Dr. Sung Joon Jang is an associate professor of sociology. Originally from Seoul, Korea, he came to the U.S. to earn an advanced degree in sociology and has taught all around the country. He came to Baylor in 2007 and teaches Ph.D. students courses in micro-criminology. Dr. Jang's research interests include crime and deviance, juvenile delinquency, drug use, religiosity and spirituality and mental health.

Recent Publications

2008 Sung Joon Jang, Christopher Bader and Bryon Johnson. " The Cumulative Advantage of Religiousity in Preventing Drug Use." Journal of Drug Issues, Vol. 38:771-798

2007 Sung Joon Jang. "Gender Differences in Strain, Negative Emotions, and Coping Behaviors: A General Strain Theory Approach." Justice Quarterly 24:523-553.

2006 Sung Joon Jang and Jason A. Lyons. "Strain, Social Support, and Retreatism among African Americans." Journal of Black Studies 37:251-274.

2005 Sung Joon Jang and Byron R. Johnson. "Gender, Religiosity, and Reactions to Strain among African Americans." The Sociological Quarterly 46:323-357.

2004 Sung Joon Jang and Byron R. Johnson. "Explaining Religious Effects on Distress Among African Americans." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 43:230-260.

2003 Sung Joon Jang and Byron R. Johnson. "Strain, Negative Emotions, and Deviant Coping among African Americans: A Test of General Strain Theory." Journal of Quantitative Criminology 19:79-105.

Awards and Honors

2006 "The Role of Religion in Prosocial Youth Behavior"; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice; Co-Principal Investigator; 09/06-08/08

2004 "Spiritual Rebirth and Maturation among College Students"; Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science (Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program), the Louisiana State University Office of Academic Affairs and the College of Arts & Sciences, and Campus Crusade for Christ; Principal Investigator; 06/04-07/07

2004 "Spirituality, Morality, and Religious Attitudes"; Mini-grant (which allowed the PI to include 15 questions in a survey of a random sample of residents in Baton Rouge, LA); Public Policy Research Lab, Louisiana State University; Principal Investigator

1993 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award by University at Albany, SUNY

1991 Student Award (second place), Gene Carte Student Paper Competition sponsored by American Society of Criminology