Police and Policing: American and International Perspectives
This seminar will address the administration of the criminal justice system through a focus on the front-line actors, the police. We will examine the development of the modern police force, focusing on reforms and obstacles to reform. We will pay special attention to the relationship between police and minority communities (especially the African American community), examining the roots of the historic hostility as well as attempts to improve relations. Though we will focus mainly on local police forces, we will also look at the role of federal and special intelligence units. We will pay significant attention to the recent movement toward community policing. We will also examine police and policing in an international context, focusing both on Europe and the developing world.
The reading list, which will be substantial, will draw on a diversity of sources, including historical works, memoirs, policy studies, and popular literature.