SOC 3560 - Sociology of Social Control

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1010

Description: A sociological study of social control investigates how we prevent people from breaking societal rules or norms. This course examines how norm-breaking behavior is labeled as good or bad, how these definitions vary at different times and in different places, and how they are reinforced or challenged. How some groups of people have the power to shape definitions of deviance and control others with those definitions is also assessed. Additionally, students in this course both examine and evaluate the consequences of this labeling process, how people come to develop a deviant identity, and what that means to them in the course of their daily lives.