Faculty Lecture Looks at Multicultural Identity in Youth

Hartwick College Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Cheryl L. Johnson analyzes the issue during the next installment of the 2022–23 Hartwick College Faculty Lecture Series. Her presentation, “Third Culture and Identity: How Much Do I Need Until I Am ‘Enough’?” takes place on Friday, October 14 at 12:20 p.m. in Eaton Lounge, Bresee Hall, on the College campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

“This project takes the concept of third culture and uses it to explain how some individuals feel as though they are not ‘enough’ to belong in their social, cultural, or identity groups,” Johnson says. “Third culture kids were born into one culture and then adopted into another culture. In some cases, the adopted child goes into a family that shares similar phenotypical traits. In other cases, however, the adopted child and the adopting family do not share these similar traits. This leads to a sense of discord for the adopted child as they feel they do not fully belong to their birth culture nor do they fully belong to their adopted culture. Johnson will expand upon this feeling of ‘not enough’ and apply it to individuals who feel as if they are ‘not enough’ in their lives (e.g., not Hispanic enough, not straight enough, not Republican/Democratic enough).”

As a third-culture kid herself, she brings a unique perspective to the topic.

Johnson teaches a variety of criminal justice courses in the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Human Services at Hartwick. Her other research interests include juvenile delinquency, weapon carrying, mental health, and personality traits. She also serves as a faculty mentor to the College’s women’s tennis team.

Johnson received her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 2019, and a master’s degree in criminal justice and corrections from Radford University. Her research has also been published in a number of text books and industry journals.