Robert Brooks
Contact Information
Office L120R
508-929-8974
rbrooks@worcester.edu
Education
B.M., Wayne State University
M.A., Antioch University
J.D., University of Detroit Law School
Ph.D., American University
Biography
Robert. A. Brooks, Associate Professor, holds graduate degrees in law (J.D.), clinical psychology (M.A.), and sociology (Ph.D.) and came to WSU in 2004. He has a wide range of teaching and research interests. He has taught more than 20 different courses at WSU and developed the Criminal Justice department’s first general education course, Art Crimes (CJ-215). He has presented more than 30 papers at local and national conferences on a variety of topics.
His book Cheaper by the Hour: Temporary Attorneys and the Deprofessionalization of the Law was published in 2011 by Temple University Press. The book is an ethnography based in part on his own experiences working as a contract attorney. The book was described by various reviewers as a “timely” account, a “compelling … study” and an “excellent and engaging ethnography” that tells a “fascinating story.” Dr. Brooks is also co-author with Jeffrey Cohen of the book Confronting School Bullying: Kids, Culture, and the Making of a Social Problem, published in 2014 by Lynne Rienner Press. One reviewer wrote of the book: “A major contribution to understanding the social and ideological construction of bullying …. compelling throughout.”
Dr. Brooks has served WSU in a variety of ways, including as Chair of the Criminal Justice Department and in initiating the Theme Semester and serving as its initial director.
Prior to coming to WSU, Dr. Brooks worked as an attorney for more than ten years, including as an Attorney Advocate at the United States Department of Justice. He was also employed as a clinical counseling intern and a Foster Care Social Worker. Dr. Brooks earned his doctorate at American University, where he was awarded a full fellowship.