Jennifer Schlosser, Tennessee Tech University Rate Professors

Jennifer A. Schlosser

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School: Tennessee Tech University
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Department: Sociology
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Location: 1 William L Jones Dr
Cookeville, TN - 38505
Dates at Tennessee Tech University: October 2012 - July 2015
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Biography

Tennessee Tech University - Sociology

Experience

Boone County Offender Transition Network
Prison Interviewer
Jennifer worked at Boone County Offender Transition Network as a Prison Interviewer
Tennessee Tech University
Assistant Professor
Responsible for teaching six undergraduate courses per year (18 credit hours) in Sociology and Criminal Justice, including writing
and delivering lectures, building tests and assessments, and issuing grades
• Supervise undergraduate independent study initiatives and teaching assistantships
• Advise 35 undergraduates per semester on college trajectory and educational outcomes
• Provide service to the department and University by serving on faculty hiring committees, University Safety committee, and co-
chairing Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology student honor society
• Engage in professional development activities including peer-reviewed academic publications and presentation of research at
professional conferences twice per year
• Serve the profession by reviewing academic journal articles and serving on professional conference committees and boards
• Use data gathered from the Missouri Department of Corrections inmates, staff and administration to make policy recommendations
for improvement of cognitive-behavioral programs and evidence-based practices in prison.
• Work with the Tennessee state Office of Juvenile Justice to coordinate opportunities for research and program consultation.
State University of New York at Oneonta
Assistant Professor
Responsible for teaching seven undergraduate courses per year (21 credit hours) in Sociology and Criminal Justice, including
writing and delivering lectures, building tests and assessments, and issuing grades
• Supervised independent study, student workshops, and teaching assistants
• Served the department and University as a Faculty Senate member
• Participate in professional development including publishing in peer-reviewed journals and presenting research at professional
conferences
• Use data gathered from the Missouri Department of Corrections inmates, staff and administration to make policy recommendations
for improvement of cognitive-behavioral programs and evidence-based practices in prison.

Education

University of Missouri-Columbia
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Sociology
University of Missouri-Columbia
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Sociology
Missouri State University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Sociology; Psychology

Publications

Bourdieu and Foucault: A Conceptual Integration Toward an Empirical Sociology of Prisons
Critical Criminology
Although the similarities between them are under analyzed, Pierre Bourdieu’s and Michel Foucault’s theories of culture and power are interrelated in some compelling ways. Outline of a Theory of Practice (1977) and Discipline and Punish (1979) are two of the most influential contributions in post-structural and postmodern theory. Yet, far more attention is paid to Foucault’s contributions in criminology than to Bourdieu’s. This essay brings together the work of these influential theorists to argue for a critical examination of the sociology of prisons. Bourdieu’s concepts of: (1) habitus, (2) ethos, (3) doxa, and (4) the theory of practice are related to Foucault’s ideas about (1) discipline, (2) docile bodies, (3) panopticism, and (4) history of the present by comparing specific examples from the original works. Then, the combination of those primary concepts is used to address specific methodological concerns researchers should consider when doing empirical research in prison.
Bourdieu and Foucault: A Conceptual Integration Toward an Empirical Sociology of Prisons
Critical Criminology
Although the similarities between them are under analyzed, Pierre Bourdieu’s and Michel Foucault’s theories of culture and power are interrelated in some compelling ways. Outline of a Theory of Practice (1977) and Discipline and Punish (1979) are two of the most influential contributions in post-structural and postmodern theory. Yet, far more attention is paid to Foucault’s contributions in criminology than to Bourdieu’s. This essay brings together the work of these influential theorists to argue for a critical examination of the sociology of prisons. Bourdieu’s concepts of: (1) habitus, (2) ethos, (3) doxa, and (4) the theory of practice are related to Foucault’s ideas about (1) discipline, (2) docile bodies, (3) panopticism, and (4) history of the present by comparing specific examples from the original works. Then, the combination of those primary concepts is used to address specific methodological concerns researchers should consider when doing empirical research in prison.
Issues in Interviewing Inmates: Navigating the Methodological Landmines of Prison Research
Qualitative Inquiry
Based on research the author conducted in 2006 at a men's medium-security correctional facility and on the author's experiences during that research, this article provides some insight into the issues associated with interviewing inmates. Included are discussions of gaining access to prison, negotiating Institutional Review Boards, the construction of study concepts and instruments, inmate identity, and institutional influence. Emphasizing narrative and interactionist approaches, the author's goal is to help researchers understand their role in the interview process and the author introduces an organizational interview tool called “identity moments,” wherein researchers can facilitate the retrospective and interpretative practice of building meaning through narrative. The purpose of the author's work is to provide some critical insights into conducting prison research so that future researchers might have a head start.
Bourdieu and Foucault: A Conceptual Integration Toward an Empirical Sociology of Prisons
Critical Criminology
Although the similarities between them are under analyzed, Pierre Bourdieu’s and Michel Foucault’s theories of culture and power are interrelated in some compelling ways. Outline of a Theory of Practice (1977) and Discipline and Punish (1979) are two of the most influential contributions in post-structural and postmodern theory. Yet, far more attention is paid to Foucault’s contributions in criminology than to Bourdieu’s. This essay brings together the work of these influential theorists to argue for a critical examination of the sociology of prisons. Bourdieu’s concepts of: (1) habitus, (2) ethos, (3) doxa, and (4) the theory of practice are related to Foucault’s ideas about (1) discipline, (2) docile bodies, (3) panopticism, and (4) history of the present by comparing specific examples from the original works. Then, the combination of those primary concepts is used to address specific methodological concerns researchers should consider when doing empirical research in prison.
Issues in Interviewing Inmates: Navigating the Methodological Landmines of Prison Research
Qualitative Inquiry
Based on research the author conducted in 2006 at a men's medium-security correctional facility and on the author's experiences during that research, this article provides some insight into the issues associated with interviewing inmates. Included are discussions of gaining access to prison, negotiating Institutional Review Boards, the construction of study concepts and instruments, inmate identity, and institutional influence. Emphasizing narrative and interactionist approaches, the author's goal is to help researchers understand their role in the interview process and the author introduces an organizational interview tool called “identity moments,” wherein researchers can facilitate the retrospective and interpretative practice of building meaning through narrative. The purpose of the author's work is to provide some critical insights into conducting prison research so that future researchers might have a head start.
Inmates' Narratives and Discursive Discipline in Prison: Rewriting Personal Histories Through Cognitive Behavioral Programs
Routledge: Taylor & Francis
The question of ‘what works’ in offender treatment has dominated the field of prisoner re-entry and recidivism research for the last thirty years. One of the primary ways the criminal justice system tries to reduce the rates of recidivism among offenders is through the use of cognitive behavioural programs (CBP) as in-prison intervention strategies. The emphasis for these programs is on the idea that inmates are in prison because they made poor choices and bad decisions. Inmates’ thinking is characterized as flawed and the purpose of the program is to teach them to think and act in socially appropriate ways so they will be less inclined to return to prison after their release. This book delves into the heart of one such cognitive behavioural programme, examines its inner workings, its effects on inmates’ narrated experience and considers what happens when a CBP of substandard quality and integrity is used as a gateway for inmates’ release. Based on original empirical research, this book provides realistic suggestions for improving policy, for reforming current in-prison programs engaging in problematic practices and for instituting alternatives that take the needs of the inmates into greater account. This book is essential reading for students and academics engaged in the study of sociology, criminal justice, prisons, social policy, sentencing and punishment.