“Emergent Leaders in Glocal Partnerships: Enhancing Criminal Justice Education Through an Innovative and Interdisciplinary Study Abroad Program”
“Emergent Leaders in Glocal Partnerships: Enhancing Criminal Justice Education Through an Innovative and Interdisciplinary Study Abroad Program”
Tanja C. Link Margaret Pendergrass Sabine Smith a Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USAb Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA;c Department of World Languages and Cultures, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USATanja C. Link is a Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Kennesaw State University. She has more than 15 years of experience working and researching vulnerable and at‑risk populations, with a particular focus on improving educational opportunities and sustainable reentry for justice‑involved individuals. She has developed a number of international and local engagement opportunities for students through internships, study abroad programs, and experiential learning projects. Dr. Link is a CETL Fellow for Learning Centered Teaching and her work is published in Criminal Justice and Behavior, the Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, the Journal of Drug Education, and the European Journal of Criminology, among others.Margaret Pendergrass is a senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies in the College of the Arts at Kennesaw State University. She has over 30 years of experience teaching, writing plays, and directing for professional and university theatres. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where she was a member of the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Her research and teaching seek ways to use writing and performance to build community and foster meaningful social connection and positive change. Since 2018, her primary scholarship and service has focused on arts and humanities education for youth and adults impacted by the criminal justice system and engaging KSU students and faculty in this work. Professor Pendergrass was awarded the Regents’ Teaching Award from the USG Board of Regents in 2016, the KSU Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014, and was a USG Chancellor Learning Scholar from 2018 to 2020. She has procured over $200,000 in grants for community‑based, teaching, and theatre initiatives and projects. Her scholarship includes publications in the Journal of Global Initiatives and joins regional, national, and international conference presentations, workshops, and speaking engagements.Sabine Smith, is a Professor of German at Kennesaw State University, Sabine Smith has over 30 years of teaching experience and approx. 50 publications and funded grants. Her research focuses on intercultural competence development via global learning experiences. Recent co‑authored publications report on collaborative studies, e.g., ”Advancing Intercultural Communication Skills in Diverse Teams“ (JHETP, 2023), “Improving Communication Skills in Global Engineers“(ASEE, 2022), and „Cross‑Cultural Contexts of Teaching and Learning: Experiences of International Faculty at a Southeastern University in the United States” (Currents in Teaching and Learning, 2022). Forthcoming withDie Unterrichtspraxisis her single‑authored manuscript “Ensuring Program Success During Difficult Times: A Descriptive Case Study and Actionable Recommendations” (May, 2025). As German Studies Section Head and Community Engagement Coordinator, Sabine has facilitated external grants and domestic and international partnerships for over a decade, most of which focus on promoting German and interdisciplinary studies via student‑centered study and work abroad opportunities, exchanges, and internship experiences. Most recently, interdisciplinary projects with colleagues from Engineering, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Theater and Performance Studies, and Education have produced important synergies and exciting prospects. Sabine was recognized for professional excellence by the GA Board of Regents in 2010, by SCOLT in 2015, and by AATG‑GA in 2019 and 2024. Born in Germany, she holds a Masters’ degree from Johannes Gutenberg university of Mainz, Germany, in American Studies, Germanistik and Romanistik, and a Ph.D. in German Studies from the University of California at Davis.