Department of Sociology

Leslie Paik earned her Bachelors degree in Literature and Society at Brown University in 1994 and her M.A. degree in Sociology at the University of California at Los Angeles in 2002. Dr. Paik was also recently awarded the Ph.D. in Sociology at UCLA after completing her dissertation titled How Many Sober Days Do You Have?: An Ethnographic Study of Staff Decision-Making Practices in a Juvenile Drug Court. A specialist in criminology, deviant behavior with a special interest in drug addiction and its connection to public policy, Dr. Paik recently joined the Department of Sociology as an assistant professor where she teaches Introduction to Sociology and courses in criminology, deviance, and public service. Her recent publications include: “Surveying Communities: A Resource for Community Justice Planners” for the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in Rockville, Maryland, and “Are You Truly a Recovering Dope Fiend? Local Interpretive Practices at a Therapeutic Community Drug Treatment Program,” Symbolic Interaction, Spring 2006. Professor Paik has also worked as Senior Planner for New York’s Center for Court Innovation, and continues to be a consultant to the Phoenix House Foundation in Los Angeles, California.