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.
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): PSY 100 or SOC 100. (Also PSY/SOC 230) Human behavior as the interaction of individual and social processes. Recent research on topics such as interpersonal attraction, perception, and small group behavior; analysis of events and environments of current interest.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 100 or PSY 100 with a grade of C or better. 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.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 100 or PSY 100. (Also AFS/LAC/WMS 241A) 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.
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.
Using historical documents, social statistics, works of literature, anthropology, and social and psychoanalytic theory, this course examines the process of marginalization, compares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.
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.
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.
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.