The Political Economy of Crime and Punishment and Their Alternatives
ECON 252
Fall 2022
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01
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This course will explore the political economy of crime and punishment in the United States. It will begin by looking at some of the major thinkers in the field of political economy such as Smith, Marx, Keynes, Hayek, and Polanyi. Following this we will examine the difference between "law and economics" and "law and political economy." We will examine labor, both wage and slave labor, as a fictitious commodity and the implications of this for social stratification/class divisions in the American system. This will lead us to an examination of the political economy of the U.S. Congress, particularly the Senate which gives enormous minority power to 100, almost-always white, mostly male, individuals. We will also examine the political economy of the U.S. justice system, from the Supreme Court down to local prosecutors. We will use the lens of systemic racism, and we will trace this back to the ideas of Adam Smith and even earlier. We will examine alternative definitions and methods of justice, some of which are currently being applied, and inquire about how their ideological and structural foundations differ from the capitalist model. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
None |
| Course Format: Lecture | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: ECON 101 OR ECON 110 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ECON-MN)(ECON) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Sackrey, et al, Introduction to Political Economy
J. Caporaso, Theories of Political Economy
K Polanyi, The Great Transformation
D. Brown, Free Market Criminal Justice
J. Coffee, Corporate Crime and Punishment, The Crisis of Underenforcement
N. Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project
A. Wolf, The Spirit of Dialogue
R. Austin, Navajo Peace Courts and Navajo Common Law
Assorted supplemental articles as well as chapters from other books will be assigned throughout the semester.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Grades will be based on a final paper, worth 50 points, 10 short essays, approximately 2 pages each, throughout the semester, worth a total of 20 points, and the outline for the paper, the component parts of which will be graded individually for a total of 30 points.
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Valance,Nikos T Times: .M.W.F. 09:50AM-10:40AM; Location: B2B3 SOUTH; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 30 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 9 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 5 | JR non-major: 5 | SO: 15 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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