Gillian Johnston

Gillian joined BGU in October 2022 as a Sociology/Criminology lecturer. Her current role is Programme Leader for both the BA (Hons) Sociology and BA (Hons) Criminology programmes. Gillian played a pivotal role in developing the recently validated BA (Hons) Criminology programme.

Gillian’s qualifications span both disciplines. She graduated from the University of Lincoln with a BA (Hons) Social Science degree and later graduated from Keele University with an MA in Criminology and Research Methods.

She is currently undertaking an EdD. Her area of interest and the topic of her thesis is related to class, gender and Higher Education. The aim of her research is to examine the impact that social background and gender may have on mature working-class women whilst on their Higher Education learning journey. The working title of her research: Exploring the inner worlds of mature working-class women on their journey through Higher Education.

Gillian’s criminological interest is with punishment and prisons. She has gained extensive practical skills through her volunteering experiences with several local organisations that offer support to offenders in the prison environment and ex-offenders in the community.

Gillian teaches on several Sociology modules:

• What is (the point of) sociology?
• Advanced Social Thought
• Discourse and Identity: Local, National and Global Contexts
• Professional Contexts
• In Dialogue: Subject Studies Across the Arts and Humanities
• Surveillance and Society

She will also be delivering several modules on the BA (Hons) Criminology programme.