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HISTORY 235

PRISONS: FROM ANTIQUITY TO SUPERMAX

3-4 credits.

Examines the development of prisons from the ancient Mediterranean world to the present in the US and Europe. Pays particular attention to the way in which imprisonment has been used against marginalized populations. Examines the development of carceral tactics across a number of registers, including the prison as an ancient political tactic, the economic logic of early modern debtors' prisons, the relationship of prisons and workhouses to forms of capitalism, prisons and colonial expansion, the relationship between mass incarceration and democratic forms of government, as well as the connections between the abolition of slavery and modern carceral practices. Also looks at the legal and constitutional limitations that have been put on imprisonment by the American legal system. Relies on interdisciplinary approaches to the study of prisons, including History, law, literature, and political theory.

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities or Social Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze and articulate arguments about how social, political, and cultural phenomena shape law and legal systems, and in particular shape practices of imprisonment. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Analyze and articulate arguments about the impact of imprisonment on social practices and political organization. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Explain how legal ideas and ideologies have changed over time and have shaped law and legal systems. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Find, interpret, and utilize resources relevant to law and society. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Construct clear and persuasive arguments about legal systems and imprisonment. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze and articulate arguments about how social, political, and cultural phenomena shape law and legal systems, and in particular shape practices of imprisonment. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Analyze and articulate arguments about the impact of imprisonment on social practices and political organization. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Explain how legal ideas and ideologies have changed over time and have shaped law and legal systems. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Find, interpret, and utilize resources relevant to law and society. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Construct clear and persuasive arguments about legal systems and imprisonment. Audience: Undergraduate

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