This course seeks to develop an understanding of patterns of crime and punishment in the United States on the basis of various sociological theories. It is a class in the sociology of crime and punishment, and as such, seeks to develop the students' "sociological imagination" and "critical thinking", itself an overused cliché that ought to be critically thought of.
The course is divided into two parts: The first, Crime,
and the second, Social Control. In the first, we will examine theories which explain crime in general and the exceptionally high crime rates in the U.S. more specifically, with an emphasis on race and space. The second part of the course begins with a short overview of the philosophical debates over punishment, which center on two fundamental questions: Why punish? And how? From the philosophy of punishment we move on to the sociology of punishment, which asks who is being punished, by whom, and for what reasons; such questions will be examined in the context of mass incarceration and the war on drugs, again, with an emphasis on race.
This course by no means attempts to cover all or even most theories about crime and punishment;
rather, it privileges depth over breadth, and focuses on a selection of theories and texts that are fundamental (most), thought-provoking (all) and exciting to read (we hope).