• CRM 101. Introduction to Criminology
• CRM 209. Criminological Theory
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Serial Killers
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Deviance and Social Control
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Victimology
• CRM 420. Special Topics: Crime Trends across Non-Western Cultures
• SOC 207. Quantitative Research Methods
• SOC 301. Sociology Current Social Problems: Field Work Study

• 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.

• 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.
• 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. (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. Santa Barbara, California: 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. Santa Barbara, California: 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. Santa Barbara, California: 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. Santa Barbara, California: 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. Santa Barbara, California: 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. Santa Barbara, California: 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).

• *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 for the American Society of Criminology, Washington, D.C.
• *Gavin, S. M. (2019). Marijuana usage among college students and the impact on study GPA: A private collegiate comparison. Panel accepted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Borrelli, H., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). The relationship between gender and marijuana usage among college students. Poster accepted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Jordan, P., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Kostenbader, E., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). 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 conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Nelson, F., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). The relationship between anxiety and academic achievement among college students. Poster accepted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Vasquez, S., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). Social media usage among college students: The effects on sleep patterns and mental health. Poster accepted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• *Wagner, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2019). Vaping/juuling: Student usage and perceptions of usage effects. Poster accepted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas.
• 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 for the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, California.
• 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 for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
• 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 for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
• 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 for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
• Gavin, S. M. (2019). Exploring college students’ perceptions of rape through the use of videos. Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland.
• 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland.
• 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland.
• 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 for the American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, Georgia.
• 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 for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
• Gavin, S. M. (2018). #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou…Is “slacktivism” enough to combat domestic violence? Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Arthurs, S. M., Gavin, S. M., Boyer, J. L., & Jackimowski, K. (2018). Transitioning to tenure-track. Roundtable presented at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Cox, M., & Gavin, S. M. (2018). Mass media’s effect of perceptions of law enforcement. Poster presented at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Gavin, S. M. (2017). How do college students classify rape? Panel conducted at the annual conference for the American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Gavin, S. M. (2017). #MaybeHeDoesntHitYouBut…Is “slacktivism” enough to combat domestic violence? A proposal. Poster presented at the annual conference for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
• Gavin, S. M. (2017). College students’ definitions of sexual offenses: Do student definitions and the law match? Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Kansas City, Missouri.
• Gavin, S. M. (2016). Domestic violence: A serious problem or a media-induced moral panic? Panel conducted at the annual conference for the American Society of Criminology, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 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 for the American Society of Criminology, New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Gavin, S. M., & Arthurs, S. M. (2016). IPV fumbles in the NFL: The Ray Rice effect. Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
• Gavin, S. M. (2016). Does self-esteem influence dating violence perpetration and victimization? A proposal. Panel conducted at the Graduate Scholars Forum, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania.
• 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, Pennsylvania.
• 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, Pennsylvania.
• Hanrahan, K., Arthurs, S., Hassett, M., Lennes, P., Lee, S., & Gavin, S. M. (2015). Qualitative research: Learning by doing. Roundtable presented at the annual conference for the American Society of Criminology, Washington, D.C.
• 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 for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Orlando, Florida.
• 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 for the Eastern Sociological Society, New York, New York.
• Gavin, S. M. (2014). The effectiveness of the 3RDVP at reducing crime. Poster presented at the annual conference for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 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 for the American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, Georgia.

* Presentation accepted, but the conference was canceled due to COVID-19 issues.

“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 ongoing 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 that 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, PowerPoint, 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.