Course Description

Focuses on violence committed by agents of the state, such as police and military officials, against their civilian populations. Particular attention is paid to the contemporary United States, though patterns of state violence across diverse state systems, including democracies, oligarchies, and autocracies, are also reviewed. The object of the course is to describe and explain variation in the amount and type of violence inflicted by the state against those it is said to serve.

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Athena Title

State Violence

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Prerequisite

SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101H or SOCI 1101E or permission of department

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Course Objectives

The goal of the class will be to describe and explain patterns of state violence. The class will compare and analyze selected societies with low, medium, and high levels of violence inflicted by state agents. Students will analyze how, and which, structural characteristics of society promote and inhibit the amount and type of violence civilians experience at the hands of state officials as they police crime and respond to protest or counter-terrorism.

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Topical Outline

Possible topics: 1. Introduction: What is State Violence? 2. Types of States 3. Theories of State Violence 4. The United States: Police Violence 5. The United States: Counterterrorism 6. Oligarchy: Brazil 7. Oligarchy: Iran 8. Autocracy: Nazi Germany 9. Autocracy: North Korea 10. Conclusions: Sociological Principles of State Violence

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