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  1. CAMPUS DIRECTORY
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Directory
  • Sarah Beth Kaufman, Ph.D.

    • Associate Professor , Sociology and Anthropology
  • George M. Storch Memorial Building
    019
    210-999-8527
    Email
    Sarah Beth Kaufman's Digital Commons Page

    Affiliations

    • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Sarah Beth Kaufman is a sociologist and critical criminologist, interested broadly in knowledge, culture, politics, and art. She worked as a mitigation specialist in New Orleans during the late 1990’s, helping to secure reduced sentences for impoverished capital murder defendants, before completing a Ph.D. in sociology at New York University, where she also taught for the Bard Prison Initiative at the Bayview Women’s Correctional Facility. Students who take her classes can expect to become sharper readers, writers, and critical thinkers.

    Dr. Kaufman’s 2020 book, American Roulette: The Social Logic of Death Penalty Sentencing Trials with University of California Press, is the first systematic ethnography of death penalty trials in the United States. Taking readers inside capital courtrooms across the country, Kaufman shows that the “super due process” accorded capital is the system’s best attempt at fair and impartial criminal sentencing, but fails to create justice. If you want to know how a courthouse in Lubbock, TX compares to one in Brooklyn, NY, she’s a good person to ask. She also co-authored the documentary theatre project, To Be Honest: Voices on Islam from an American City.

    • Ph.D. - New York University
    • M.A. - Tulane University
    • B.A. - Wesleyan University

    "The Criminalization of Muslims in the United States, 2016." Qualitative Sociology, 2019.

    “To Be Honest: Voices on Islam During the 2016 Presidential Election.” A one-act play co-authored with William Christ and Habiba Noor, 2017.

    “Mourners in the Court: Victims in Death Penalty Trials, Through the Lens of Performance.” Law & Social Inquiry: Journal of the American Bar Foundation, 2017.

    "Citizenship and Punishment: Situating Death Penalty Jury Sentencing."Punishment and Society: The International Journal of Penology 13, 3: 333-353, 2011. 

    "The Criminalization of New Orleanians in Katrina's Wake." Social Science Research Council, 2006.

    Dr. Kaufman's publications are available here.  

    • Introduction to Sociology
    • Criminology
    • Deviance and Social Control
    • Sociology of Punishment
    • Sociology of Health and Illness
    • Research Methods
    4 Questions about “American Roulette”
    Friday, December 11, 2020
    Trinity University sociology professor Sarah Beth Kaufman worked as a…
    Faculty
    IMPACT No. 5
    Trinity Announces 2020-21 Faculty Promotions and Tenure
    Wednesday, September 30, 2020
    Trinity University is proud to announce the following faculty promotions, which…
    Faculty
    Trinity News
    Uncommon Knowledge, Uncovered
    Wednesday, July 29, 2020
    There’s a common misconception about Trinity’s ties to slavery and injustice,…
    Students
    Faculty
    Trinity Faculty and Staff Honored for Distinguished Achievement
    Thursday, July 02, 2020
    On May 5, 2020, Trinity University recognized a total of 26 members of its…
    Faculty
    IMPACT No. 5
    A World of Change
    Thursday, May 30, 2019
    Imagine yourself in a small village in Sicily, one of a dozen people in a room…
    Faculty
    The Trinity Story
    Honest-To-God
    Friday, December 01, 2017
    "A lot has been said about Islam during the presidential election: What have…
    IMPACT No. 2
    Faculty
    Trinity Stages Play on Role of Islam in American Politics
    Wednesday, August 09, 2017
    SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University will present a performance of To Be Honest, a…
    Students

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