Richard Featherstone

Richard Featherstone, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Psychology

Contact Info
featherstonerichard@clarksoncollege.edu
402.552.6102

Dr. Featherstone currently serves as a half-time staff chaplain at Nebraska Medicine. He is also a certified crisis counselor with the American Association of Suicidology and the International Council for Helplines.

Across his academic career, Dr. Featherstone has served at a variety of higher education institutions. He has taught courses in criminology and sociology at the University of Northern Iowa and at Oregon State University. He served as the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, and as the Dean of Instruction at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon.

Dr. Featherstone joined Clarkson College in 2023 and is currently an associate professor in the psychology program. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Purdue University with specializations in social psychology and criminology. He also holds a Master of Arts in exegetical theology with a specialization in comparative religions from Western Seminary.


Education & Professional Experience

2017 Certificate, Change Leadership, Cornell University
2002 Ph.D. Sociology (criminology and social psychology emphasis), Purdue University
1999 M.S. Sociology, Purdue University
1997 M.A. Exegetical Theology, Western Seminary (High Honors)
1995 B.A. Sociology, Oregon State University (Summa Cum Laude)
1993 A.A. Chemeketa Community College
1992 Certificate, Japanese Language and Culture, Nagasaki Wesleyan University

2023-Present Associate Professor, Clarkson College
2021-Present Staff Chaplain, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha and Bellevue, Nebraska
2022-2023 Crisis Counselor, Boys Town, Nebraska
2019-2020 Sociology Instructor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
2018-2019 Dean of Instruction, Linn-Benton Community College, Albany, Oregon
2015-2018 Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah Tech University, St. George, Utah
2012-2015 Associate Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Northern Iowa
2011-2012 Head, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, University of Northern Iowa
2008-2015 Associate Professor of Criminology, University of Northern Iowa
2002-2008 Assistant Professor of Criminology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
2000-2002 Graduate Instructor, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

 

Awards and Honors

Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award
Faculty Leadership in Sustainability Education Award
American Democracy Project Faculty Service-Learning Fellowship
Veridian Credit Union Community Engagement Award
University Book & Supply Outstanding Teaching Award (Untenured Faculty)

 

Words of Wisdom

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Courses Taught

Introduction to Sociology
Social Psychology
Death and Dying

 

Scholarly Works (Selected)

Book Publication
Featherstone, Richard. 2005. Narratives from the 1971 Attica Prison Riot: Towards a New Theory of Correctional Disturbances. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press.

Peer-Reviewed Articles
Wrede, Clint and Richard Featherstone. 2012. “Striking Out on Its Own: The Divergence of Criminology and Criminal Justice from Sociology.” Journal of Criminal Justice Education 23:103-125.

Mack, Kristin, Michael Leiber, and Richard Featherstone. 2009. “Family Structure, Family Processes, Economic Factors and Delinquency: Similarities and Differences by Race and Ethnicity.” Journal of Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 7:79-99.

Deflem, Mathieu, Richard Featherstone, Suzanne Sutphin, and Yunqing Li. 2008. “Policing the Pearl: Historical Transformations of Law Enforcement in Hong Kong.” International Journal of Police Science and Management 10:349-356.

Featherstone, Richard and Katie Sorrell. 2007. “Sociology Dismissing Religion? The Presentation of Religious Change in Introductory Sociology Textbooks” The American Sociologist 38:78-98.

Mack, Kristin, Michael Leiber, Richard Featherstone, and Maria Monserud. 2007. “Reassessing the Family-delinquency Association: Do Family Type, Family Processes, and Economic Factors Make a Difference?” Journal of Criminal Justice 35:51-67.

Muzzatti, Stephen and Richard Featherstone. 2007. "Crosshairs on Our Backs: The Culture of Fear and the Production of the DC Sniper Story." Contemporary Justice Review 10:43-66.

Featherstone, Richard and Mathieu Deflem. 2003. “Anomie and Strain: Context and Consequences of Merton’s Two Theories.” Sociological Inquiry 73:471-489.

Featherstone, Richard. 2001. “Compliance as Dissidence: Young Catholics and Sexual Ethics.” Sociological Focus 34:139-154.



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