Joel Sperber, Ph.D.

Senior Faculty Associate and Director, Criminal Justice Program
Department of English

I have been on the faculty of Seton Hall University for over 10 years, teaching Composition and Literature in the Department of English. In July 2009 I was appointed Director of the Criminal Justice Program, and am excited to be part of an effort to develop and initiate new programs that will train professionals for the complex problem facing our society in the 21st Century.

Crime and the justice system are among our most complex social concerns and institutions. My goal and is to provide our students with courses of study that are grounded in both theory and practice, and a faculty that is effective and motivating. I am a strong advocate for the practical experience that internships and work-study programs offer, and am working to further develop our program’s offerings in forensics, domestic violence, computer and corporate security.

In my non-Seton Hall years I lived and taught in Brazil, had my photographs exhibited in galleries, directed literacy programs in New York City prisons, and served as Chief of Adolescent Services at the Washington Heights-West Harlem Community Mental Health Center.