The Law in our Lives: Governing Marginalized Populations

Catalog description

We often think about the law as limited to codes and courts, but the law shapes most aspects of our daily lives, from where we live and go to school to how we build relationships and navigate public space. In this way, the law can be both a force for justice and a tool of exclusion. This seminar will explore the connection between law and [in]justice through examining how the state governs historically marginalized groups, particularly low-income Black and Brown families in the United States. The course will draw primarily on sociological literature and methods to explore theories and case studies of governance at the margins, from population-level policies to everyday institutional interactions in courts, schools, hospitals, and more. In addition to reading relevant literature, we will observe and analyze how governance unfolds “on the ground” through field visits across Philadelphia to sites such as public libraries, courthouses, local nonprofits, and City Hall. As we learn together, we will consider the implications of various modes of governance for the reproduction of social marginality—as well as the potential of the law to promote care and justice.