Current position
Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair, Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Social Work, Rider University, July 2016–present.
About
A sociologist of race, institutions, and public life, Victor Thompson brings together comparative research, social psychology, social demography, and rigorous research methods.
Education
Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University; B.A. in Sociology from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
Research
questions
How do census categories shape belonging? How do race and social context influence attitudes toward crime and punishment? What can comparative data reveal about identity, inequality, and the state?
Global ethnic enumeration
Comparative work on how nations count race, ethnicity, and culture in censuses and other population systems, including the project eCounts: Global Ethnic Enumeration Practices, 1965–2024.
Race, crime & punishment
Research on racialized mass incarceration, public attitudes toward crime, the legitimacy of criminal justice institutions, and how social experience colors support for policy.
Radical Right Violence and Racialized Grievance
Grievance and violence in extremist groups.
Leadership &
service
Department building, accreditation, curriculum design, student mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration are central parts of my academic practice.
2015–present
Chair, Department of Sociology and Criminology
Led strategic hiring, program growth, external reviews, curricular planning, promotion and tenure review, revenue planning, internships, and student support.
2023–present
Bachelor of Social Work program
Led initial program development and state approval with Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and faculty hiring of Director and Practicuum Director.
2015–present
Multicultural Studies
Developed African American Studies and Latinx Studies minors, organized campus-wide programming on race and crime, and coordinated experiential learning opportunities.
Selected
writing
Selected publications, chapters, reviews, and works in progress. For the complete record—including presentations, grants, fellowships, and service—please see the full C.V..
Journal article · 2020
Brogan, M., Rusciano, F. L., Thompson, V., & Walden, K. “Perceptions of terrorism and counterterrorism: Fear, risk and the 2016 Trump effect.” Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 17(1).
Book chapter · 2018
“Citizenship and the Census.” In R. Fiske-Rusciano (Ed.), Experiencing Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S. (7th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.
Book chapter · 2015
With Tahu Kukutai, “Inside-Out: The politics of ethnically enumerating the nation.” In Social Statistics and Ethnic Diversity: Cross-National Perspectives. IMISCOE–Amsterdam University Press.
Journal article · 2011
With Lawrence D. Bobo, “Thinking about Crime: Race and lay accounts of lawbreaking behavior.” ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 634(1), 16–38.
Book chapter · 2011
“The Strange Career of Racial Science, Racial Categories and African American Identity.” In H. L. Gates Jr. (Ed.), Handbook of African American Citizenship (1865–Present). Oxford University Press.
Under Review · 2026
With Robert Hode, “Grievance and Violence in Extremist Groups: A Comparative Analysis of Far-Right, Far-Left, and Jihadist Radicalization.”
Teaching
Courses connect sociological theory and evidence to questions students encounter in institutions, communities, media, and public policy.
- Theories of Racism
- Race and Crime
- Racial and Ethnic Relations
- Research Methods
- Punishment
- Law and Society
- Introduction to Criminology
- Crime and Media
- Sociology of Deviance
- Social Demography
- Punishment and Society
- Social Theory
- Immigration and Identity
- Social Problems
- Research Methods
- Political Sociology
Software Proficiency: R (Posit), STATA, SPSS, Git/GitHub, Python, QGIS, and Kaggle.
Start a
conversation
For research collaborations, teaching and speaking invitations, or questions about the work, please get in touch.
Victor R. Thompson
Rider University
2083 Lawrenceville Rd.
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648