Course Outline
Master of Social Sciences (M.Soc.Sc.) in Criminology
First Semester 2013-14
SOCI8004 Punishment and Society
(Thursday, 6:45 – 9:45 p.m., CPD 3.01)
Dr. Kalwan Kwan (kalwan@hku.hk)
Dr. XU Jianhua (xujh@hku.hk)
The social institution of punishment is a central object of social theory and in many ways a mirror of society and its norms. Why and how should we punish wrongdoers in our society? The course aims to explain punishment and society in a multi-dimensional context, entrenched in disciplines including criminology, penology, sociology, psychology, ethics ….. Punishment, in other words, is far more than a technical problem linked to certain institutions of crime control and prevention. The course will look at the different functions of punishment, like retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and restoration. We will trace those functions historically and culturally, finding vast cultural and social differences in the way in which punishment is practiced. For instance, there is a vast difference in how Americans and Europeans think about and practice punishment, and we even find other approaches to punishment in China. The course will start by looking at the popular opinions about punishment, reminding us that the issue of punishment is both a normative and a scientific issue.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course students should be able to:
1. understand the differences between common sense approaches and scientific evidence based approaches to the effects of punishment;
2. understand basic philosophical arguments about punishment;
3. learn how to see punishment in a comparative and historical context;
4. identify basic issues of rehabilitative and retributive approaches to punishment;
5. discuss basic issues concerning the death penalty.
Assessment:
(A) Write a term paper of about 3000 words to be submitted two weeks after last lecture, i.e. 12 Dec 2013. Late submission will be penalized.
First Semester 2013-14
SOCI8004 Punishment and Society
(Thursday, 6:45 – 9:45 p.m., CPD 3.01)
Dr. Kalwan Kwan (kalwan@hku.hk)
Dr. XU Jianhua (xujh@hku.hk)
The social institution of punishment is a central object of social theory and in many ways a mirror of society and its norms. Why and how should we punish wrongdoers in our society? The course aims to explain punishment and society in a multi-dimensional context, entrenched in disciplines including criminology, penology, sociology, psychology, ethics ….. Punishment, in other words, is far more than a technical problem linked to certain institutions of crime control and prevention. The course will look at the different functions of punishment, like retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and restoration. We will trace those functions historically and culturally, finding vast cultural and social differences in the way in which punishment is practiced. For instance, there is a vast difference in how Americans and Europeans think about and practice punishment, and we even find other approaches to punishment in China. The course will start by looking at the popular opinions about punishment, reminding us that the issue of punishment is both a normative and a scientific issue.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course students should be able to:
1. understand the differences between common sense approaches and scientific evidence based approaches to the effects of punishment;
2. understand basic philosophical arguments about punishment;
3. learn how to see punishment in a comparative and historical context;
4. identify basic issues of rehabilitative and retributive approaches to punishment;
5. discuss basic issues concerning the death penalty.
Assessment:
(A) Write a term paper of about 3000 words to be submitted two weeks after last lecture, i.e. 12 Dec 2013. Late submission will be penalized.