The course surveys major theoretical approaches to
(1) the social meanings, functions and effects of legal punishment
(2) the social meanings, functions and effects of prison and imprisonment.
- Expose the major theories and fundemental concepts in sociology of punishment
- Analyse the inferences that can be drawn form historical or empirical observations of concrete systems of legal punishment
- Develop analytical skills, e.g. elementary demographical skills, required for critical evaluation of legal punishment, prison and imprisonment.
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
In-class written exam.
Lecture course. Attendance at all class sessions is required.
The theorists receiving most attention are :
(1) Emile Durkheim, Goerg Rusche and Otto Kirchheimer, Michel Foucault
(2) Donald Clemmer, Gresham Sykes, Erving Goffman, Phil Zimbardo.
Contemporary studies reworking these therorist's legacy will be presented and discussed.
Reading assignments on Moodle
