Schneur Z. Newfield
Assistant Professor
Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice
EMAIL: snewfield@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: N-669
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 776-6960
Dr. Schneur Zalman Newfield received his PhD in Sociology from New York University, with a focus on cultural sociology and the study of identity, narrative, and resocialization. He holds an MA from NYU in sociology and a BA from Brooklyn College, CUNY, in psychology. Prior to arriving at BMCC, he taught sociology courses for two years in six New Jersey state prisons through Rutgers University-Newark’s New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) program.
Expertise
Sociology of religion and culture; qualitative research methods
Degrees
- B.A. Brooklyn College, CUNY, Psychology, 2007
- M.A. New York University, Sociology, 2012
- Ph.D. New York University, Sociology, 2016
Courses Taught
- This course studies the social world and how it has evolved over time, as well as how individuals are influenced and structured by social interactions in small groups and by larger social forces. The course covers major sociological theories and research methods, and key concepts such as culture, socialization, social class, race/ethnicity, gender, technology, social inequality, and social change.
- A close relationship exists between the social problems and the values and structures regarded by society as normal and stable. In this course, students apply sociological principles, theory, methods, and research toward an understanding of social problems. Prerequisite: SOC 100
- This Sociology Capstone will focus on special topics within the field and expertise of the instructor. It will provide a culminating experience for students by allowing them to explore a topic in-depth, engage in independent research, develop their analytic abilities and critical thinking skills, and apply concepts and theories to new cases. The capstone course will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives, the basic research methodologies and research design issues, and the central analytical models in Sociology. Over the course of the semester, each student will engage in independent research that culminates in a research paper or project and a presentation to the class. Prerequisite: [ENG 100.5 or ENG 101] and SOC 100 and two (2) SOC major electives of which one (1) must be a 200-level course
Research and Projects
- Dr. Newfield’s research focuses on the process individuals undergo when making major life transitions. His book, Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press, 2020), explores the lives of a group of men and women who were raised in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities and decided to leave that way of life.
Publications
- Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, Temple University Press
- “Unorthodox Captures Many Truths of Leaving Hasidic Communities,” The Society Pages
- “Six Things I Learned Teaching in Prison,” CETLS blog, BMCC
- “Grandfathers Against Bar Mitzvahs: Secular Immigrant Jews Confront Religion in 1940s America,” Zutot: Perspectives of Jewish Culture
- “Few Who Leave Chasidic Life Lose Their Families,” The Jewish Week
- “Ex-Haredim Cannot Save Liberal Judaism,” The Forward
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- Faculty Fellowship Publication Program, CUNY, 2020
- Knapp Foundation Travel Grant, 2019
- Footsteps Ignite Microgrant, 2018
- Travel Grant, Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, 2014
- Berman Grant, Association for Jewish Studies, Honorable Mention, 2014
- Targum Shlishi Dissertation Grant, 2013-2014
- Kevy Kaiserman Memorial Fellowship, Feinstein Center for American Jewish History, Temple University, 2013
- Travel Grant, Association for Jewish Studies, 2013
- Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship, New York University, 2008-2013
Additional Information
personal website: ZalmanNewfield.com
