Stacy De Coster
Bio
Stacy De Coster is a Professor of Sociology and a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers. She is a first-generation college graduate who received her BA from St. Norbert College on a Presidential Scholarship. She received her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Iowa, where she specialized in criminology and the sociology of mental health.
Dr. De Coster’s research synthesizes criminological theories and research with insights from a wide variety of sub-disciplines in sociology to address core substantive and theoretical issues. Her main streams of research focus on (1) elaborating theories of crime to understand patterns of offending across gender, race, poverty, and intersections of inequalities; (2) broadening criminological theories by considering their application to the diverse phenomenon, including mental health and sexual harassment; and (3) elaborating criminological theories to understand the conditions and processes through which communities, families, and peers influence adolescent identities, emotions, well-being, and behaviors. Her research has been published in top criminology journals (Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and Theoretical Criminology), sociology journals (Sociological Perspectives, Sociological Quarterly, and Work and Occupations), interdisciplinary journals (Youth & Society and Journal of Youth and Adolescence), and book volumes and series.
Teaching and Research Interests
Crime and Social Control; Sociology of Mental Health; Inequality: Gender, Race, Class, and Intersecting Inequalities; Social Psychology; Sociology of Family
Publications
Selected examples (for full list see vitae):
Inequalities (Gender, Race, Poverty, Intersectionalities) and Offending:
“Unifying Theory and Research on Intimate Partner Violence: A Feminist Perspective.”
“Choice within Constraint: An Explanation of Crime at the Intersections.”
“Race and General Strain Theory: Microaggressions as Mundane Extreme Environmental Stresses.”
“Gender and Theories of Delinquency.”
“Neighborhood Disadvantage, Social Capital, Street Context, and Youth Violence.”
“The Gendering of Violent Delinquency.”
“Routine Activities and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.”
Family Inequalities, Family Processes, and Offending:
“Techniques of Identity Talk in Reentering Mothers’ Self-Narratives: (M)Othering and Redemption Narratives.”
“Social Relationships and Delinquency: Rethinking Parent and Peer Influence During Adolescence.”
“Maternal Roles and Adolescent Depression: Conditions and Processes of Influence.”
“The Gendering of Violent Delinquency.”
Mental Health, Emotions, Identities, and Delinquency:
“Delinquency and Depression: Gendered Responses to Gendered Stresses.”
“The Relationship Between Law Violation and Depression: An Interactionist Analysis.”
“Gender and General Strain Theory: The Gendering of Emotional Experiences and Expressions.”
“How General is General Strain Theory: Assessing Issues of Determinacy and Indeterminacy.”
“Maternal Roles and Adolescent Depression: Conditions and Processes of Influence.”
Responsibilities
Professor of Sociology and Criminology
Assistant Head | Undergraduate Coordinator
Crime, Law, and Social Control Area Coordinator
Chair-Elect, Crime, Law, and Deviance Section of the ASA
Criminology, Editorial Board
Social Currents, Editorial Board
Society & Mental Health, Editorial Board
Education
Ph.D. Sociology University of Iowa
M.A. Sociology University of Iowa
B.A. Sociology and Philosophy Saint Norbert College