Pursuing Justice and the Common Good

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course begins with a study of the U.S. criminal legal system - its history, its goals, its effects, and how it is embedded in larger systems of power linked with race, gender, and economics. Our greater purpose, however, is to get at deeper concerns about violence, harm, and justice: what we want a justice system to accomplish, why punishment is at the center of our current system, and our own responsibility for that system that operates in our names. As part of the national Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, the course involves inside students (who are incarcerated at the Westville Correctional Facility in Westville, IN) and outside students (who are enrolled at Notre Dame, St. Mary's, and Holy Cross) learning with and from each other and breaking new ground together. Each week, campus students travel to Westville for class with the incarcerated students; all are responsible for the same reading and writing assignments, and all participate together in class activities and discussions. Together, we will examine myths and realities related to crime and punishment, explore the effects of the criminal legal system and its policies, and develop ideas for responding more effectively to violence and harm in our communities. Apply online via the CSC website: socialconcerns.nd.edu.