ADCJ 2001 Crime and Punishment
This course examines crime and punishment as two distinct, yet related, forms of social action. The first half focuses on the social roots of criminality. The second half concerns the social relations of punishment. While we will treat these as relatively autonomous topics, we will also spend time addressing the mismatches between the forces that promote criminality and the organized reactions to crime. We will also study a number of general structures and processes that simultaneously affect crime and punishment. For example, we will study how capitalism and racism shape crime. We will then study how these same systems shape and are shaped by punishment. Special attention will also be paid to the contradictions of criminal justice and social justice in the contemporary United States.
Course overview
- Department
- Advancing Studies
- School
- ADV
- Credits
- 4
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.75 / 5 · Excellent
- Instructor rating
- 4.74 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 5
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Joshua Seim | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4–6 hrs/week | 15 of 18 |
| Fall 2025 | Joshua Seim | 4.9 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4–6 hrs/week | 13 of 20 |
| Summer 2025 | Joshua Seim | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 7–9 hrs/week | 6 of 10 |
| Fall 2024 | Joshua Seim | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4–6 hrs/week | 15 of 19 |
| Summer 2024 | Joshua Seim | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.0 | — | 5 of 7 |