Disciplines
Oral History
Abstract
Dr. Barbara S., a political science student from the Fordham honors class of 1969, has taught public management, criminology, and policy analysis at the McCourt School of Public Policy within Georgetown University since 2014. She obtained her Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1975, studying political science with a focus on criminal justice. Prior to working at Georgetown, she held positions at Harvard Law School, American University, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, Yaroslavl State University, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. She has been recognized for her work in criminal justice by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Government Accountability Office, Fulbright (supporting her lectureship in Russia), Phi Beta Kappa, and many more foundations and institutions.
Dr. Barbara S. was a member of the second-ever class of women to graduate from Fordham University. She attended Thomas More College, which was a technically independent co-educational school that overlapped greatly with Fordham University until the schools formally merged in 1974. In her interview, Barbara describes the unique challenges and opportunities that were presented to her and her female classmates. Fordham honors welcomed students from Thomas More, and the expectations of academic rigor were not diluted for female entrants into the program. Barbara credits the challenging seminars for introducing her to sociology, philosophy of science, and major thinkers like Weber, Kuhn, and Heisenberg—works she later taught and drew on in government and academic settings. She emphasizes that the program pushed her into courses she never would have chosen but that ultimately defined her analytical approach. The close relationships with faculty, especially Jesuits who mentored her through academic and personal challenges, reinforced her growth.
Barbara’s interview was conducted by Kevin McKenna (FCRH 2007) and Valerie Grant (FCRH 2011).
Recommended Citation
FCRH Honors Program. "Interview with Barbara S.," FCRH Honors Program Oral History Project, Fordham University, 2025.https://research.library.fordham.edu/honorsprogram_fcrh_oral_history/
