Rate My Professor Matthew Atherton

Matthew Atherton is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and the interdisciplinary Social Science program at California State University, San Marcos, where he also teaches in the Criminology and Justice Studies major. As a first-generation college student, his experiences have shaped his research, teaching, and service focused on student success. He earned a Ph.D. in Crime, Law, and Justice from The Pennsylvania State University in December 2005, with a dissertation titled "Study of Hispanic Outcomes in U.S. Federal Courts," analyzing sentencing disparities for Black Hispanic and White Hispanic defendants from 1997-2001 and the influence of social contexts like racial and economic threat. His M.A. in Sociological Practice is from California State University, San Marcos (May 2000), with a thesis on "Restorative Justice: The Effects of Race and Gender on the Court Mediation Process." He holds a B.A. in Sociology with emphases in Criminology, Sociological Theory, and Social Problems from the University of California, San Diego (1997).

Atherton's research interests include criminology, sentencing disparities, restorative justice, and innovative pedagogy in sociology and criminal justice. His publications feature "Teaching Criminological Theory through Film: Utilizing Popular Criminology in the Classroom" (2013, Journal of Excellence in College Teaching), "Academic Preparedness of First-Generation College Students: Two Perspectives" (2015, Journal of College Student Development), "Using Web-Based GIS Tools to Evaluate Spatial Aspects of Crime" (2012, CSU Geospatial Review), "Tweeting Criminology: Using Twitter to Teach Criminological Theory" (2012, The Criminologist), and "Narcissistic Youth? Using Composite Measures to Understand Entitlement" (2011, in Teaching Research Methods in Social Sciences). He has presented at the American Society of Criminology annual meetings (2004-2010) on racial sentencing outcomes and teaching criminological theory through film, and at the Pacific Sociological Association (2011-2013) on first-generation students and emerging technology. Career highlights include Assistant Professor of Criminology at Central Connecticut State University (2005-2006), teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, and Field Research Coordinator at CSUSM's Social and Behavioral Research Institute (2000-2001). At CSUSM since 2006, he teaches courses such as Criminology (SOC 325), Morality and the Law (SOC 308), White Collar Crime (SOC 445), Law Enforcement (SOC 327), and Quantitative Research Methods (SOC 360). He has served as Chair of the Department Search Committee (2013), Faculty Fellow for Teaching and Learning (2013), Academic Senate Senator (2009, 2013-2015), Faculty Advisor for Alpha Phi Sigma/Criminology Club (2010-present), and editorial reviewer for Sociological Forum (2008) and National Women's Studies Association Journal (2008).