Before graduation, Dr. Joe Johnston sat down with Sydney Baltuck, who graduated with majors in Sociology and Criminology and minors in Solidarity & Social Justice and Health Equity, to look back at her 91勛圖厙 journey, and look forward to what is next as she moves into the world.
Dr. Joe Johnston: So, Sydney, why did you stick with sociology and criminology? Were there times where you doubted it or considered changing majors?
Sydney Baltuck, '24: Well I came in as a biology major, actually, but I took chemistry and was immediately like, oh, this is not for me. So within my first semester I switched to to psychology and I think I added sociology too. My sister went here and one of her friends double majored in psychology and sociology, and I kind of just followed that. I didn't really know what sociology was, but I was like, okay, let's try it out. So, I took an intro class with Mike DeLand and just loved it so much. I took some similar social justice classes in high school, but I feel like I was thinking sociologically before I knew what that meant or what that was, and even my first semester I took this Indigenous people and global issues class and that one was kind of anthropological in a way. But I just really liked that there was a lot of talking about the interconnection between everybody and I thought that was really cool. And then with Mike he kind of talked about, I remember we had this reading about the ecology of trees, and I was like, oh my god, this is so cool, kind of going back on that interconnection. I feel like even from Mike’s class I kind of knew I was in the right spot, but then the next semester I was still psychology and sociology and pretty quickly I dropped psychology because I was in one psych class that I went to like one class of and then dropped it because I was like, this is not really as fun as I thought it was going to be. That first semester I had a class with Dr. Bertotti and with Andrea Brower and those classes were both very transformative. It was Sociology of Health and Medicine, which intrigued me because I was a biology major because I thought I wanted to go into medicine, so I was like, okay, sociology and medicine, I don't know exactly what we're getting into, but I'm here for it. And then with Dr. Brower I took Capitalism, Environmental Justice and Resistance. I also feel like I didn't have a huge concept on the specifics of capitalism, but I was like, this is bad, I don't like it, let's try to learn a little bit more in an academic setting. Both of them were just so life changing honestly, and from there I was like, yeah, this is definitely the right path for me. I think I ended up also declaring criminology before I ever even took an intro class, which I don't know how I feel about that now, but it ended up working out. I feel like because I had dropped the psychology major and was just sociology, and people were kind of talking about how easy it is to double major for sociology and criminology, and just even from the few classes I had taken, I was noticing that this society can't really exist without the carceral state. I feel like that's just such an important part that's necessary for society to continue as it is, not that it's continuing in a good way, but I was like, I feel like this is also really important to learn more about. I feel like even though it is one department, there's definitely some differences. I feel like in some ways the Criminology classes can be a bit more challenging for me, just in that I tend to think more macro and sometimes it can be a little bit more micro, but honestly I like that too. Right now I'm taking Society and the Individual with Mike DeLand and having that class right now with Criminal Violence is really interesting because the criminologists will cite Goffman and stuff like that. So really like these interactional dynamics, which I think is really cool because even on such a micro level, sociology is still applicable. So yeah, to answer your question very simply, no. I feel like once I knew I was in sociology, I was there for good. But for Criminology, I was a little bit like, should I do both? I guess I could do crim as a minor, but I'm glad I stuck with it as a major. I did come later to the game, so it was unfortunate to not be able to take a class with Forrest Rodgers, but I was fortunate where I could take at least intro with Esther Matthews, and was so lucky to have taken classes with Sou Lee, Vik Gumbhir, and Bill Hayes too.
Joe: So you've spoken to this a bit already, but are there other specific course/courses, experiences, people, maybe assignments or projects you want to remember from your sociology and or criminology majors?
Sydney: Yeah, so many! Honestly, every single professor I've had in the department has just been so amazing and supportive. I feel like I have to shout out Mike DeLand first because, well, I took my first class with him, but I've also taken a class with him every single year I've been here, so I think I've had the most classes with him, but I did also do Research Group, so two classes were a little guaranteed in that. But I've loved his classes. He is just such an amazing person, and I'm just always so interested in his classes. He just has this way of talking and just encapsulating the room. But I feel like I can't say that about him and not say that about all the other professors I've had too. I mean, Jamella Gow was so amazing, such a brilliant person. Andrea Brower, I love her so much. Doctor Bertotti, of course. Vik Gumbhir is amazing. I can't say this and not mention Sou Lee or Bill Hayes, either. I'm sure I'm missing people too, but really everyone has been so amazing, and I feel like I've just learned something new and different in all these classes. But I also feel like I do have to specifically shout out Jamella, because the first class I took with her was Sociology of Immigration, and it was a little interesting taking that before I took Sociology of Race and Ethnicity with her. I feel like you get a little bit of race in most classes that you're taking, but with immigration it was really interesting learning more of the concept of whiteness and how it goes so much further than skin color. I just thought it was really interesting also going back into the history and learning that essentially, it's kind of depressing, but how things have really changed very little. I thought it was really interesting the way things have just kind of transformed into more palatable versions of inequality. Her, Andrea Brower, and Doctor Bertotti have been especially good at talking about the possibility of the future. I think Doctor Bertotti always says this, but social problems require social solutions. A lot of these things we see as natural or innate, and of course they're not. And if we think of them as that, then nothing's going to change. I feel like just all the professors have kind of built off each other and it's been awesome.
Joe: Thank you. The maybe scary question: what are you hoping to do in your post 91勛圖厙 life, and how do you think your majors will connect to those hopes?
Sydney: That is a good question, quite the loaded one too. So next year specifically, I'm going to be working with City Year, which is through AmeriCorps. I'll be working in either an elementary or middle school. I feel like that'll be really cool. I'm excited to be working one-on-one with people. But I do want to go to grad school, I think. So, there is that in the future, but at the same time I'm like sometimes I just have mixed feelings. I do want to go to grad school, I feel like I'm not done learning at all; I've loved all my classes and I'm really just getting into it. But, at the same time, I feel like higher education is very much a place of power and privilege. So, by staying in these spaces, I want to kind of help to dismantle them. But I think at the same time, understanding the importance of education. I mean, I've learned so much, I don't think I would have been able to get to this point without all the guidance and mentorship from so many people, so there's obviously a lot of benefits, but I had to have had the social and cultural capital to even get here in the first place. So I don't know. I'm interested in continuing it, I'm definitely not done, but I also want to help find a way to make it so it’s not that you must be in these academia higher education spaces to even be learning about this information. And obviously, that's not something I can do alone, anyone that takes a sociology class knows that you can't do anything alone.
Joe: What else would you like to share, if anything?
Sydney: I guess I just would tell people to take more sociology and criminology classes really. I truly think they've been so awesome, and when I tell my friends about them, a lot of them seem really interested too. I feel like a big barrier is just not having the time or space, but I know a lot of people that ended up taking a sociology class later in their years, and they're like, oh, I wish I knew about this earlier. Even if you're not able to be a major or minor, just even having a few classes is awesome and the community within it, the faculty and the other students I think are really awesome. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this department and have taken the classes from so many people. I hope I gave enough acknowledgement, but truly I don't think me talking about one professor for an hour would even give them as much acknowledgement as they deserve. Everyone is so caring and thoughtful. I guess I want everyone to know that the department is awesome, but especially the faculty in the department. I just want you guys all to know how amazing you all are. It wouldn't be the same without you guys and I’m so lucky to have been a part of the department during my time at 91勛圖厙.