Courtroom dramas such as Suits, Law & Order, and The Lincoln Lawyer emphasize the crush of city life; the satisfaction or heartbreak of a decisive outcome; ethical quandaries; and the effectiveness of personal strategy and swagger in their representations of courts and criminal legal proceedings in the United States. However, as sociologists, we are equipped to analyze courts as places and institutions and prosecution and defense as processes, all of which are shaped by and, in turn, shape, their social contexts and communities. In this class, we will (1) sociologically confront the myth of courts as societal vacuums and (2) develop and/or strengthen concrete analytic and technical skills that facilitate collaborative and independent social scientific exploration of courts in place. Are rural courts different? How does climate change relate to guilt? Do opinions matter in the “doing” of justice? What happens when the court is the community? These are just some of the questions that we will engage.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 20

Prerequisites: At least one social science course at the 100-level or above.

Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring