The themes of this course involve a broad selection of topics in the sociology of social control. First, the course will begin with an overview of theories in the sociology of social control, which will also serve to trace some of the history of the concept of social control in American sociology. Second, we discuss aspects in the historical transformation of social control and punishment from the 18th century onwards. Third, a number of special topics are discussed: 1) social control across borders (international police cooperation); 2) terrorism and counter-terrorism; 3) the history of surveillance; and 4) control technologies, the internet, and privacy. Fourth, we conclude by discussing the contemporary culture of control in the United States, including punishment and incarceration. 

The objectives of this course are to understand some of the specific characteristics of the manner in which sociologists study social control as well as some of the patterns and dynamics of social control in a variety of societal settings. Active student participation is appreciated. 

Prerequisites: Please be aware that this is a relatively demanding course, which requires, on average, at least two to three hours of work outside class every week. The lectures, readings, and assignments for this course are extensive and of the highest academic rigor and sociological expertise. This course is primarily designed for sociology majors and minors at the senior and junior levels, but other students with sufficient background knowledge in relevant issues are welcome to sign up. A necessary prerequisite for this course is a Sociology 300-level course, or SOCY 540, or consent of the instructor. Graduate students taking this course have to consult the instructor prior to signing up. 

My USC course evaluations are available from the Student Pages.

Please note that the syllabus for this course is only handed out in class. This online course outline is not the syllabus and is only posted for your information and to gain access to the online readings. 

I. Sociological Theories of Social Control 

II. On the History of Social Control & Punishment

- The History of Punishment
- Discipline and the Rise of the Prison

- Social Control Across Borders 
- Policing International Terrorism

The grade for this course is calculated exclusively on the basis of the tests during the semester and the final exam which is cumulative. The various assignments count for a total of 200 points, distributed as follows:

Tests:
      Test 1:  30 points (15% of total grade)
      Test 2:  30 points 
      Test 3:  30 points
      Test 4:  30 points
Final Cumulative Exam:  80 points (40% of grade) 
      TOTAL:   200 points

Please be aware that assignments, instructions, and other materials are handed out only during the class. It is students' responsibility to retrieve whatever information and/or hand-outs that they may have missed. Please note that the USC Undergraduate Studies Bulletin states: “Students are obligated to complete all assigned work promptly, to attend class regularly, and to participate in whatever class discussion may occur... It is the student’s responsibility to keep informed concerning all assignments made. Absences, whether excused or unexcused, do not absolve the student from this responsibility...”

Failure to comply with the University’s regulations concerning academic integrity (such as cheating and plagiarism) will automatically result in a failing grade for the course and will be dealt with on the basis of the USC Honor Code (see also the FAQs page). Further specifications of class policies may be determined during the semester. If students know they will miss or already have missed a class, I appreciate very much that they let me know. Students are very much encouraged to talk with me about any emergency situation that may arise. 

FINAL EXAM:  Check the Final Exam Schedule on the Registrar’s Office webpages: http://registrar.sc.edu/html/calendar/default.stm (our class counts as a MWF 12:20 class). 

In terms of my teaching philosophy, I believe that a useful education must involve qualification on the part of the instructor as well as serious effort on the part of the student. This means that you can expect me to do my job as much as I expect you to do yours. Therefore, I expect you to adhere to the following class rules: 1) when you choose to come to class, you arrive on time; and 2) when you choose to come to class, you pay attention for the entire time the class meets and you do not engage in disorderly conduct as defined in USC’s Student Code of Conduct Policy.* Once you have left the classroom during the class, you are not allowed to reenter. The use of cell phones in the classroom, for whatever purpose, is prohibited. Any infraction of these rules will result in a failing grade (F). This rule is enforced without exception and without warning. Further classroom conduct and exam regulations may be specified during the semester. 

* Our university’s Student Code of Conduct Policy includes this provision: “Disorderly Conduct: Individual or group behavior that interferes with the freedom of expression, movement or activity of others, or with the educational mission of the University is prohibited. Such conduct includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome physical contact, harassment, or classroom behavior that interferes with either: (a) the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or instructional program; or (b) the ability of other students to profit from the class or instructional program.”

There is no attendance policy beyond the University’s regulations in this matter. Should you wish to do well in this course, attendance will be useful. When you choose to attend the course, I expect that you adhere to the classroom policies and that you attentively participate in the lectures, rather than just try to copy what is written down on the white board. 

I very much welcome your visit during my office hours or by appointment to talk about anything that you think is useful. When you email me, you are expected, in order to receive a response, to use the course number in the subject line and to start the message with a formal greeting. 

