HIST 056. Police, Prisons, & Protests

Police violence and incarceration have been the subject of increasing scholarly and popular attention in past years, particularly since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the global uprisings against police brutality in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. This course provides an introduction to histories of the carceral state in the U.S. How have police and prisons developed throughout U.S. history? Who has been policed and imprisoned? How have impacted communities responded to and resisted police violence and incarceration? We will address these questions through analysis of primary historical sources, scholarly literature, films, and case studies of contemporary activism.
Prerequisite: Previous course in the department or instructor permission.
Social sciences.
1 credit.
Eligible for Eligible for PEAC, ESCH. Concentrations: Domination and Resistance
Fall 2025. Truong.
Catalog chapter: History
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/history

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