SOCI 323 - Carceral Studies

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
This course introduces students to the modern U.S. institutions of incarceration and the major critical theories of mass incarceration including theories of the carceral state and the carceral archipelago, Racial Capitalism, Carceral Capitalism, and Carceral Colonialism. Starting with the foundations of the modern prison system, we will examine the function of criminalization and incarceration through time as it related to–and perpetuated–inequality based on citizenship, Indigeneity, race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Finally, we will examine the rise and foundations of the modern prison system and modern mass incarceration in the context of the War on Drugs policy era. This course will also engage with Abolitionist perspectives and arguments against incarceration and alternatives to criminal justice system responses such as restorative justice and peacemaking.