Introduction to Justice Systems and Systems of Inequality This course is an introductory overview of the justice systems and systems of inequality present in American society. The course focuses on the social systems of inequality in American society with an emphasis on: 1race, class, and gender; 2- the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within a society; and 3- connections between responses to crime, social justice systems and human rights. The course also examines the economic, social, and political consequences of rising inequality in contemporary society. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value.
This course uses social science frameworks to explore advocacy and civic engagement. Students will learn to evaluate information, understand sociopolitical structures, and enact social change through a collective social action project, applying theories and methods from social sciences to real-world community issues. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Engagement, Agency, and Leadership value. Mutually Exclusive with PSY/SOC 208.
Prerequisite(s): CSJ 101, PSY 100, or SOC 100. This course is an overview of juvenile delinquency, and the social systems and institutions that respond to the perceptions and realities of delinquency. The course also examines therapeutic and community-based tactics that may aid in the prevention of delinquency, and the reform of inequitable practices within juvenile justice systems.
Prerequisite(s): CSJ 100, SOC 100, or PSY 100. This course emphasizes the social reactions perspective, analyzes how people are differentially labeled, the experience of stigma, attempts at neutralization, and explores different social control strategies across time and place. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 236.
Prerequisite(s): CSJ 101, SOC 100, or PSY 100. This course concerns racial and ethnic inequalities from a sociological perspective. It focuses on the fundamental concepts of race, ethnicity, prejudice, and discrimination as they have played an important role in the maintenance of those inequalities. As such, the course examines how racial and ethnic inequalities have prevented social justice to be fully achieved, especially in the US. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civil Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value. Mutually Exclusive with AFS 241 and SOC 241.
Prerequisite(s): CSJ 101, SOC 100, or PSY 100. This course examines the classical and modern theories of crime, analysis of different crimes, criminality and criminal behaviors and the various responses to these acts by survivors, their families, the media, and society. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 243.
Prerequisite(s): WRT 102 or WRT 105A or WRT 106A; and CSJ 101; and SOC 320B with a grade of C- or better; and any 200-level CSJ course. This course examines the realities of Law Enforcement from its inception as an organization to contemporary times. It describes the history of Law enforcement in the United States and the Social Justice matters connected to these Law Enforcement policies and practices. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 330.
Prerequisite(s): WRT 102, WRT 105A, or WRT 106A; and CSJ 101 or SOC 320B with a C- or higher; and two 200-level CSJ courses. Using historical documents, social statistics, works of literature, anthropology, and social and psychoanalytic theory, this course examines the process of marginalization, compares conceptions/social constructions of sanity and insanity among different cultures and subcultures, and analyzes the consequences of institutionalization, stigmatization, and marginalization. We will explore diverse populations and their access to and interaction with Social Justice, Healthcare entities as well as carceral responses to illness.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 325A or SOC 320. This class examines structural racism within the criminal justice system and will focus on topics such as mass incarceration, the privatization of prisons, immigration detention centers, and discriminatory laws and policies. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 410.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 325A or SOC 320. This course involves a comprehensive examination of the particular situation of women when confronting the criminal justice system. Topics include the history of women’s imprisonment, responses to female crime, theories of female criminality, crime statistics pertaining to women, and the criminal justice system’s response to women when they encounter it as victims. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 415.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 320 or SOC 325. This course analyzes the research literature regarding drug policy formation and implementation in the United States within a social and political context. Topics include: drug trafficking, drug law reform, controlling substance abuse, and drug policy on various segments of the population. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 418.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 320 or SOC 325. This course description will be announced when the course is offered. The course will focus on a specific Social Justice topic to be determined. As topics change this, course may be repeated for credit. Course may be crosslisted with SOC 433.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 320 or SOC 325. This course provides a selective introduction to sociological perspectives and empirical research on punishment and incarceration. The first part of the course explores classical and contemporary approaches to the nature, causes, and consequences of punishment. We examine the Durkheimian, the Marxist, and the Weberian perspectives on punishment to gain an understanding of punishment as it relates to power and social control. We also examine the transformation of punishment from premodern to modern era, and the development of the prison by exploring the work of Michel Foucault. The second part focuses on punishment in the United States. We explore the relationship between privilege and punishment by examining how race and class have been key factors in determining the nature and extent of punishment within the US criminal justice system. We look at how the apparatuses of punishment, the courts and the prisons, have reinforced and reproduced racial and class privilege. The third part focuses on alternatives to punishment and incarceration. We examine alternatives such as community corrections and treatment, and various proposals to end mass incarceration, including shortening prison sentences and decarceration, and their feasibility. Mutually Exclusive with SOC 436.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 320 or SOC 325. CSJ 450 is an in-depth examination of a central issue in Social Justice. Examples of issues, which vary from semester to semester, are Social Justice and the environment, Social Justice and Healthcare, Social Justice and education, Social Justice and surveillance technology, the media and Social Justice. Students conduct their own research in consultation with the faculty.
Prerequisite(s): WRT 102, WRT 105A, or WRT 106A; and CSJ 101 or SOC 320B with a C or higher; and two 200-level CSJ courses. Students majoring in Criminology and Social Justice are required to take either CSJ 450 Senior Research Seminar or an internship. The Internships in Criminology and Social Justice involve weekly class meetings and a minimum of 96 hours of internship experience over the course of the semester in an approved appropriate agency, institute, or organization. The courses integrate students' "hands-on" experiences as interns, with theory and case study analysis of social issues, problems and institutions. Each class is limited to 12 students. Acceptance into the internship classes is based on the following criteria: 1. Class standing (Seniors have preference over Juniors) 2. Sociology GPA 3. Satisfactory completion of the Internship Program Application Procedure which includes: A. The application form and personal essay in which the students' goals and objectives, motivations, interests, interpersonal skills and previous relevant experiences are clearly articulated. B. Two letters of recommendation from Faculty who are familiar with the students' interests and performance in related courses. C. Interview with the Internship Coordinator. The interview will help the Coordinator to assess students' readiness and degree of motivation for the internship experience, and help students explore options regarding the most suitable placements. This course cannot be substituted with Portfolio Assessment. (Also PSY 495B, SOC490A/WI, SOC 491A/WI)