Souris Smith, Renée Nicole
Renée Nicole Souris
Assistant Professor | College of Psychology and Liberal Arts: School of Arts and Communication
Contact Information
Personal Overview
Dr. Nikki Souris is Assistant Professor of Law & Society and Pre-Law Advisor in the School of Arts & Communications within Florida Tech's College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. Before coming to Florida Tech in 2019, Dr. Souris taught in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC. She also served both as a Visiting Scholar with the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at the George Washington University, and as a contractor in the Office of Research and Data for the United States Sentencing Commission of the US Federal Judicial Branch. Dr. Souris has acquired extensive teaching experience in legal, political, and moral theory, as well as in law and society. Her research presents empirically-informed analyses of complex questions that intersect law, politics, and ethics. For instance, Dr. Souris has published multiple journal articles that examine the relationship between moral development and responsibility, especially as applied to child soldiers. Her recent work also offers new insights into longstanding debates in constitutional interpretation and immigration by applying the conceptual resources of virtue ethics.
Educational Background
- PhD, Law & Society, and Political Theory, American University, 2014
- MS, Justice, Law and Criminology, American University, 2008
- BA, Philosophy and Political Science, Bucknell University, 2006
Professional Experience
- 2019-Present, Assistant Professor, Law & Society, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne FL
- 2014-2019, Professorial Lecturer, Department of Justice, Law and Criminology, American University, Washington DC
- 2014, Visiting Scholar, Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies, George Washington University, Washington DC
- 2008, Contractor, Office of Research and Data, United States Sentencing Commission, US Judicial Branch, Washington DC
Current Courses
Florida Institute of Technology, School of Arts & Communications
Civilization 1: Ancient to Medieval (HUM2551)
Civilization 2: Renaissance to Modernity (HUM2052)
Intro to Law (HUM 2041)
Technology and Civil Liberties (HON2000)
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Philosophy (HUM2552)
Constitutional Law 1 (HUM3401)
Constitutional Law 2 (HUM3402)
Philosophy of Law (HUM3451)
Capstone Research Methods (HUM3999)
Senior Capstone (HUM4100)
American University, Department of Justice, Law and Criminology
Western Legal Tradition (JLC 110)
Philosophical Problems in the Law (JLC 201)
Justice, Morality, and the Law (JLC 308)
Self, Responsibility, and the Law (JLS 396)
Contemporary Legal Theory (JLS 410)
Interpreting the Nuremberg Trials (JLC 490)
Africa and the Legitimacy of the International Criminal Court (JLC 490)
Theories of Punishment (JLC 676, graduate level)
American University, Department of Government
Individual Freedom versus Authority (GOVT 105)
Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties (SPA 351)
Feminist Political Thought (GOVT 486)
Human Nature and Responsibility (GOVT 490)
American University, Honors Programs and Other
U.S. Law and Legal Systems (GNED 140)
Criminal Law and Theory (GNED 140)
Problems in Neurolaw (IDIS 196)
Children, Crime, and Punishment (HNRS 196)
Judging Atrocity (CORE 105)
The ICC Examined (SPA 300)
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Souris, Renée Nicole. "What Good Are We Seeking? Child Soldiers and 'Thick Ethical Concepts'" (Forthcoming).
Souris, Renée Nicole. "'The Cruelty is the Point': Virtue Ethics and Immigration." 56(3) Polity (2024): 434-455.
Souris, Renée Nicole. "Child Soldiers, Agency, and Aristotelian Virtue Ethics." 31 International Journal of Children's Rights (2023): 698-728.
Souris, Renée Nicole. "What is So Wrong with Using Child Soldiers?" 26(1) International Journal of Human Rights (2022): 74-99.
Souris, Renée Nicole. “Dignity, Development, and the Gravity of Child Soldiering.” 106(3) Archives for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (2020): 465-475.
Souris, Renée Nicole. “Virtue Ethics, Criminal Responsibility, and Dominic Ongwen.” 19(3) International Criminal Law Review (2019): 475-504.
Souris, Renée Nicole. “Child Soldiering on Trial: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Responsibility in the Lord’s Resistance Army.” 13(3) International Journal of Law in Context (2017): 316-335.
Edited Books
Gordon Babst, Renée Nicole Souris, and Joan McGregor. Liberal Constitutionalism and Its Contemporary Challenges (Springer, 2024).
Book Chapters
Souris, Renée Nicole. "Deference without Virtue: A Concern for Common Good Constitutionalism." In Liberal Constitutionalism and Its Contemporary Challenges, eds. Gordon Babst, Renée Nicole Souris, and Joan McGregor (Springer, 2024).
Souris, Renée Nicole. “African Challenges to the International Criminal Court: An Example of Populism?” In Democracy, Populism, and Truth, eds. Mark Navin and Richard Nunan (Springer, 2020).
Souris, Renée Nicole. “Parents, Privacy, and Facebook: Social and Legal Responses to the Problem of Over-Sharing.” In Core Concepts and Contemporary Issues in Privacy, eds. Ann Cudd and Mark Navin (Springer, 2017).
Book Reviews
Souris, Renée Nicole. Review of Michael Blake. Justice, Migration, and Mercy. Oxford University Press. 49(1) Philosophia (2020): 507-511.
Recognition & Awards
2019 Young Scholar Award, 1st Place, International Society for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, American Section
2019 Young Scholar Award, 3rd Place, International Society for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, Global Competition
2015 Young Scholar Award, 1st Place, International Society for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, American Section