Amid the riot of books, papers, student exams, posters and paraphernalia in John Dombrink's office at UC Irvine, one thing stands out: little yellow sticky notes he's tacked onto a row of file drawers labeled "sin."
Dombrink — who once considered the priesthood before finding his true calling — specializes in sin. The professor of criminology, law & society and sociology studies immoral, unethical or unlawful behavior and how our definitions of these evolve over time. Gambling, euthanasia, stem cell research, illicit drugs, same-sex marriage — if it gets people riled up over what's right and wrong, he's intrigued.
"Anytime there's ferment, it's valuable to me," Dombrink says. "I'm interested in the letter of the law but even more in how mores shift and people's beliefs change. On issues like stem cells and same-sex marriage, there's advancement and backlash. Looking at these animates me — and accounts for most of the mess in this office."
February 17, 2011
