Course Type: Upper-level elective
Institution: Bryn Mawr College
Semesters Taught: Spring 2025 + 1x prior
Enrollment: 15-20 students

Course Description

I designed this elective course as a survey of work in the sociology of violence, ranging from topics typically covered in Criminology courses (murder, domestic violence, school shootings, drug market violence) to those typically covered in courses on Social Movements (riots, pogroms, and genocides) and those typically covered in Military Sociology (battle dynamics, military organization, and guerrilla warfare) or Political Sociology (state formation, revolution, and imperial collapse).

The course offers an opportunity to compare features of violence that recur across scales of social action.

Course Structure

Module 1: Lenses on Violence - Theoretical frameworks for understanding violence
Module 2: Interpersonal Violence - Individual and dyadic forms of violence
Module 3: Collective Violence - Group and crowd dynamics in violent episodes
Module 4: Organized Violence - Institutional and state-sponsored violence

Pedagogical Approach

• Comparative analysis: Students examine violence across different scales and contexts
• Portfolio projects: Students explore particular forms of violence or cross-cutting themes in greater depth
• Discussion-based learning: Small-group activities and collaborative analysis
• Theoretical application: Using sociological frameworks to understand violent phenomena

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understanding violence as a social phenomenon with patterns and structures
• Comparative analysis skills across different forms and scales of violence
• Critical examination of media representations of violence
• Application of sociological theory to contemporary issues
• Research and analytical writing skills

Assessment

The course uses an ungrading approach with portfolio projects that allow students to explore particular forms of violence or cross-cutting themes according to their interests and career goals.

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Header image: Titian, “Cain and Abel” (c. 1542-1544). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.