Dr. Corina Schulze on Sexual Violence and Women in Policing

Dr. Corina Schulze is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice. She has been teaching at the University of South Alabama since August 2008. When she earned her Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans, she was neither planning to pursue a Ph.D. nor did she think of a career as a professor. Rather, she had always wanted to work in federal law enforcement, and she viewed the Master’s degree as a way to enhance her résumé in pursuit of her dream job. No one in her family has a background in law enforcement, and she largely credits the film Indiana Jones for her initial inspiration. Upon completing the M.A., Schulze was hired as a Special Agent for the U.S. Secret Service in the New York City field office. She describes the job as a “wonderful experience,” but after two years, she found herself “being drawn to the more research/intelligence component of the job.” As a result, she went back to the University of New Orleans to earn her Ph.D. in Political Science.
 
When a tenure-track job opened up at USA, professors at UNO encouraged her to apply. Schulze says she has been thrilled working at USA, and she is “tremendously thankful for all the support [she has] received throughout her academic and professional careers.”
 
Schulze says her first research publications focused on women in policing, but when Associate Professor Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin joined the department, Schulze and Koon-Magnin started collaborating on research projects about sexual violence with an emphasis on the disclosure process and the LGBTQ community.
 
More recently, Schulze and Koon-Magnin teamed up with Dr. Valerie Bryan, Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, to co-author a book. This book will be particularly important because, Schulze says, it “introduces an entirely new instrument for assessing rape myth adherence. We created the Identity Inclusive Sexual Assault Myth Scale (IISAMS), which we hope will be widely used, as it is a much-needed update to existing survey instruments.” The book has been submitted to Lynne Reinner Publishers, and Schulze expects it to be in print by the end of 2018.
 
Regarding her favorite class to teach, Schulze cites her Research Methods class, noting that “it is always challenging and represents the epitome of everything [she] likes about [her] job.” She says “students rarely walk in expecting to like the class or the subject material,” and she believes it is her “responsibility to change that.” According to Schulze, “There’s never been a moment in which I was not appreciative of the privilege in being in this chosen career.”
 
In terms of research goals, Schulze hopes to return to research on the “experiences of women in policing,” and she is certain her research will continue to examine sexual orientation. She would also like to undertake a study of sexual violence in Germany. This research would allow her to build on the graduate course on sexual violence she taught at the University of Bamberg while on a recent sabbatical from USA.
 
When she is not teaching and conducting research, Schulze likes to perfect her gardening skills and to do home renovations. She also enjoys repurposing glass bottles into vases and candle holders. She says, “It’s honestly nice to do something that is entirely separate from work, and that I can fail at (many times), without consequence.” Schulze, an avid runner, finds that running relieves stress and gives her energy to perform her work.