Dr. Jamie Chapman, associate professor of sociology at Westminster College, was selected as the recipient of the 2025-2026 McCandless Award to support her research on true crime media.

The annual award honors the memory of J. Bardarah McCandless, professor of religion at Westminster from 1961-1994, and supports faculty scholarly activity. The award provides a full-time, tenure-track faculty member with eight semester hours of reassigned time and monetary support for research.

Chapman’s proposed project will extend her expertise in the overlapping regions of sociology and criminal justice studies through a Q methodology study on the increasing popularity of true crime media over the last 40 years. 

This innovative and interesting work will expand Chapman’s own research significantly, foster collaboration with colleagues across campus and create opportunities for faculty-student research partnerships. It will also enhance the methodological mentorship that she provides to her students. Chapman has seen similar work lead to successful publications.

Chapman, who also serves as director of Westminster’s All-College Honors Program, joined the Westminster faculty in 2014. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social sciences from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and her doctorate in sociology from the University of Akron.

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