crime Trends across Non-Western Cultures (Online), and Internship.

Adjunct Faculty, Instructor of Record, Criminal Justice, Alfred State College SUNY (Spring 2017).
     Courses Taught: Criminology and Corrections Process in the U.S.

Adjunct Faculty, Instructor of Record, Sociology, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (Fall 2016).
     Course Taught: Introduction to Sociology.

Temporary Faculty, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Spring 2016).
     Course Taught: Law, Social Control, and Society.

Publications

Gavin, S. M. (2024). College students’ perceptions of rape: An exploratory study through the use of visual vignettes. Crime & Delinquency. https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287241231749 

Arthurs, S., & Gavin, S. M. (2024). Commentary: Academic accreditation and certification in criminology and criminal justice education: From ricochets to reckonings.   Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 35(2), 355-362. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2024.2309948 

Gross, B., & Gavin, S. M. (2023). Framing the police on Twitter: Public discourse on abolishing police, defunding police, and community policing. Routledge.

Gavin, S. M., & Kruis, N. (2021). The influence of media violence on intimate partner violence perceptions: A look at jail and prison inmates’ perceptions of intimate partner violence. Gender Issues, 39(2), 177-197. doi:10.1007/s12147-021-09284-5

Pikciunas, K., Cooper, J., Hanrahan, K., & Gavin, S. M. (2016). The future of the academy: Who’s looking for whom? Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 27(3). doi:10.1080/10511253.2016.1142590

Gavin, S. M. (2019) College students’ perceptions of rape through the use of visual vignettes. (Order No. 22582627) Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). Borden, Lizzie (1860 – 1927). In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). Holmes, Dr. H. H. (1860 -1927). In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). "Kidnapping/Murder of Adam Walsh (1974 – 1981)." In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). Riggs, Christina (1971 – 2000). In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). The West Memphis Three. In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). Wesson Family Massacre. In S. Chermak & F. Y. Bailey (Eds.), Crimes of the centuries: Notorious crimes, criminals, and criminal trials in American history. ABC-CLIO.

Gavin, S. M. (2014). The effectiveness of the 3R Domestic Violence Program in reducing repeat offending (Order No. 1569863). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (1641122000).

American Society of Criminology
Gavin, S. M. (2024). Smoking the reefer: An examination of pre- and post-legalization usage and usage rates between states. Thematic panel “Get lit: Predictors and consequences of college student consumption” accepted at the American Society of Criminology annual conference, San Fransisco, CA.

Gavin, S. M., & Mathna, B. (2023). Teaching techniques for civility incorporating DEI hot topics in the classroom. Panel “Intersection of DEI from classroom curriculum to practical application” presented at the annual conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, A., Boyer, B., & Mathna, B. (2022). It’s time to reflect: Teaching criminal justice using service learning techniques. Thematic panel “Teaching tips and tricks for the classroom” conducted at the annual conference, Atlanta, GA.

Gavin, S. M. (2021). Marijuana usage among college students and the impact on student GPA: A private collegiate comparison. Thematic panel “Contemporary analyses of college student alcohol and drug use” conducted at the annual conference, Chicago, IL.

Arthurs, S. M., Gavin, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Mathna, B. (2020). Contemporary analyses of college student alcohol and drug use. Thematic panel accepted at the annual conference, Washington, D.C. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

Gavin, S. M., & Arthurs, S. M. (2019). School resource officer training and job perception in relation to quality of crime control and prevention. Panel conducted at the annual conference, San Francisco, CA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Mathna, B. (2018). Flipping the criminal justice classroom: Strategies for teaching in innovative ways. Roundtable presented at the annual conference, Atlanta, GA.

Gavin, S. M. (2017). How do college students classify rape? Panel conducted at the annual conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Gavin, S. M. (2016). Domestic violence: A serious problem or a media-induced moral panic? Panel conducted at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

Gavin, S. M., Pikciunas, K. T., Cooper, J. A., & Hanrahan, K. J. (2016). The future of the academy: Who’s looking for whom? Panel conducted at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

Gavin, S. M., Cooper, J. A., & Hanrahan, K. (2013). The future of the academy: Who’s looking for who in 2013? Panel conducted at the annual conference, Atlanta, GA.

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 
Dombek, A., & Gavin, S. M. (2024). NYS bail reform and its relationship to domestic violence. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Chicago, IL.

*Osborn, T., & Gavin, S. M. (2024). The effects of video gaming on GPA. Poster conducted at the annual conference, Chicago, IL.

ACJS Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Section. (2024). The good, bad, and ugly: Part II: Teaching in the age of no information. Roundtable conducted at the annual conference, Chicago, IL.

