POL 378 - Mass Incarceration in the United States

The United States imprisons more people per capita then nearly any other nation in the world. These incarceration rates have grown at an exponential rate since the mid-1970s: while there were under 200,000 people in prison in 1970, there are around 2.1 million in prison today. Moreover, this mass incarceration affects certain groups more heavily than others. For instance, despite making up only 11% of the U.S. population, Black Americans comprise 36% of the prison population. Why did the prison population grow in the past two decades when rates of violent and non-violent crime declined? What produces racial disparities in incarceration rates? What are the prospects for meaningful change? Taking this seminar will provide you with a critical understanding of the politics and policies of the criminal justice system in the United States. The focus will be on social science research about incarceration, with readings drawn from political science, economics, sociology, and history. We will also engage with journalism, podcasts, documentaries, and guest speakers. By the end of the semester, you will have a strong foundational knowledge on this topic suitable for advanced work through a thesis, graduate school, or a career. In addition to advancing your content knowledge, this seminar will also teach you how to assess the role of data and evidence in the evaluation of particular issues or policies, and to constructively engage with these arguments in your research and writing.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level Political Science course
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.