Professor Mathieu Deflem, Ph.D., Office: Sloan College 217
Office Hours: M-W 10:00-11:00 a.m. & F 3:00-5:00 p.m. Messages via email deflem@sc.edu

1) Michel Foucault. (1975) 1977. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75255-2 

2) Christian Parenti. 2003. The Soft Cage: Surveillance in America from Slavery to the War on Terror. New York: Basic Books. ISBN: 9780465054855

3) Renford Reese. 2006. Prison Race. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. ISBN-10: 1-59460-183-6. 

4) David Garland. 2002. The Culture of Control. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-0-226-28384-5. 

REQUIRED ARTICLES 

Download instructions: The required articles are all online. Most of these readings can only be accessed from University servers or by proxy (USC) in Netscape, or by adding the following prefix to every linked article in a database to which a subscription is required: pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url= e.g. http://www.jstor.org/ becomes http://pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url=www.jstor.org/ 

Note: Print JSTOR articles by clicking on the article title, then click on PDF and print! 

Social Control, by Edward A. Ross. American Journal of Sociology 1(5):513-535, 1896. 

Social Control. IV. Suggestion, by Edward A. Ross. American Journal of Sociology 2(2):255-263, 1896.

Social Control. XIV. Education, by E.A. Ross. American Journal of Sociology 5(4):475-487, 1900. 

Perspectives on the Concept of Social Control, by Robert F. Meier. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 8. (1982), pp. 35-55. 

Bureaucratization and Social Control: Historical Foundations of International Police Cooperation, by Mathieu Deflem. Law & Society Review 34(3):601-640, 2000. 

Technology and the Internationalization of Policing: A Comparative-Historical Perspective, by Mathieu Deflem. Justice Quarterly 19(3):453-475, 2002. 

Social Control and the Policing of Terrorism: Foundations for a Sociology of Counter-Terrorism, by Mathieu Deflem. The American Sociologist 35(2):75-92, 2004. 

Europol and the Policing of International Terrorism: Counter-Terrorism in a Global Perspective, by Mathieu Deflem. Justice Quarterly 23(3):336-359, 2006. 

Global Rule of Law or Global Rule of Law Enforcement? International Police Cooperation and Counter-Terrorism, by Mathieu Deflem. The Annals 603:240-251, 2006. 

Policing Post-War Iraq: Insurgency, Civilian Police, and the Reconstruction of Society, by Mathieu Deflem and Suzanne Sutphin. Sociological Focus 39(4):265-283, 2006.

Related Online Links

Sex Slaves - PBS program on the international trade in prostitution. 

The Challenge of Policing Iraq - NPR program on policing Iraq, with audio files.

Surveillance Nation - Radio program on security cameras, On Point, NPR.

Recent Technology and Social Control: 
Shotspotter & Mosquito.|.mosquito (audio).|.mosq.|.mosq.|.mosq

Theory/Foucault: 
panopticon/art.|.Foucault French.|.Chomsky & Foucault.|.On discipline

CCTV & Police: 
football/demonstrations.|.rave.|.Interpol.|.Interpol.|.Interpolterrorism (at 11 and 48 min)

Private & Public: 
business/video.|.violence.|.handcuffs.|.NSA.|.ICE.|.pro-surveillance.|.irony.|.self

Resistance & Pleasure: 
resistance.|.resistance/internet.|.entertainment.|.funny.|.robbery

Military & Police: 
military/Iraq.|.Iraq.|.Yamas.|.Yamas

Note: unlinked and unlinkable articles are available in JSTOR and can be retrieved via an online search. Print JSTOR articles by clicking on the article title, then click on PDF and print! 

General and Theoretical 

Reactions to Deviance: A Critical Assessment, by Edwin M. Schur. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 75, No. 3. (Nov., 1969), pp. 309-322.

Social Control and the Theory of Communicative Action, by Mathieu Deflem. International Journal of the Sociology of Law 22(4):355-373, 1994.

Statism, Pluralism and Social Control, by Paul Hirst. The British Journal of Criminology, 1/1/00 (Vol. 40, No. 2) , pp. 279-295. 

Cannibalism and bulimia: Patterns of social control in late modernity, by Jock Young. Theoretical Criminology, 11/1/99 (Vol. 3, No. 4) , pp. 387-407. 

Surveillance and Criminal Statistics: Historical Foundations of Governmentality, by Mathieu Deflem. Pp. 149-184 in Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Vol. 17, edited by A. Sarat and S. Silbey. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1997.

The Boundaries of International Cooperation: Problems and Prospects of U.S.-Mexican Policing, by Mathieu Deflem. Chapter in Corruption, Police, Security & Democracy, edited by Menachem Amir & Stanley Einstein. Chicago: Office on International Criminal Justice, 2004. 

Moral boundaries and deviant music: Public attitudes toward heavy metal and rap, by Lynxwiler and Gay. Deviant Behavior, 1/1/00 (Vol. 21, No. 1) , pp. 63-85.