**Kostenbader, E. L., & Gavin, S. M. (2023). The influence of mixed media preference on crime engagement and incarceration. Panel conducted at the annual conference, National Harbor, MD.

^*Lattimer, O., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). College students: Reporting victimization. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Las Vegas, NV.

^**Kostenbader, E. L., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). An examination of college students’ ability to identify fraud. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Las Vegas, NV.

^*Sabatelle, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). Survivors share their stories: The slacktivism of domestic violence as told by #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou via Twitter. Poster presented at the annual conference, Las Vegas, NV.

^*Nelson, F. G., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). Does test anxiety affect overall academic achievement in college students? Poster conducted at the annual conference, Las Vegas, NV.

^*Mallare, S. H., ^*Ocasio, A. M., ^*Brainard, C. E., & S. M. Gavin. (2022). The impact of Zodiac belief on a person’s personality. Poster conducted at the annual conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Arthurs, S. M., Gavin, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Mathna, B. (2020). Contemporary analyses of college student alcohol and drug use. Thematic panel accepted at the annual conference, Orlando, FL. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

Gavin, S. M. (2020). Marijuana usage among college students and the impact on study GPA: A private collegiate comparison. Panel accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Borrelli, H., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). The relationship between gender and marijuana usage among college students. Poster accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Jordan, P., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). The prevalence of drug use on college campuses: A look at drugs outside the realm of alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, and marijuana. Poster accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Kostenbader, E., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). Media influence on education and crime: An examination of the effects of music and movie genres on GPA and crime participation. Poster accepted at the annual, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Nelson, F., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). The relationship between anxiety and academic achievement among college students. Poster accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Vasquez, S., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). Social media usage among college students: The effects on sleep patterns and mental health. Poster accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

^*Wagner, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2020). Vaping/juuling: Student usage and perceptions of usage effects. Poster accepted at the annual conference, San Antonio, TX. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

Gavin, S. M. (2019). Exploring college students’ perceptions of rape through the use of videos. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Baltimore, MD.

Smith, T. J., Arthurs, S. M., Gavin, S. M., & Jackimowski, K. (2019). Solitary confinement: A review in historical context. Roundtable presented at the annual conference, Baltimore, MD.

^*Mull, K., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). The benefits of family courts on children living in toxic environments: Judiciary and family perspectives. Poster conducted at the annual conference, Baltimore, Maryland.

Gavin, S. M. (2018). #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou…Is “slacktivism” enough to combat domestic violence? Panel conducted at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

Arthurs, S. M., Gavin, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Jackimowski, K. (2018). Transitioning to tenure-track. Roundtable presented at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

^*Cox, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2018). Mass media’s effect of perceptions of law enforcement. Poster presented at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

^*Dunlap, E., & Gavin, S. M. (2018). How do death penalty views change based on the sentence structure and diction of the question being asked? Poster presented at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

^*Titus, T., & Gavin, S. M. (2018). Effects of institutionalization: A look at current and released prisoners’ perceptions of prison rehabilitation programs. Poster presented at the annual conference, New Orleans, LA.

Gavin, S. M. (2017). College students’ definitions of sexual offenses: Do student definitions and the law match? Panel conducted at the annual conference, Kansas City, MO.

Gavin, S. M. (2015). Does the level of exposure to media violence influence an individual’s domestic violence perceptions? Poster presented at the annual conference, Orlando, FL.

Gavin, S. M. (2014). The effectiveness of the 3RDVP at reducing crime. Poster presented at the annual conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences
Gavin, S. M., Kosaka, R., Kruis, N. E., & Rowland, N. J. (2024). Rape myth acceptance held by criminal justice decision-makers: A preliminary assessment of prevalence. Panel accepted at the annual conference, Gettysburg, PA.

Arthurs, S., Boyer, J., Gavin, S. M., Holler, T., & Mathna, B. (2024). Rise of the machines: Dealing with AI in the classroom. Roundtable accepted at the annual conference, Gettysburg, PA.

Dombek, A., & Gavin, S. M. (2024). NYS bail reform and its relationship to domestic violence. Panel accepted at the annual conference, Gettysburg, PA.

