Moral Criminology

Catalog description

"Moral Criminology" provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of moral ideas, beliefs, and intuitions in the occurrence of crime and analogous behavior and in the application of punishment. How do we decide if a behavior is morally right or wrong, or if someone deserves praise or punishment? Under what conditions do our moral principles, intuitions, and emotions influence whether we follow or break rules or laws? Under what conditions do they influence our attitudes towards such behavior in others? This course integrates perspectives from criminology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy and prepares students to interpret and conduct research on the relationship between morality and crime. Part One of the course examines a variety of approaches for conceptualizing morality. Part Two reviews existing research on morality and crime. Part Three reviews existing research on morality and punishment.