SOAN 213 - Sociology and Criminology of War

FDR: Social Sciences (SS4)
Credits: 3

What is the relationship between war and crime? Has war been with us forever or is it a relatively recent development? Do states make war or does war make states? What happens to societies that wage war? This class adopts a sociological and criminological perspective to discuss these and other questions about war. Students will learn the difference between war crimes and the crime of war, discuss such issues as the Nurenberg Tribunal, hazing cultures in military organizations, war-related sexual violence, child soldiers, private military companies, and crime rates during and after wars. This class offers insight into how sociologists and criminologists approached the topic of war: theories they have produced, studies they have conducted, and difficulties they have encountered when learning about this particular kind of organized violence.