WGST 3550 Prison Abolition: History, Theory and Practice: Home

1. To put contemporary mass incarceration in historic, political, and cultural context. By the end of this course, students will be able to answer questions such as: what is the relationship between incarceration and enslavement? Why does the US have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world? Do prisons reduce crime? Are prisons rehabilitative?
2. To use Black feminist theory to interrogate the relationship between prisons and race, gender, and class oppression in the US.
3. To understand the contemporary prison abolition movement and learn how to engage in independent social scientific research.
4. To develop a practical understanding of restorative justice, transformative justice, and mediation, which students can begin to use in their own lives to reduce conflict and transform harm.

1. Reading, listening, and watching (20% of final grade) : Students will read assigned course materials, listen to audio lectures, and watch videos covering key concepts in the prison abolition movement.
2. Response papers (25% of final grade): Students will write one, 3-4 page response papers, on any single unit of their choosing, addressing a minimum of two assigned or suggested texts, lectures, or videos for that unit.
   Submit here: http://bit.ly/UnitResponsePapers
3. Temperature checks (25% of final grade): Students will record 2 minute audio clips responding to a question posed at the end
   of each recorded lecture (and included on the syllabus next to the notation “record”).
   Submit here: http://bit.ly/StudentAudio
4. Collaborative final project (30% of final grade): Students will work in small groups and then as an entire class with the professor’s support to produce a zine about prison abolition and transformative justice practices and resources for the Brooklyn College student body.
   Submit here: http://bit.ly/AbolitionZine

Descriptions of all assignments, grading rubrics, and where to submit assignments are located in this Google Drive Folder:
http://bit.ly/AbolitionAssignments

Pre-Recorded Lectures (where it says “listen” in the syllabus) will be posted in this Google Drive Folder:
http://bit.ly/ProfessorLectures

All readings and videos will be posted on our course website at https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/wgst3550/home

Optional Zoom Discussion Sessions: Students can participate in optional one-hour Zoom-based discussions of course materials and any other topics related to prison abolition.

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