SOC 3810

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  • Schedule of Classes - January 5, 2026 3:59PM EST

SOC 3810
Mass Incarceration and Social Inequality in America

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

In this course we will explore the origins and consequences of mass incarceration- extraordinarily high incarceration rates within particular demographic groups above and beyond historical levels in the United States. We will examine theories of social control and deviance to uncover how institutions and individuals use power to shape societies. This course also engages theories of state power to understand and to analyze how labeling is deployed to control groups of people, and, in doing so, we will conduct a genealogy of a contemporary driver of social inequality: the prison industrial complex. Current policy debates around the movement to reduce the number of men and women in American jails and prisons will also be covered. Contemporary social problems like homelessness and food insecurity will be discussed in detail, as well as how mass incarceration contributes to growing gaps in labor force participation, wealth accumulation, and familial instability.


Distribution Requirements (D-AG, HA-AG, KCM-AG, SBA-AG), (SCD-AS, SSC-AS), (D-HE, HA-HE, KCM-HE)

Last 1 Terms Offered 2024SP

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AMST 3808, PUBPOL 3810

  • 3 Credits Opt NoAud

  •  5331 SOC 3810   LEC 001

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person