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. This is a “side by side” course undertaken with formally incarcerated scholars, who navigated myriad hardships and completed college degrees inside prison walls and who, since coming home, lead public policy interventions. They will guide our studies and offer opportunities for cutting-edge policy work.
Social Sciences.
1.5 credit.
Eligible for PPE.
Fall 2025. Reeves and Berger.
Catalog chapter: Political Science
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science

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