MSU sociology faculty member publishes book on āteachingā fear of crime
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.āA Ā鶹“«Ć½ State faculty memberās new book focuses on how lessons about safety and safety precautions enhance fear of crime.Ģż Ā
āTeaching Fear: How We Learn to Fear Crime and Why It Matters,ā by Nicole E. Rader, professor and head of MSUās sociology department, is available at major booksellers in both hardcover and softcover editions.
The Temple University Press publication investigates three primary crime myths: a fear of strangers, a fear for white women and girls, and a belief that victimization can be prevented with the right tool kit.Ģż
āMy book explores these crime myths, how and why they came to be, the social learning process that aides us in buying into and teaching them to others, and how crime myths impact day-to-day activities,ā Rader said. āUnfortunately, most of the things we fear are mythical and rarely do avoiding or protecting ourselves from potential victimization make our lives safer.ĢżIn fact, many of the things weāve been taught about safety, especially women, are at odds with the reality of crime and can diminish where women go and what they do each day.āĀ Ā
Rader said her book highlights the power of social learning through parents, schools and the media, who often unintentionally teach fear of crime and safety practices in āgendered and often inaccurateā ways.Ģż
āI argue there are better ways to teach lessons about safety and crime that would be more effective at crime prevention,ā Rader said. āI wanted to writeĀ āTeaching FearāĀ to give voice to the people who have shared their stories with me, both in the academic research setting but also when Iām at the grocery store, in a professional setting, or at an event.
āIt has always fascinated me that the stories of people, especially women, have such similar points of view about what to fear, why and what to do about it. As Iāve devoted my professional life to this topic, I wanted to write a book that could give advice to both academics and general audiences alike,ā she said.Ģż
Ā Rader joined the MSU faculty in 2005 after completing her Ph.D. in sociology at Southern Illinois University. She holds a bachelorās degree in criminal justice from Central Methodist University and a masterās degree in criminology from Missouriās Drury University.
At MSU, Rader previously has served as the Gender Studies program director, chair of the Presidentās Commission on the Status of Women, and chair of the Work/Life Balance Committee in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. She currently is chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, or IDEA, committee.
Raderās 2014 Carolina Academic Press co-authored book āFear of Crime in the United States: Causes, Consequences, and Contradictionsā won a CHOICE Award in 2015.
Part of MSUās College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Sociology, is online at .Ģż
MSU is Ā鶹“«Ć½ās leading university, available online atĀ .