The basic purpose of this course is to analyze the causes and consequences of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States. Building on the sociological concept of a minority group and the order and conflict models of society, the means by which prejudice is perpetuated, and the process of institutional discrimination will be explored. The law, the offenders and the victims are examined in this study of crime and its causes. The conventional crimes of violence, property offenses and vice are covered along with corporate, governmental and organized crime. Changing patterns in the incidence of crime are considered.
Attention is given to conflicting punishment philosophies and practices.
Studies of inmate society are highlighted in this survey of America's attempts to correct the crime problem. The physical, psychological and sociological dimensions of the aging process are examined. Topics include retirement, poverty and old age, role disengagement, health concerns, death and dying. Attention is given to the status of the elderly as a minority group in the United States. This course explores the logic of scientific inquiry.