POLS 070C. Philosophy and Politics of Punishment

The question of why the United States has become a vastly more punitive society – nearly 8 million Americans have served time in state or federal prison; 20 million individuals have a felony conviction; and approximately one-third of the total population will be arrested by age 23 – is the subject of this seminar.
The aim of the seminar is to provide both critical and in-depth exploration of the interplay among philosophical questions and how it affects dominant theories – most principally, “Why we punish?” and contemporary criminal justice policy.
Social Sciences.
1.5 credit.
Fall 2025. Reeves and Berger.
Catalog chapter: Political Science
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science

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