Clemson lecturer receives Fulbright Specialist grant to collaborate with Finland institution in virtual exchange program

Holly Williams, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice has been accepted to the Fulbright Specialist Program, earning a three-year grant with the Fulbright Finland Foundation.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Fulbright Specialist Program pairs highly qualified faculty members with international host institutions for project-based collaborations and exchange programs.

Over the next three years, Williams will co-teach an international virtual exchange class with faculty from Tampere University in Finland and travel with students to Finland for two weeks each spring.

The course, Crime and Justice, explores the question “why do people commit crime?” and seeks to enable students to apply criminological theory to real-world practice. During their trip abroad, students will visit Finnish prisons and compare the rehabilitative prison systems of Europe to the punitive prison systems of the United States.

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and the University as the only sociology, anthropology and criminal justice educator selected for this cohort of the Fulbright Specialist Program,” said Williams. “This grant – and the international experience it provides – offers students an invaluable opportunity to develop their cultural competence and apply what they have learned in class to real world situations.”

In addition to her role as lecturer, Williams serves as an advisor for the department where she shares her passion for experiential learning opportunities that highlight various careers in the field of criminal justice.

Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Lincoln.  She earned a master’s degree in human resource development and is currently a doctoral candidate in policy studies with an emphasis in homeland defense from Clemson University. Her research focus is juvenile cyber deviance.

“Holly is passionate about providing a well-rounded educational experience for her students,” said Katy Weisensee, chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice. “Being selected to the competitive Fulbright Specialist Program is a testament to her expertise in the field of criminal justice and her desire to provide students with unique cultural learning opportunities outside of the classroom.”

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice is part of the University’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS). Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in seven disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.