KRIM4965 – Social Harm and Criminalization

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

The criminalization of certain acts is typically justified on the basis that they are harmful.  A cursory glance at any society, however, reveals that many harms are not criminalized, especially when they implicate actors and institutions in positions of power. What, then, is the relationship between criminalization and harm? Why are some harms criminalized and others tolerated? What about the harms caused by economic and political structures, including the very process of criminalization itself? This course will explore these questions by drawing on insights from the fields of zemiology (the study of social harm), criminology, sociology of law, philosophy, history and political science. Thanks to this multidisciplinary approach, students will gain a nuanced understanding of the dynamic relationship between social harm and criminalization and how it intersects with broader power structures.

The course starts with an overview of the main theories of social harm and situates them within  wider traditions of philosophical and criminological thought. The course then dives into key empirical areas in the study of social harm and how they can be analyzed using social harm perspectives and other relevant theoretical approaches. 

Core themes include:

  • The relationship between harm, power and criminalization,
  • Philosophical understandings of harm,
  • Social harms associated with capitalism, colonialism, and consumerism,
  • Gendered and racialized harms,
  • Environmental degradation and animal harm.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

Students will gain a nuanced understanding of social harm and how it can be used to critically examine their social realities. By the end of the course, students will have a solid grasp of the relationship between harm and criminalization and how that relationship is shaped by local and global power dynamics. They will also gain new insights on the following questions: 

  • What are the major theories of social harm?
  • Does the concept of social harm help us better understand pressing social issues?  
  • Can social harm perspectives be used to challenge certain institutions, practices and societal structures?
  • Why are certain harms criminalized and others tolerated or justified?

Skills
Students will:

  • Learn to link theories of social harm to concrete empirical contexts,
  • Learn to engage with a wide range of theoretical perspectives relevant to   the study of social harm, 
  • Learn to develop their own understanding of social harm. 

Competences 
Students will: 

  • Improve their ability to critically reflect on the effects of social harm in their societies,
  • Improve their ability to work and think across disciplinary boundaries.
     

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Overlapping courses

10 credits overlap with KRIM2965 – Social Harm and Criminalization