Juvenile delinquency and Justice; Youth Gangs; Violence; Organized and White-Collar Crime; Deviant Behavior; The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Courses Taught: at the University of Oklahoma: Crime and Delinquency; The System of Criminal Justice; Sociology of Deviant Behavior; Social Problems. Courses Taught During Academic Career (in addition to those just listed): Juvenile Delinquency, Community-Based Corrections, Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of the Family, Sociological Theory, Research Methods.

Dr. Franzese has taught at the college/university level since 1972. He arrived at the University of Oklahoma in fall 2002, and  primarily teaches criminology courses. Dr. Franzese has co-authored three books on youth gangs, the most recent edition published in 2006. Since the study of youth gangs is close to the heart of a major interest of Dr. Franzese, that being the study of juvenile crime, it was a natural for him to segue into and write books on the youth gang problem. Youth Gangs is an overview of a number of topics including (but not limited to) violence and youth gangs; gender and youth gangs; race/ethnicity and youth gangs; youth gangs around the world; and youth gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies. The book is written with Dr. Herbert C. Covey and Dr. Scott Menard. Dr. Franzese is currently writing a text on “Sociology of Deviance” and hopes to have it available by spring 2009. The text will cover the major theories of deviance and it includes chapters on research methods in the study of deviance; suicide; mental disorders and physical disabilities; sexual deviance; elite and power deviance; substance abuse; and criminal deviance. The chapters on theories will address major empirical studies that have tested the theories. Dr. Franzese’s research interests also include youth street gang legislation, and violence in K-12 school settings.

Dr. Franzese is the recipient of two major teaching awards at the University of Oklahoma: The Oklahoma OU Foundation in Teaching Excellence Award and the University of Oklahoma Student Association Outstanding Faculty Member Award. He has also been recognized as “Most Inspiring Faculty” at the annual Scholar Athlete Banquet.