Course Descriptions

This course is intended to introduce students to the analysis of the relationship between crime and society. The core concept is that crime is embedded in social structure and process and therefore must be understood in relation to, rather than apart from, normal social activity. A variety of classical and contemporary perspectives on the definition, causes and consequences of crime will be explored and student analysis of contemporary issues involving crime in Canadian society will be encouraged.

This course examines the impact of contemporary crime prevention, surveillance and security practices. Students will learn how social control is achieved through a widening network of public and private agencies, including social services, law enforcement and urban planners, who regulate and ‘police’ our everyday interactions at the local, national and global levels. The second part of the course will focus on the targeting of minority and protest groups who are constructed as ‘risks’ to society.

This course explores the gendered experiences of women and LGBTQ2S+ people involved in all phases of the criminal justice system, such as victims/survivors, offenders, and professionals. We will critically engage with the intersections among gender, race, class, and sexuality, and analyze the ways in which these affect the treatment of women and LGBTQ2S+ people inside and outside the criminal justice system. Particular attention will be paid to the experiences of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people, as well as the links between inequality and criminalization.

This course examines the law in relation to social relationships, processes, and structures. It will consider the social function of law and how the practice of law impacts different communities and individuals. The course will include discussion of how legal theories relate to conceptions of society, critiques of law from a sociological and feminist perspective, and the relationship between law as form of social control and change.

This course examines the relationship between minority groups and the criminal justice system. Students will analyze how unequal power relations are created and sustained through the operations of the police, courts, social services and correctional system both within Canada and internationally. Of particular concern is how crime and the justice system further marginalize minority groups, including those with statuses associated with gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, citizenship and religion.

Students will work with a Criminology faculty member to guide them in an independent study or research project. Specific course details will be arranged between individual students and faculty members.