Race, Crime, and Punishment in America

This new course will use the perspectives of economics to examine the causes and consequences of high levels of incarceration in the United States, especially as it relates to the social disadvantage of African Americans. Quantitative analysis will be used sparingly. Students will be evaluated based on three short writing assignments. Issues examined include: racial disparities in punishment; the impact of crime on communities; policing and race relations in American cities; stereotypes and the economics of crime; the governing of prisons and the limits of punishment.