Examining the informal sanctioning of deviance in a chat room culture, by Rhonda D. Evans. Deviant Behavior, 5/1/01 (Vol. 22, No. 3) .

Propagandizing pederasty: A thematic analysis of the on-line exculpatory accounts of unrepentant pedophiles, by Keith F. Durkin, and Clifton D. Bryant. Deviant Behavior, 3/1/99 (Vol. 20, No. 2) , pp. 103-127.

The cultural embeddedness of social control: Reflections on the comparison of Italian and North-American cultures concerning punishment, by Dario Melossi. Theoretical Criminology, 11/1/2001 (Vol. 5, No. 4), pp. 403-424.

The Democratic Deficit Revisited: Considering the Politics of Criminal Justice, by Mathieu Deflem. Pp. 111-117 in Politique, police et justice au bord du futur: Mélanges pour et avec Lode Van Outrive, edited by Y. Cartuyvels et al. Paris: L’Harmattan, 1998. 

Subordination and Violence against State Control Agents: Testing Political Explanations for Lethal Assaults against the Police, by David Jacobs; Jason T. Carmichael. Social Forces Vol. 80, No. 4 (Jun., 2002), pp. 1223-1251. 

Racial Threat and Social Control: A Test of the Political, Economic, and Threat of Black Crime Hypotheses, by David Eitle; Stewart J. D'Alessio; Lisa Stolzenberg. Social Forces Vol. 81, No. 2 (Dec., 2002), pp. 557-576. 

Not Just a Matter of Criminal Justice: States, Institutions, and North American Drug Policy, by Ellen Benoit. Sociological Forum Vol. 18, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), pp. 269-294. 

Protest under Fire? Explaining the Policing of Protest, by Jennifer Earl; Sarah A. Soule; John D. McCarthy. American Sociological Review Vol. 68, No. 4 (Aug., 2003). 

Explaining Terrorism: The Contribution of Collective Action Theory, by Anthony Oberschall. Sociological Theory Vol. 22, No. 1, Theories of Terrorism: A Symposium (Mar., 2004), pp. 26-37. 

Topic: Mass Incarceration

Mass Imprisonment and the Life Course: Race and Class Inequality in U.S. Incarceration, by Becky Pettit; Bruce Western. American Sociological Review Vol. 69, No. 2 (Apr., 2004), pp. 151-169. 

The Political Economy of Imprisonment in Affluent Western Democracies, 1960-1990, by John R. Sutton. American Sociological Review Vol. 69, No. 2 (Apr., 2004), pp. 170-189. 

Political Institutions, Minorities, and Punishment: A Pooled Cross-National Analysis of Imprisonment Rates, by David Jacobs; Richard Kleban. Social Forces Vol. 82, No. 2 (Dec., 2003), pp. 725-755. 

Crime and Punishment: The Politics of Federal Criminal Justice Sanctions, by Sean Nicholson-Crotty; Kenneth J. Meier. Political Research Quarterly Vol. 56, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), pp. 119-126. 

The Impact of Incarceration on Wage Mobility and Inequality, by Bruce Western. American Sociological Review Vol. 67, No. 4 (Aug., 2002), pp. 526-546. 

A Multilevel Analysis of the Relationship between Labor Surplus and Pretrial Incarceration, by Stewart J. D'Alessio; Lisa Stolzenberg. Social Problems Vol. 49, No. 2 (May, 2002), pp. 178-193. 

The Political Context of Sentencing: An Analysis of Community and Individual Determinants
Ronald Helms; David Jacobs
Social Forces > Vol. 81, No. 2 (Dec., 2002), pp. 577-604 

The Politics of Punishment across Time and Space: A Pooled Time-Series Analysis of Imprisonment Rates, by David Jacobs; Jason T. Carmichael. Social Forces Vol. 80, No. 1 (Sep., 2001), pp. 61-89. 

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Sentencing: Evidence from the U. S. Federal Courts, by David B. Mustard. Journal of Law and Economics Vol. 44, No. 1 (Apr., 2001), pp. 285-314. 

Ethnicity and Sentencing Outcomes in U.S. Federal Courts: Who is Punished More Harshly?, by Darrell Steffensmeier; Stephen Demuth. American Sociological Review Vol. 65, No. 5 (Oct., 2000), pp. 705-729. 

Imprisonment and Social Classification in Five Common-Law Democracies, 1955-1985, by John R. Sutton. The American Journal of Sociology Vol. 106, No. 2 (Sep., 2000), pp. 350-386. 

Four Strategies to Cut Carceral Costs: On Managing Mass Imprisonment in the United States [PDF], by Loïc Wacquant. Studies in Political Economy 18 (Spring 2002): 19-30. 

The Penalization of Poverty and the Rise of Neoliberalism [PDF], by Loïc Wacquant. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, special issue on Criminal Justice and Social Policy, 9-4 (Winter 2001): 401-412.