SOC 327—Victims & Victimization

This course focuses on victims of crime, as well as the emotional and social psychological consequences associated with victimization. Students will develop an understanding of the impact of crime on victims and communities, the relationship (and overlap) between victims and offenders, as well as the victim’s treatment, roles, and rights in the criminal justice system. We will also examine the social construction of victimization, including how race, gender, and class shape societal response to harm and victimization, and how and why society defines certain harmful acts as more serious than others, and some victims as more important than others. The course will also provide a comprehensive review of the history and theories of victimology.