SOC 323 Sociology of Law
This course explores law as a social institution that both shapes and is shaped by society. We begin by surveying classic accounts of this mutually constitutive relationship (e.g., law as a reflection of universal morality, shared values, formal rationality, elite interests, or professional practice). We then turn to empirical work on "law in action" rather than law "on the books," asking how law is made and enforced, how ordinary people think about, mobilize, and avoid law, and what law ultimately accomplishes—or fails to accomplish—and for whom, with a focus on class, disability, gender, immigration status, race, sexuality, and other markers of social power, identity, and difference in the United States.
Prerequisite
SOC 101, SOC 102, or SOC 105