LA 340 Social Deviance
An examination of deviance as social phenomena with particular attention to its causes and to the methods society has developed to control deviant behavior. The course will address the nature of both criminal and non-criminal forms of deviance, a variety of theoretical perspectives to address etiological causes of such behaviors, and the role of society in labeling certain segments of the population as deviant. The course will also examine the complex interaction between such factors as culture, race, gender, the law, and power in shaping current and historical definitions of deviance.