Dr. Kristen Hourigan (Discola)

I joined the faculty at California State University, Los Angeles in 2017 after completing my doctoral degree in the Sociology Department at the State University of New York, Albany. My areas of specialization are social psychology, with a focus on the transformation of identity and emotion, and crime and deviance, with a focus on individuals' experiences of traumatic loss and criminal victimization. My research is largely qualitative in nature, often including phenomenological explorations using intensive interviewing, focus groups, and participant observation. Findings from my research can be found in a variety of outlets including my book, Redefining Murder, Transforming Emotion: An Exploration of Forgiveness after Loss Due to Homicide.