Globalization and the Law. How do global processes give rise to legal change? Globalization is changing the contours of law and creating new global institutions and norms. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying globalization, its relation to law, and the social, cultural and political changes that result. Course material will explore the legal legacies of colonialism, competing arguments about the creation, politics and impacts of international law, the diffusion and impact of norms such as women’s rights and environmental protections, and the role of international institutions such as the United Nations.
Law & Inequality. This course examines the persistence of inequality based on race, class, gender and/or citizenship as it relates to law, both in the U.S. and internationally. We will examine the legal system from a critical perspective, incorporating material from law, history, sociology, and other disciplines. We will map some of the ways legal regimes and concepts contribute to the production, recognition and maintenance of power hierarchies, exploring and discussing questions such: as how and why the legal system has historically favored the rich and discriminated against the poor, nonwhites, women and immigrants; as well as the extent to which the legal system can be used to achieve social change.
Human Trafficking. Introduces students to human trafficking through the lens of sociology, including its historical, legal, economic, political and social contexts in the United States and internationally. In addition to identifying the documented scope, extent and nature of trafficking, we examine its recent social construction, key counter-trafficking legislation, modern cases and debates, and discuss theories related to its cause, its relation to migration, gender, and human rights more broadly, and the role of governments, organizations and institutions in local and global counter-trafficking efforts.
Sexual Violence, Justice & the Law. This course explores the ambitious and complicated relationship between sexual violence and the legal system. We will investigate the concept of `justice,? examine the law as a justice-seeking mechanism, and identify the benefits and drawbacks of legal approaches. Topics include the feminist push for legal and criminal retribution in sexual violence cases; unequal race, class, gender, and status distribution of legal access; institutionalized abuse in militaries and prisons; responses to conflict-related sexual violence; and extra-legal modes of justice-seeking including restorative justice and vigilantism.
Global and Transnational Sociology. This introductory course explores the political, economic, cultural and social changes currently transforming our world on a global scale. Students place global activities and social problems in the context of larger structures of global order (such as states, markets, systems of governance, and gender hierarchies), and processes of social change over the past half-century. We discuss theories from sociology and related fields to help make sense of these global processes, their causes, effects and implications. Issues discussed include political, economic and cultural globalization, migration, human rights, gender, climate change, and international social movements.
Introduction to Criminology. An introduction to the study of crime through the lens of sociology. As such, it examines theories of crime causation (why people commit crime), distinguishes between different types of crime, and introduces students to the criminal justice system. We consider some of the most influential explanations for criminal behavior, how crime is measured, penology, and typologies of offenders and victims, with an emphasis on critically evaluating the complex social processes impacting these constructions, and the development and maintenance of formal justice and punishment systems. Though primarily focused on the US, the course also considers crime from a comparative, cross-national perspective within the context of globalization.
Delinquency. Critically examines research on juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice in the United States. We discuss major theoretical explanations and perspectives of juvenile delinquency from sociology, criminology, and human development, paying particular attention to the role of the family, school, peer group and social environment in promoting deviance and/or delinquency. This includes discussing topics such as child maltreatment, substance abuse, gender and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, courts, incarceration, and juvenile justice policy.
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