Get to know the new College of Liberal Arts faculty

Get to know the faculty members who joined the College of Liberal Arts in Fall 2020.

Dr. Jason Callahan
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Would you share a little bit about your background?

Before arriving at USI, I attended Virginia Tech where I received two undergraduate degrees in political science and sociology as well as my doctorate in sociology. Sandwiched in between, I received a master's degree in criminal justice from Radford University. Prior to teaching, I spent more than 11 years in law enforcement. During the bulk of this period, I worked as a police officer in a diverse community located outside of Washington, D.C. In my time there, I took on several part- and full-time responsibilities including becoming a field training officer, crime scene technician and detective. This field experience has been invaluable as a professor. My background has given me some unique tools to connect with my students in a meaningful way.

What is your focus/area of interest and how did you become interested in it?

My primary research focus is on crime media. Most recently, this research has centered on media reporting of crime; however, I am very interested in the many ways that media can be used to shape perceptions of law enforcement and the criminal justice system. A secondary research interest of mine involves portrayals of police culture.

Describe your teaching style. 

Studying criminal justice requires students and instructors to appreciate that we live in a society that is always evolving culturally. Norms and laws are never static. The fluid nature of the discipline makes everyone a student because we are all constantly learning. My responsibility as a professor is not just to teach, but to also keep pace with these growing trends. To be successful in this role, I feel it is best to take a critical pedagogical approach. My courses incorporate practical, real-life examples into the classroom to help illustrate course materials. This provides meaningful connections that students can use to help understand the complexities of the criminal justice system. This also helps students employ a critical lens to social issues facing the criminal justice system.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I am an avid hockey fan. I enjoy watching and attending games as much as I can.

What is a "fun fact" about you? 

Though I am out of practice, I used to train and compete in triathlons. Most recently, this cycling training allowed me to participate in several annual tours that were designed to raise awareness for officers who died in the line of duty. These bicycle rides occurred annually in May and spanned a 200-plus mile excursion over three days, ultimately concluding in Washington, D.C. during National Police Week. This was a great way to give back to the law enforcement community while honoring the fallen.

Dr. Junghee Han
Assistant Professor in Social Work

Would you share a little bit about your background?

I originally came from Seoul, South Korea, in 2004 to get a master's degree in social work (MSW) from Washington University in St. Louis. After I earned the degree, I worked as a full-time social worker at Union Plaza Care Center in New York City for five years. While working there, I served older patients and their families who spoke little or no English and suffered stress from cultural differences to receive quality of care in healthcare settings. My job experience at the nursing home led me to an interest in studying issues regarding the minority elderly population and their end-of-life plan and care. As a result, I pursued a doctorate from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. Before joining the USI community, I worked as full-time faculty at Calvin University.

What is your focus/area of interest and how did you become interested in it? 

My research areas include aging, disability and cultural and racial disparities in healthcare, particularly for palliative and end-of-life care. I am also interested in studying productive aging.  

Describe your teaching style. 

As a social work educator, I am in the beginning stage. However, my belief in the effectiveness of experiential learning leads me to focus on creating a warm and safe learning space that encourages students to ask questions and gives them the opportunity to try out new skills and use knowledge they've gained, while delivering comprehensive and effective lectures for them.  

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I enjoy restaurant tours with friends, watching Korean dramas and watching Mukbang (eating shows) on YouTube.  

What is a "fun fact" about you? 

I do not like to cook; I hate cooking. However, I cook every day because I want to eat Korean food, and my food tastes very delicious. My mother owned a Korean restaurant for more than 20 years, thus I know how to cook good Korean food.  

Before the pandemic, I always made famous authentic Korean food and brought it to classes by the end of semester. I did it because I wanted my students to have different cultural experiences. I hope I can make Korean food to treat students as well as my colleagues soon.  

Dr. Caroline Jalain
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Would you share a little bit about your background?

I started my undergraduate career in France, at the University of Orleans. There, I studied European law. At the end of my undergraduate program, I studied abroad in Mississippi for a year. During my time at the University of Southern Mississippi, I took many criminal justice classes that I loved. I flew home [to France] to go back to school and received my Master of Laws degree (LLM) in international business law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne. After that, an opportunity presented itself for me to go back to Mississippi and get a master's degree in criminal justice. So, that is what I did.

After receiving my master's degree, I taught law and public safety at a high school in Mississippi. That is when I realized that I wanted to go back to school and get my doctorate to teach at the college level. I received my doctoral degree from the University of Louisville in May 2020.

What is your focus/area of interest and how did you become interested in it? 

Since part of my education has been about law, my focus and area of interest revolves around the court system. And this area of interest is two-fold. I study specialty courts (such as veterans treatment courts, mental health courts and drug courts), and I also study courtroom actors such as prosecutors and defense attorneys. A secondary research interest has been to incorporate international data into my research. I did so by studying fear of crime for immigrants and natives in France.

