CJ 298 - Meaning in Criminal Legal Syst

In Sociological and Criminological approaches to the study of the criminal justice system, it is typical to take a “bird’s eye” approach to the systems, institutions, and structures, often focusing top-down on formal organizational structures, rules, and operations. For this course, we will take an alternative approach! Drawing on Harold Garfinkel’s ethnomethodological paradigm which centers members’ methods for organizing social action, we will focus on how different components of the criminal justice system come to be locally organized through the conduct of the persons present to their functioning. How do juries come to verdicts? How do police officers apply the law on a case-by-case basis? How are emergency service calls handled, and how do callers legitimate their need for services? How are court hearings organized and how do they proceed? To get at these questions, we will work through some foundational concepts in sociological thinking, including meaning making, common-sense knowledge, and accountability as a basis for understanding how fundamental social structures, institutions, and the criminal justice system come to be (re)produced through human social action.

Credits 4

Notes
From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum. First offered Fall 2024.

Area
Social Sciences

Division
Social Sciences

Compass Attributes
Social Science