Dr. Scott Monsma Professor of Sociology
Education:
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
M.A., University of Pittsburgh
B.A., Geneva College
712-707-7088
monsma@nwciowa.edu
VPH 210
A champion of social justice, Dr. Monsma is a frequent presenter at Association of Christians Teaching in Sociology conferences and has served as the organization’s president. He also has led students on study abroad trips to Taiwan and three times to the Sultanate of Oman. He was awarded Northwestern's Teaching Excellence Award in 2014.
SOC202 - Social Problems
(4 credits) This course is about learning to critically think about society and various problems in society. This course will examine a number of social issues as we wrestle with how we can decide if an issue is a social problem, decide which social problems might be more significant than others, and evaluate potential solutions for social problems. We are going to wrestle with some challenging questions with the goal of helping us to think deeply about how we might seek justice on an individual level and within society. Cross-Referenced: Cross-referenced in criminal justice.
SOC290CC - Cultural Anthropology
(4 credits) (NWCore option under Cross-Cultural Engagement) This course is about learning a way of seeing and understanding other cultures and our own culture(s) - introducing and drawing on ideas and insights from the field of Cultural Anthropology. In a globalizing and increasingly interconnected world these ideas and insights can serve a critical need in helping us understand and learn how to live in with cultural diversity and complexity. Thus the value of this course is in learning a new way of seeing and understanding, a way that helps us think about what it means to be human, a way that helps us understand and live with our neighbors -- locally and globally.
Strangers Behind Bars: Examining the System of Mass Incarceration. Chapter 7 in the book “Strangers and Scapegoats: Extending God’s Welcome to Those on the Margins” by Matthew Vos (August 2022), Baker Academic
On the Journey: Reflections on the Intersections of Sociology and Christianity¸ published in Volume 10, #1 (2020) of the Journal of Sociology and Christianity.
Interfaith Dialog: Motivation and Practice, published in Volume 8, #1 (2018) of the Journal of Sociology and Christianity.
Faithful Betrayal, published in Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought. January/February 2018
(Re)telling the fragmented story of Michal, published in Volume 3, #2 (2013) of the Journal for the Sociological Integration of Religion and Society
American Sociological Association
Association of Christians Teaching Sociology
Society for the Study of Linguistic Subversion
Teaching Excellence Award, Northwestern College, 2014
Finalist for Teaching Excellence Award, Northwestern College, 2004, 2008, 2009