SOCY 5530 Studies in Crime, Deviance, and Social Control

This seminar involves a critical sociological exploration of social control and the deviance that powerful forms of control exclude, marginalize, and silence. How do gendered, class-based, and racialized formations of power influence what society views as normal and what it labels as deviant? What prompts people to resist dominant rituals of social control? Of particular concern are new global technologies of control and resistance; racialized policing and mass incarceration; the management of madness; omnipresent surveillance; elite and governmental wrongdoing; and the global trafficking of people, sex, drugs, body parts, weapons, terrorism, and mesmerizing media images that fascinate and create fear.

Course overview

Department
Sociology
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Both
Offered
Periodically in the Fall, Periodically in the Spring

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.50 / 5 · Excellent
15 responses
Instructor rating
4.54 / 5 · Excellent
15 responses
Terms evaluated
2
Most recent: Spring 2026

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2026Stephen J Pfohl4.54.54.74.54.84.74.84.54–6 hrs/week7 of 11
Spring 2023Stephen J Pfohl4.54.64.44.54.84.54.64.5—8 of 13

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Stephen J Pfohl
    Spring 2027, Spring 2026, Spring 2023 · Official rating 4.54/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Spring 2027 · Stephen J Pfohl · Mcguinn Hall 415 W 03:00PM-05:30PM · Offered