Prisons, Human Rights, & African Americans
AFRA 3898-002 / HIST 3098-001 / HRTS 3298-002
MWF 10:10 – 11am
Human Rights and Mass Incarceration in the United States will examine the historical development of the prison-industrial complex. Beginning with the origins of policing and penitentiaries and ending with the explosion of the prison population due to the war on drugs, the course will investigate how these systems have been used as a form of social control specifically against people of African descent. The course will explore themes such as convict leasing, the War on Drugs, the existence of political prisoners in the US and the school-to-prison pipeline among other vital issues. The course will also examine some of the human rights violations related to mass incarceration raised by organizers, scholars, lawyers and the currently and formerly incarcerated. By the end of the semester, students will become familiar with fundamental concepts and terms and will have a solid understanding of the history prisons and police in the United States.
For more information, contact: Prof. Alhaji Conteh at Alhaji.conteh@uconn.edu