SLU Professor to Teach Criminology in India as Part of Fulbright Scholars Program

SLU Professor to Teach Criminology in India as Part of Fulbright Scholars Program

Dyan McGuire, J.D., Ph.D., director and associate professor of criminology and criminal justice, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to teach criminology and criminal justice in India for the 2024-25 academic year.

McGuire will bring her decades of experience working within and teaching about the American criminal justice system to India, where she will teach three different classes at National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata from December 2024 until May 2025.

McGuire first became interested in teaching in India after attending a criminal justice conference in 2022. At the conference, she networked with professionals and professors alike and took a keen interest in the Indian legal system. When the Fulbright Scholar opportunity presented itself, she knew it was a no-brainer, immediately filling out the application and working months on developing new classes and lesson plans. When she received word she had been accepted, she was ecstatic.

"It all happened pretty quickly," McGuire said. "I was first introduced to the University at a conference I attended, where I met the Vice Chancellor, who said they'd like to have me if I'd want to come. So I applied to Fulbright and went through the process, and they picked me."

"They're a law school. I have a law degree, and they have recently started a criminology and criminal justice program, but that's new for them," McGuire added. "Throughout my career, I've straddled the line between those fields. I've got a law degree and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice. Some of the classes they wanted taught, I have expertise in, so it worked out perfectly."

While teaching in India, McGuire will offer three classes: Understanding Serial Killers through Criminology, Violence against Women, and Women's Rights under International Law. While she already teaches a class on serial killers at SLU, Violence against Women and Women's Rights under International Law were designed specifically for the Fulbright Scholars program. Once her program is completed, McGuire intends to bring those classes back to SLU.

To prepare for the Fulbright program and her classes, McGuire has spent the last few months brushing up on the Indian legal system as well as the culture. She's learned a lot, but knows there is also much more to learn.

"I wanted to make sure my courses would be relevant and accessible to my NUJS students," McGuire said. "For example, for my serial killers class, I incorporated examples of Indian serial killers. I also located Indian source material for the Violence against Women class. Culturally, there are things that won't translate from the U.S. to India and vice versa, so making sure the course is sensitive to the cultural context is important. And our legal systems are somewhat different too, so being familiar with their practices and procedures will be important as well."

Since the inception of the Fulbright U.S. Scholars program in 1946, its participants are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

"Opportunities such as the Fulbright Scholar program are so important because you learn so much when you go to new places and work in new environments," McGuire said. "You're having contact with people who have a totally different background than you, and because of that experience, you're going to learn something, you're going to grow, you're going to be a better faculty member. Working at a different university, one that's very well-regarded, it's going to make me a better faculty member and hopefully raise SLU's profile within this field as well. It makes us all better, which in turn makes our students better and more prepared for when they enter this field as well."