Spring 2024

SOCIOL 149 001 - LEC 001

Selected Topics in Sociology of Politics and Social Change

The Penal State

Loic Wacquant

Jan 16, 2024 - May 03, 2024

Tu, Th

05:00 pm - 06:29 pm

Social Sciences Building 170

Class #:32994

Units: 4

Instruction Mode: In-Person Instruction

Offered through Sociology

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: 45

Enrolled: 20

Waitlisted: 0

Capacity: 65

Waitlist Max: 10

Open Reserved Seats:

3 reserved for Sociology Majors

Hours & Workload

3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week, 9 to 7 hours of outside work hours per week, and 0 to 2 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material per week.

Final Exam

FRI, MAY 10TH

11:30 am - 02:30 pm

Social Sciences Building 170

Other classes by Loic Wacquant

SOCIOL 131F 001 001LEC

Specialized topics in Politics and Social Change that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. The survey course in Politics and Social Change, Sociology 140, is recommended before taking this course.

Class Description

This course starts by reviewing the main sociological theories about crime, punishment and inequality to give us tools to map out the penal state. Then we work our way down the “penal chain”: police, jail, court (prosecution, public defense, judging via plea bargaining and trial), probation, imprisonment and parole. We end by considering the possibilities and pitfalls of criminal justice reform or abolition.