Amy Magnus, PhD

Dr. Amy Magnus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice. Current, Dr. Magnus serves as the Director for the Office of Civic Engagement(opens in new window). She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine with emphases in Law, Society, and Culture and Race and Justice. She also has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Philosophy and Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Magnus’ research and teaching interests include philosophies of justice and activism, the politics of social inequality and trajectories toward equality, access to justice, the relationship between law, society, and culture, and rural sociology. Her research and teaching philosophies center a critical and feminist lens.

Her dissertation research examines the politics of rural inequality, social vulnerability, and grassroots activism. She conducted a one-year ethnographic, community-based, action-oriented research project that leverages arts-based visual ethnography in the form of photography to better understand the lived experience and interface of rurality, vulnerability, access to resources, and community activism. Her current work builds upon this project, centering rural policing practices, policies, and culture, access to healthcare in rural regions, and the impact of rurality on people who are incarcerated and their families.

Before arriving at Chico State in 2020, Dr. Magnus was a UC Irvine School of Law Initiative to End Family Violence Research Fellow, a UC Irvine Kugelman Citizen Peacebuilding Research Fellow, and a UC Irvine Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation Pedagogical Fellow.

Outside of her work, she enjoys cooking, painting, gardening, and watching the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team!