Amy Adamczyk

Amy Adamczyk is Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY), with affiliations to the Doctoral Programs in Sociology and Criminal Justice at The Graduate Center, CUNY. She holds a PhD from Pennsylvania State University and has established herself as a leading scholar in the sociology of religion, public opinion, and deviance.

Education:

• PhD, Sociology, Pennsylvania State University (2005)
• MA, Sociology, Graduate Center/Queens College, CUNY (2001)
• AM, Social Sciences, University of Chicago (2000)
• BA, Sociology, Hunter College, CUNY (1998)
• AAS, Fashion Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY (1997)

Her research explores how religion, culture, and national context shape public attitudes on contentious social issues such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, sexuality, terrorism, and marijuana legalization. Drawing on global survey data, interviews, and mixed methods, she investigates moral and deviant behaviors across diverse populations. Her work frequently appears in top journals including American Sociological Review, Social Forces, and Sociology of Religion.

The most recent publications reflect a strong emphasis on cross-national comparative analysis, with themes including abortion attitudes in China, victim-offender overlap in juvenile justice, and moral justification of violence. Her research consistently integrates religion as a central explanatory variable in understanding social behavior.

Scientific Awards:

• Outstanding Book Award (2018), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
• Finalist, Christianity Today Book of the Year (2022)
• John Jay Research Excellence Award (2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2024)

She has secured major grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, and the Templeton Religion Trust. She advises graduate students, including Ashley French, and actively mentors emerging scholars. Her public engagement includes frequent media commentary, podcast appearances, and public lectures on religion and social issues.

She is affiliated with research teams and collaborative projects focused on global values, religious transmission, and criminal justice, often working with interdisciplinary scholars across institutions.