Hello, and welcome to the Spring 2012 edition of the Member Profiles section of the SARAH newsletter!
In this edition, we introduce you to Deeanna M. Button, a doctoral candidate in Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware, and Dr. Lin Huff-Corzine, Professor of Sociology at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
We choose people to profile using a random number generator (really!), but if you have suggestions for DWC members or significant contributors to the field of women and crime that you would like to see profiled, please contact Venezia Michalsen at michalsenv@mail.montclair.edu or Alana Van Gundy at yoderal@muohio.edu . We would enjoy hearing from you!
Until next edition,
Venezia and Alana
Deeanna M. Button, Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
University of Delaware
How did you become interested in the field of women and/or gender and crime?
I’ve always been interested in victimization. From the beginning of my graduate work, I was able to study with wonderful gender scholars. I learned that understanding victimization experiences requires a deeper understanding of intersecting structural inequalities (race, class, gender, and sexuality). With that, my interest in the field of women and gender and crime grew.
How do you define yourself as a scholar/activist/educator?
My research focuses on LGBTQ youth, victimization experiences, and social support. My passion for this area contributes to my work as a scholar, activist, and educator.
What are your current projects or interests?
I am currently finishing my dissertation, which focuses on LGBTQ youths’ experiences with victimization, negative outcomes, and social support. One of the larger goals of my dissertation project is to unite theoretical contributions from the sociology of sexuality and theoretical tenets from general strain theory to provide a theoretical framework to understand the experiences of LGBTQ youth. An additional goal of the project is to document LGBTQ youths’ resiliency by exploring the strategies used to overcome victimization and social isolation.
In addition to my dissertation, I am working on a project that compares data from Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and American students’ attitudes toward gender and sexuality. I’m particularly interested in exploring how globalism may contribute to changing attitudes toward LGBTQ issues and rights.
Who is your favorite person (or animal!) to spend time with, and what are your favorite things to do when you are with them?
Tough question! I am fortunate to have numerous people in my life who offer unconditional support and love. My dog, Charlie, has been one of my favorite champions. He’s always up for a long walk, a good cuddle, or eating ice cream. It’s also really fun to spend time with my partner, Alan. When time permits, we hike, play kickball with friends, or just catch up over dinner.
How do you wind down after a stressful day?
I like to go for a walk with my dog and then make dinner with my partner. Being at home with the people I love is calming. Of course, talking with my gal pals is always a good stress relief too!
What obstacles do you feel you have overcome to be where you are today?
I’m a first generation college student. When I first began college, it was difficult for my family and me to find information and resources about how to navigate admission processes, financial aid, etc. There was a knowledge gap in my family about higher education in general, and at the time, college seemed like an entirely different world with entirely different customs. Now that I’ve been through the entire process, I’m able to help others who are the first in their families to consider pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.
What would you like to be remembered for?
I’d like to be remembered for having a positive influence on my students and colleagues. I’ve had several professors who have helped foster my love for learning and who have reminded me to keep asking questions. I think it would be wonderful if I could pass that on and be remembered for reminding those around me to keep learning and to keep questioning.
What is one of your lifelong goals?
I would really like to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ youth. As a discipline, we have a lot to learn about the experiences of LGBTQ youth, particularly about resiliency. My goal is to help document the strength of LGBTQ youth and young adults and share this information with those who face similar challenges. I’d like to help challenge images of distraught LGBTQ youth and provide accurate knowledge about the resiliency that this groups shows.
Is there a website where we can send people for more information about you?
Not yet! It’s on my “to do” list. However, I can be reached at dmbutton@udel.edu. To read an article by Ms. Button, click here.
Dr. Lin Huff-Corzine
Professor of Sociology
University of Central Florida
How did you become interested in the field of women and/or gender and crime?
I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t interested in women’s issues. I was a teen in the 1960s. For those coming of age during that time, you understand what I mean. Although my mother was very traditional, the surrounding environment was beginning to bring questions about appropriate gender expectations to the forefront. Even in the rural atmosphere in which I was raised, we learned, primarily through TV, that “girls” had more freedoms in other parts of the country. Thus, when I expressed an interest in becoming a veterinarian or an academic and Mom said, “Girls don’t do that,” I had evidence that, in fact, some did.
After obtaining a diploma in nursing and working as a psych nurse for a few years, I went back to college where I took whatever looked interesting. Without even knowing it, by the end of my junior year I had completed the requirements for a major in Women’s Studies at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL), as well as nearly everything needed for my Sociology major. Between the two, I began to understand why Mom didn’t think “girls” did certain things.
My interest in crime is also related to diversity issues and my first publication, which came out during my senior year at UNL, focused on lynching. After that, I was hooked on trying to understand criminal behavior as it interacts with gender, race, location, and so on.
How do you define yourself as a scholar/activist/educator?
I define myself as a research-active scholar who serves as an activist through the education I provide to my students and readers of my research. As one example of education I have provided, I worked with students, the local prosecutor, and others in Kansas to change the state’s rape laws. One of our undergraduate women had been raped on campus, but the law said that if the woman had been drinking alcohol, she was, in effect, allowing sexual contact. When the only discipline the young man received was the requirement to take a Women’s Studies course, we knew something had to be done. Through our efforts, the laws were changed. Drinking alcohol no longer means that a woman has given permission for sexual intercourse.
What are your current projects or interests?
I have a number of projects underway at this time. Included among those most closely related to gender issues are projects focusing on police responses to sexual assault and influences of neighborhood type, the battering of police by suspects, and workplace bullying. Other projects explore immigration and crime, social disorganization theory, and drug transportation’s influence on homicide. The project that will be the most time-consuming is a text with colleagues from UCF, Auburn, and the FBI entitled, It’s Murder. Not surprisingly, it will examine homicide in the United States.
Who is your favorite person (or animal!) to spend time with, and what are your favorite things to do when you are with them?
My favorite person to spend time with is my spouse. We enjoy working on research together, as well as spending time with family and traveling.
My favorite animal is Casey Marie, a 9-year-old black lab, who loves me unconditionally and enjoys both our walks together and anything I’ll cook for her.
How do you wind down after a stressful day?
WOW! Right now, I’ve been granted an entire academic year to “wind down.” After 10 or more years in administration, we are given leave time to catch up on our research and prepare to teach again. Thus, I’m involved in my research, but can take cat naps and long walks at will too.
After a stressful day, I enjoy a nice walk, a bit of Modern Family on Wednesdays, and a relaxing swim followed by a dip in the hot tub on weekends.
What obstacles do you feel you have overcome to be where you are today?
The 1950s and coming from a family that had little money. That means that I worked my way through school with the help of scholarships. I laugh, but the front door of my current house cost more than my Dad’s wages most years I lived at home. Even with inflation, that says a lot!
What would you like to be remembered for?
I’d like to be remembered as a person who cares, cares that students are treated well and allowed to learn about issues they find important, cares that my family feels loved, and cares that people, in general, are treated fairly and with respect.
What is one of your lifelong goals?
To live favorably forever in the minds of my best students. Yes, I could name them, but they know who they are!
Is there a website where we can send people for more information about you?
You’ll find more about me on the UCF Sociology web site, http://sociology.ucf.edu/content/index.html, or just Google me.