Sarah L. Jirek, Ph.D.
Deane Hall 204
Tuesday 4:00-5:30 pm and Friday 2:00-3:30 pm and by appointment.
Social Work, Sociology of Deviance, Sociology of Violence, Trauma Recovery, Qualitative Research Methods.
Prison re-entry and Criminal justice system reform.
Trauma recovery and posttraumatic growth
Gendered violence
How organizations, institutions, and helping professionals can play a more effective role in facilitating positive life change
Professor Jirek, a former Westmont valedictorian, returned to her alma mater as a faculty member in 2014. Her current research project explores the sociological factors—related to social context, intersectional identities, structural systems of privilege and oppression, and cumulative adversity—that impact trauma recovery and the development of posttraumatic growth. Dr. Jirek’s other teaching and research interests include gender, social inequalities, identity, violence, deviance, prison re-entry, meaning-making, narrative, and resilience. When not teaching, researching, or training for her next marathon, she enjoys hiking, reading, chocolate, and spending time with her family and friends.