Our Department
The Sociology and Criminology Department provides a challenging, engaging and productive learning environment that prepares our students for the 21st century workplace. To ensure we do this, the faculty engage in a variety of activities that enhance our classrooms. We participate in teaching and learning workshops, invite guests from the professional workforce to present to our students, remain current in our fields through research and publishing and actively serve the campus, the River Falls area and broader academic community.
Faculty and Staff
Paige Miller
Department Chair; Professor, Sociology
Office: 322 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4435
Email: paige.miller@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 2009
Professional Information
Education:
- B.A., Black Hills State University
- M.A., Ph.D., Louisiana State University
Professional Activities:
- Wisconsin in Scotland, 2016, 2026
- Wisconsin Sociological Association, Secretary 2022-present
- Midwest Sociological Society, Wisconsin State Director, 2025-present
Areas of Interest:
- Networked Knowledge and Preparedness for Ebola: A Comparative Study of the US, Ghana, Guinea and Mali
- Mobile Technologies in Urban Slums in Kerala, India and Accra, Ghana
- The Social Life of COVID19, a multi-national COVID-19 study
- Research on Information and Communication Technologies in the Educational and Research Communities of Kenya, Ghana and Kerala
Professional Recognition:
- UWRF Paul B and Robert Dykstra Faculty Excellence Award, 2017
- UWRF Excellence in Advising Award, 2014
- UWRF Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creativity Award, 2012
Tricia Davis
Professor, Sociology
Office: 324 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4125
Email: tricia.m.davis@uwrf.edu
Professional Information
Education:
- B.A., Winona State University
- M.A., Minnesota State University-Mankato
- Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Areas of Interest:
- Human Sexuality
- Inequality
- Research Methods
- Sociology through Film
- Statistics
Professional Recognition:
- UWRF Excellence in Advising Award, 2005
- UW-River Falls Davis Graduates from HERS Denver Summer Institute
Melissa Hayslip
Assistant Professor, Criminology; SCA Club Adviser
Office: 332 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4362
Email: melissa.hayslip@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 2022
Professional Information
Education:
- B.A., Oklahoma State University
- M.S., University of North Texas
- Ph.D., University of Texas at Dallas
Areas of Interest:
- Court Processes and Criminal Law
- Criminological Theory
- Violent Crime
- Juvenile Justice
Professional Recognition:
- UWRF Excellence in Teaching Award, 2024
Rich Wallace
Professor, Sociology and Criminology; Director of Belize Study Adventure
Office: 328 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4713
Email: rich.wallace@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 1997
Professional Information
Education:
- B.A., Millikin University
- M.S., Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Professional Activities:
- Wisconsin in Scotland, 2007, 2009
- International Traveling Classroom, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2027
- Semester Abroad: Europe, 2016, 2017, 2022
- Study Tours of Belize and Ecuador, ongoing
Areas of Interest:
- Criminological Theory
- Sociology of Sport
- White Collar Crime
- Crime, Justice, and Media
- Deviant Behavior
Brieanna Watters
Assistant Professor, Criminology
Office: 330 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Email: brieanna.watters@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 2026
Professional Information
Education:
- B.A. Augsburg University
- M.A. Queen’s University of Belfast
- M.A., Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Research Interests:
- U.S. Criminal-Legal System
- Policing / Rural & Tribal Policing
- Monetary Sanctions
- Tribal Sovereignty
- Law & Justice in Indian Country
- Settler Colonialism
Professional Activities:
Desiree Wiesen
Professor, Sociology and Criminology; Associate Dean CAS; Criminology Internship Coordinator
Office: 136 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4738
Email: desiree.wiesen@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 2014
Professional Information
Education:
- B.S., M.A., Minnesota State University, Mankato
- Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
Research Interests:
- Victimology
- Criminological Theory
- Social Movements
- Women and the Criminal Justice System
Professional Activities:
Evidence Based Teaching Fellow, 2019-2020
Wisconsin Teaching Fellow, 202-2021
Study Abroad Belize, 2017, 2018
- Women’s and Gender Studies Committee
Professional Recognition
College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Advising, 2019
Dr. Keith Wurtz Award Award for Teaching Excellence, 2019
Erik Withers
Associate Professor, Sociology; Sociology Internship Coordinator
Office: 326 Kleinpell Fine Arts
Phone: 715-425-4729
Email: erik.withers@uwrf.edu
Start Year: 2019
Professional Information
Education:
- A.A. Liberal Arts, Valencia Community College
- B.S. Criminal Justice, University of Central Florida
- M.A. Sociology, DePaul University
- Ph.D. Sociology, University of South Florida
Research and Teaching Interests:
Racial and Ethnic Inequalities, Consumer Culture, Gender and Sexualities, Urban Sociology, Identity, Sociology of the Family, Cultural Sociology, Qualitative Research Methods.
Professional Activities:
Co-Editor: Sociological Imagination (2026-Present)
Publications:
Lecturers
Faculty Emeriti
- Brian Copp (retired 2011)
- Tim Nissen (retired 2013)
- Nancy Parlin
- Ed Robins (retired 2015)
Other Past Faculty
- Robert Bailey
- Jean Faley
- Clifford Mottaz
- Robert Pionke
Student Staff
- Will Ehlert
Mission, Vision and Values
The mission of sociology program is to:
- Contribute to a complete education by improving the students’ appreciation of the role of society in forming the individual and the role of the individual in the global society. This involves understanding and unraveling the complexities of social life; learning methods appropriate for analyzing social reality; and being able to go beyond common sense to describe and explain social behaviors in global environments and the connections among them.
- Educate the students for world citizenship. This requires an enlarged (broad) knowledge of culture and society, an appreciation of the meaning of human diversity, and an appreciation for the interrelation of cultures and the globalization of culture. An improved tolerance of diversity and willingness to contribute to individual and community well-being are outputs of this process.
- Provide education for a productive life. This involves the development of specific skills necessary for the pursuit of careers and professional opportunities, including graduate school. They include communication skills; teamwork and team building skills; critical thinking skills; problem solving skills; data gathering and analyzing skills; computer skills; as well as the following qualities: flexibility, adaptability and creativity; global awareness; and ethical behavior.
- Educate for a love of learning by providing contact with faculty role models who will demonstrate that learning is a life-long process which sustains interest in community and society and is consistently rewarding.
The mission of the criminology program is to:
- Prepare students for productive and exciting careers in criminology. Students in this program learn to outline the change in thinking about crime and delinquency, identify major shifts in criminal justice knowledge, and relate that knowledge to social control strategies. They learn to describe the typical components of the criminal justice process in the United States and explain the interactions among them. Students are guided as they evaluate theories of deviance and apply them to discussions about trends and risk factors for crime and delinquency. They assess the effectiveness of intervention strategies (past and present), begin to generate innovative solutions to criminal justice problems, and learn how to impact the future of crime prevention and criminal apprehension. Students are also able to apply their knowledge through a variety of internship possibilities including the law enforcement certification internship.
