Sean Blackwell Anthropology/Sociology Assistant Professor

After I received my diploma from Nampa High School, I boarded a plane for Texas, where I earned my B.S. in Criminal Justice from Texas Christian University. TCU taught criminal justice from an interdisciplinary perspective, emphasizing social philosophy and humanities as vehicles for contemplating criminal behavior. This multi-focal approach ignited a passion for social inquiry that I pursued at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where I earned my M.Sc. in the Sociology of Crime, Control, and Globalization.

I returned to Idaho and began working as a psycho-social rehabilitation specialist assisting children with building resilience and skills to live with mental health diagnoses. Although I promoted to both team leader and documentation auditor, I eventually accepted a position as a senior probation/parole officer supervising Idaho’s convicted felons. The intensity inherent to both of these professions helped me hone in on a desire to further study community corrections, mental health, and their intersections with both criminal justice and identity. I am now pursuing those studies through the University of Leicester, where I am expected to complete my PhD in the next few years. My research uses qualitative methods, such as ethnography and photography, to reveal deeper layers of meaning among criminal justice actors, specifically community corrections officers and their clients.

In addition to these professional roles, I play guitar, climb rocks, take photographs, and write about subjects ranging from the use of torture in the War on Terror to spirituality among the homeless. I love spending time with students, both to learn about their interests and to share my passion for sociology and criminology. Please sit down with me any time for a chat!