Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
The American (In)justice System
Instructor(s): Daniel Peterson, Psychology
This course examines how/why certain groups are systematically disadvantaged within the American legal system. We’ll first examine the steps of the criminal justice process from the moment a crime is committed to the moment the defendant is sentenced. We’ll learn about current policy standards and how they deviate from what research suggests would be best practice. Then we’ll discuss how those disparities impact different groups through various lenses including psychology, sociology, economics, legal studies, and criminology. Source material for the course content will come from two primary domains: scientific research findings and criminal cases from the popular press.
Course Offered: