Amie Schuck

    Email Address: amms@uic.edu
    College: Liberal Arts and Sciences Department: Criminology, Law, and Justice
    Title: Associate Professor
    Office: BSB 4022
    Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes

    Research Interest:
    Alcohol-related violence, crime prevention through environmental design


    The issues that I study lie at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, economics, and urban design. I am interested in studying policies and initiatives in Chicago that influence drinking behavior in order to reduce the associated harms such as youth violence, sexual assault and child abuse. We know that there is a strong link between the consumption of alcohol and violence, however, we know very little about the effectiveness of environmentally based interventions, such as regulatory measures to reduce alcohol distribution in neighborhoods and initiatives rooted in crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).

    Starting in the summer of 2012 I will be embarking on a multiyear study of the impact of alcohol related policies on violence and victimization in several Chicago communities. The study is a mixed method design and will include both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Some of the aspects of the project include:

    Interviews with bartenders, waiters, waitress, journalists and police officers;

    Interviews with victims and offenders of alcohol-related violence;

    Content analyses of media materials; and

    Mapping and geospatial analysis of alcohol outlets and violent crime.

    Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 3

    Qualifications of a Student:
    Social Sciences majors who are juniors or seniors only, with a strong academic record (GPA 3.5) and experience in undergraduate research methods and statistics classes and preferably who intend to apply to graduate school in the social sciences. Experience or interest in alcohol-related violence, crime prevention though environmental design, library work, and experience or interest in learning about coding of data and data analysis (quantitative and/or qualitative).

    Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
    Students are expected to assist the professor with various research tasks including recruitment activities for a study of policies related to influencing drinking behavior. Other tasks include library work such as database searches for relevant journal articles, general office tasks, data entry and/or data analysis. There will be opportunities for participation in publications for students with strong writing skills. Students will receive 1 credit hour for every 3 hours of work per week or 3 credit hours for 9 hours of work per week in the Criminology department.

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