SSS 227 Crime and Punishment: How Culture Shapes Our Understanding and Response to Crime
What do we really know about why people commit crimes? Much of our perceptions come from the media, including pop culture TV shows. Yet how much of that is based in reality? Why do people commit crimes? How do different societies intervene? How do different social policies ultimately impact how we respond to crimes in our society? This course will explore these questions and compare and contrast the how the US vs. Italian and European systems differ in both our understanding of the origins of crimes and how we ultimately intervene to prevent future ones. As part of the course, students will be asked to write a position brief comparing an issue related to crime between the US and Italy. As part of this process, they will describe how this issue impacts certain stakeholders, critically examine what each country is doing to address the issue, and provide recommendations regarding how the response could be improved.
Understanding criminal behavior is a topic that crosses multiple fields, including but not limited to, social work, psychology, sociology, education, early childhood development, anthropology, politics, theology, history, English, philosophy, and of course criminology. Students from Catholic University are immersed in the rich traditions of theology and philosophy to answer important questions about the world. This course will add another dimension by delving in to the factors that shape individual actions within the context of society.
Cross Listed Courses
SOC 227 & SSS 227