Deviance: A Global Perspective (original) (raw)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, students are introduced to key concepts and theories in the sociological study of deviance from a global perspective. Because deviance, or the violation of social norms, is defined within a social context, it is a concept that is necessarily historically, socially and culturally situated. We explore the social origins of deviance around the globe, from ancient to modern times, as well as how it relates to the myriad ways that societies regulate the behavior and beliefs of individuals. The sociological theories mobilized in this course attempt to parse out why people engage in deviant behavior, how they become deviant, how certain behaviors and characteristics are defined as deviant and the consequences of being labeled as deviant within a society. The first part of this course answers the question: what is deviance? We first discuss historical interpretations of deviance as a violation of the natural world, classical interpretations of deviance as "rational hedonism" and pathological interpretations of deviance as illness. We then examine the main sociological theories developed to explain the social origins of deviance from various sociological perspectives, such as. functionalism (anomie and strain theory), symbolic interaction (Control Theory, Social Learning and Labeling Theory), conflict theories (Feminist, Marxist and Critical Theory) and postmodern (Foucauldian).