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PRISONS: FROM ANTIQUITY TO SUPERMAX

HISTORY/LEGALST 235
Course Description

Examines the development of prisons from the ancient Mediterranean world to the present in the US and Europe. Pays particular attention to the way in which imprisonment has been used against marginalized populations. Examines the development of carceral tactics across a number of registers, including the prison as an ancient political tactic, the economic logic of early modern debtors' prisons, the relationship of prisons and workhouses to forms of capitalism, prisons and colonial expansion, the relationship between mass incarceration and democratic forms of government, as well as the connections between the abolition of slavery and modern carceral practices. Also looks at the legal and constitutional limitations that have been put on imprisonment by the American legal system. Relies on interdisciplinary approaches to the study of prisons, including History, law, literature, and political theory.

Prerequisites

None

Satisfies

This course does not satisfy any prerequisites.

Credits

Not Reported

Offered

Not Reported

Grade Point Average
3.26

No change from Historical

Completion Rate
98.04%

No change from Historical

A Rate
61.76%

No change from Historical

Class Size
102

No change from Historical

Cumulative Grade Distribution

Instructors (2026 Summr)

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