Crime and Punishment in America: A Legal History

Undergraduate / Graduate

This seminar will examine the major contexts, concepts, and themes of the legal history of crime and punishment in America. Broadly, this course asks how have ideas about crime, the nature of criminality, and theories of punishment shaped American legal development; what role has criminal law-both procedural and substantive-played within the development of the American state; how has the historical force of racial capitalism influenced crime policy and lawmaking; and how has the study of crime and punishment reflected major tenets of social, political, and legal thought? Specific topics may include the origin of the penitentiary, law and slavery, the development of criminal procedure, gender and criminal justice, mass incarceration, as well as corporate, or "white collar," crime. The course will place equal weight on primary and secondary source material. Assessment will consist of two essay based, take home, exams. For LLSO majors, this course can count as an LLSO elective.