Dombek, A., & Gavin, S. M. (2023). NYS bail reform & domestic violence reporting. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, S., & Boyer, J. (2023). Engaging students in online courses. Workshop conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, S., & Boyer, J. (2022). Service: Not just a vitae line. Roundtable conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

^*Sabatelle, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). Survivors share their stories: The slacktivism of domestic violence as told by #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou via twitter. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

^**Kostenbader, E., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). College students and fraud: An examination of college students’ ability to identify fraud. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

^*Gale, L., & Gavin, S. M. (2022). How New York got it wrong…Effects of the 2020 New York State Bail Reform. Panel presented at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Gavin, S. M., & Arthurs, S. M. (2021). Marijuana usage and GPA among college students. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Virtual.

Gavin, S. M. (2019). #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou…Is “slacktivism” enough to combat domestic violence? A content analysis of tweets from the start. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, S. M., & Jachimowski, K. (2019). What the flippity flip are we doing? Learning to incorporate the concept of the “flipped classroom” into undergraduate student driven research opportunities. Workshop conducted at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Arthurs, S. M., Good, A., Finger, B., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). Justice and juuling: Discussing the social wave of vaping and the potential future influence on the criminal justice system. Roundtable presented at the annual conference, Williamsport, PA.

Gavin, S. M. (2018). Marijuana usage among college students and the impact on student GPA: A private collegiate comparison. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Portsmouth, RI.

Gavin, S. M. (2017). #MaybeHeDoesntHitYouBut…Is “slacktivism” enough to combat domestic violence? A proposal. Poster presented at the annual conference, Portsmouth, RI.

Gavin, S. M., & Arthurs, S. M. (2016). IPV fumbles in the NFL: The Ray Rice effect. Panel conducted at the annual conference, Portsmouth, RI.

Eastern Sociological Society
Gavin, S. M. (2015). Theoretical implications of the 3R Domestic Violence Program: A male domestic violence perpetrator treatment program. Poster presented at the annual conference, New York, NY.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Gavin, S. M. (2016). Does self-esteem influence dating violence perpetration and victimization? A proposal. Panel conducted at the Graduate Scholars Forum, Indiana, PA.

Gavin, S. M., Arthurs, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Merken, S. (2016). Institutional and individual stereotypes within the criminal justice system. Roundtable presented at the annual interdisciplinary graduate conference for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania English Graduate Organization, Indiana, PA.

Arthurs, S. M., Boyer, J. L., Gavin, S. M., & Merken, S. (2016). Distorted justice: Media portrayal of the criminal justice system. Roundtable presented at the annual interdisciplinary graduate conference for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania English Graduate Organization, Indiana, PA.

*Undergraduate Student
**Graduate Student

“Confidence comes not from always being right
but from not fearing to be wrong.”
Peter T. Mcintyre

My teaching philosophy is reflected in the above quote. As an educator, my goal is to help students gain the confidence to step outside of their comfort zone and question what they know, by presenting the material in a manner for students to obtain not only a basic understanding of criminology and criminal justice, but to provide them with a learning structure that allows them to take the material and confidently apply it to real-life situations. I want students to understand that learning is an on-going process which they may struggle through at times, but this struggle provides a growth in learning. Therefore, students should never be afraid to fail because failure teaches each of us important lessons which help us grow and develop as human beings, expanding our knowledge.

Learning takes place in various ways for each student. I believe that students should be provided the material via various means (i.e., lecture, power point, in and out of class activities), and asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the material as well. Students should also be encouraged to provide their thoughts, opinions, perceptions, and beliefs of the material, even if what they believe to be true is not factual. As an educator, I provide them with and lead them to the resources they can use to check and question their knowledge, so they will continue to independently learn through my guidance. Therefore, I not only teach my students through the use of various methods, as demonstrated throughout my portfolio, but I encourage them to never be afraid to speak in class and to share their opinions with the class, especially through in-class discussions. I strive to provide a respectful, encouraging classroom environment, helping students to feel more at ease when discussing or presenting the material to the class. Students are provided with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of criminology and criminal justice as well as demonstrate such knowledge through the use of in-class discussions and presentations, writing assignments, community service, and various projects, each providing students with different means by which they can learn.

If my students learn differently from what I am teaching, I alter my teaching methods to assist the students in efficiently understanding the material. Not only are students encouraged to use my office hours to further expand their knowledge of the material or to ask for help in better understanding the material, but students are encouraged to schedule appointments outside of my office hours to meet with me if they would like to acquire more assistance with understanding the material, or would like to learn a new approach to learning. 

In short, as an educator, I provide students with a classroom setting that is encouraging and helpful. I assist students in obtaining not only the basic knowledge of the field of criminology/criminal justice, but I encourage students to apply such knowledge to real-world situations, via assignments and discussions. I also encourage students not only within the classroom, but outside of the classroom, therefore helping them grow as learners and determine what their own life goals are.