Celebrating Dr. Kris Kouri: Congratulations on your retirement!
Dr. Kouri’s long teaching career as a lecturer in the Sociology and Women’s Studies departments at CSUN spans thirty years. Prior to joining the faculty as a lecturer in 1996, Dr. Kouri received her B.A. degree in Behavioral Science from California State Polytechnic University, and her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Southern California.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Kouri has published academic work on gendered violence, gender in the classroom, women criminals, and interracial couples. During her career, Dr. Kouri has been the recipient of CSUN’s Service Learning Student Scholar Grant, CSUN’s Polished Apple Award for teaching and mentoring, and was named by a 2025 CSUN graduate as someone who made a meaningful difference in their education. She also frequently publishes opinion pieces in media outlets such as the Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, and Long Beach Telegram Press on higher education topics such as – CSU diversity courses under threat, the CSUs need for more financial support from the state, the culture of cheating in online courses, and economic barriers to college attendance for Latina/o students. An advocate for both students and faculty, Dr. Kouri has also been an active and engaged member of the California Faculty Association (CFA), the CSU’s faculty union.
Over the years, Dr. Kouri has taught more than a dozen different sociology courses on a wide array of topics including gender, race/ethnicity, work, social inequality, social psychology, culture, and crime. Her favorite subject to teach is sociological theory as it is the foundation of the discipline and provides students with analytical frameworks that can be applied to what they are learning in other classes. As Dr. Kouri noted, “the timeless nature of the theories allows for easy linkage to modern-day current events and brings the theories to life in ways that make the subject matter especially interesting to students.” Dr. Kouri is known for bringing students on field trips to places like the Getty Villa Museum which provides them with the opportunity to analyze historical artifacts and compare the practices of ancient civilizations to those of contemporary society. This comparative historical analysis is in keeping with the research methods used by many of the classical theorists.
In thinking about her time at CSUN, Dr. Kouri said that it “has allowed for immense intellectual growth, and for that I will always be grateful. Being able to watch my former students move into professions such as law, social work, and counseling has been particularly rewarding. This aspect of the job leaves me with powerful feelings of generativity.” When asked what she will miss most about teaching at CSUN, Dr. Kouri responded “I will miss being able to converse with students and colleagues on a regular basis. My best memories are the times my lectures provoked stimulating discussions among students. Other fond memories include working closely with both students and instructional assistants.”
As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Dr. Kouri’s plans for retirement include opening a small private practice. She also plans to complete a writing project that her heavy teaching load, until this point, left her unable to finish.
The Sociology Department would like to congratulate Dr. Kouri on her retirement and the three decades of teaching and mentorship that she has provided to CSUN students.