Describe your teaching style. 

My teaching style is based on my own experience of things I liked and did not like when I was in school. I have learned to communicate my enthusiasm about the subject matter in a way that is digestible, educational and also entertaining for students. I use examples, and I often invite guest speakers to add different perspectives and real-life experiences to the material I teach. I take the time to go back and review material we have previously learned to make sure everyone is on the same page and that we are building a solid foundation before moving forward. I am also a firm believer in positive reinforcement. If I see you doing something positive-participating, showing interest or going the extra mile-you can be sure that I will praise you for all the good work that you do.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

During my free time, I love to travel. Discovering new places, new cultures and meeting new people has been an amazing, eye-opening experience for me. When I don't travel, I cook, run and workout. I even ran a half marathon last year.

What is a "fun fact" about you? 

A fun fact about me is that I was born and raised in France. All of my family still lives there. I moved to the United States for school when I was in my early 20s and never left.

Is there anything else you would like the USI community to know about you?

I am really excited to be a part of the USI community. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.

Dr. Sung Lee 
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Would you share a little bit about your background?

I earned my bachelor's and doctoral degrees in criminal justice from Michigan State University and my master's degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University. 

I grew up in Michigan and my entire family studied criminal justice. My father is a criminal justice professor, my uncle is a criminal justice professor, my aunt has a doctoral degree in criminal justice and my brother, who works in the private sector, has bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice. It is kind of a family business. 

What is your focus/area of interest and how did you become interested in it? 

My research and teaching focus revolves around three topics: citizens' perception of police legitimacy, theoretical explanation of juvenile delinquency and quantitative research methods. First, my research interest of perception of police legitimacy grew because I realized the issues in American policing years ago when I directly experienced police abuse of authority and racism. Ever since, I wanted to know what factors influence our perception of police legitimacy.

Second, my research interest of juvenile delinquency grew because I have always thought there are latent factors in juvenile behaviors. I wanted to examine what social or personal factors of juveniles lead them to delinquent behaviors-kids are kids, there must be something wrong with our society, the environment that makes them delinquent.

Finally, my interest in quantitative research methods grew because I fell in love with statistics in graduate school. I loved how mathematics or statistics had clarity in knowledge.

Describe your teaching style. 

I have three goals in pedagogy: efficient delivery, provide concrete examples and review/repeat. First, I like to deliver knowledge efficiently to my students by directly pointing out what is important. By efficiently delivering information, students can save time and focus on the vital information I think is important in the lecture.

Second, I believe providing concrete examples is crucial in teaching. I personally understand much better with examples I can relate to. Thus, I like to provide concrete examples students can relate to.

Finally, I believe in review and repetition of education. By reviewing and repeating information, I believe it helps students remember information easier. Thus, I have numerous exercises, quizzes and assignments to review and repeat. 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I very much enjoy eating, drinking, golfing and spending time with my fiancé.

What is a "fun fact" about you? 

I served in the Republic of Korea Army, although I grew up most of my life in Michigan.

Is there anything else you would like the USI community to know about you?

I would like to get to know the community better when everything returns to normal!

Dr. Jane Weatherred
Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations

Would you share a little bit about your background?

I earned my doctoral degree in mass communications from the University of South Carolina (USC) in May 2019. I also received my master's degree in journalism and mass communications from USC and my bachelor's degree in political science from Hollins University. I have professional experience in public relations working for political officials and on political campaign staff, in addition to serving as director of public relations for a college.

What is your focus/area of interest and how did you become interested in it? 

My main research focus is on the news coverage of child sexual abuse scandals and how this has impacted changes in public policies. I became interested in this topic when the Penn State University Jerry Sandusky scandal was portrayed consistently for two years in the national news media in 2011 and 2012.

My master's thesis was about Penn State, and I managed to publish both parts of it, the systematic literature review and the research study. I also conduct research about public relations, specifically corporate social advocacy and activism campaigns. In fact, my research on Colin Kaepernick and the Nike advertising campaign was published online recently.

Describe your teaching style. 

My teaching goal is to always keep students as engaged as possible and to encourage their critical thinking skills when it comes to understanding the goals behind public relations and advertising campaigns and activities.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

In my free time, like many others, I enjoy watching the latest, greatest movies and television shows on Netflix as well as keeping up with SEC football, especially the South Carolina Gamecocks.

What is a "fun fact" about you? 

Many people don't know this, but I can ride a unicycle. I still have one and will ride it around my neighborhood every once in a while for fun and to see mouths drop open.

Is there anything else you would like the USI community to know about you?

I'm from Augusta, Georgia, so I'm enjoying USI and learning more about the surrounding area. So far, I have made trips to New Harmony, Newburgh, Henderson and Paducah, where I used to live a long time ago. I plan to drive to Santa Claus soon and am always looking for suggestions for new places to visit.