What Is a Criminal? HUMA 444E
University of New Hampshire
Professor Katherine Gaudet
Course Overview:
Criminals are people who break the law—in theory. Sometimes they are people who are wrongly convicted of breaking the law. Sometimes they are children who are assumed to have criminal tendencies before they commit any crimes. In this class, we will explore how people become criminals. We will also examine what happens to them in the criminal justice system, and how the system shapes and reinforces the definition of “criminal.”
This course was created with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as an “Enduring Questions” pilot course. As such, it aims to explore a question that has lasting relevance in human history through interdisciplinary perspectives. It also aims to demonstrate the importance of the humanities—the study of human art and culture—in understanding one of the thorniest issues faced by our society.
Required Textbooks:
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (10th Anniversary Edition). New York: New Press, 2020.
Gaudet, Katherine (ed.) What Is a Criminal? Answers from Inside the US Justice System. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2023.
Course Objectives:
In this course, students will:
- Read, watch, and listen to a variety of works that explore the concept of criminality
- Compare, analyze, and synthesize varying perspectives about criminality
- Engage in ongoing discussions about criminal justice
- Demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking through written and oral assessments
Discovery Program Learning Outcomes:
This course meets Humanities, Inquiry, and Writing Intensive requirements of the UNH Discovery Program, with the following Student Learning Outcomes:
- Engage with literary, philosophical, artistic and/or cinematic works that explore some aspect of the human condition.
- Pose questions about the nature of being, ethical imperatives, aesthetics, or epistemology.
- Write a critical essay investigating a focused question raised by a literary, philosophical, or artistic work.
Schedule of Content and Assignments:
| Day | Week | Class topic/Content to prepare | Assignments Due | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophical Foundations | ||||
| M | 1 | Exodus 20-22 (read in class) | ||
| W | 1 | Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7); Angulimala Sutta | Syllabus Quiz | |
| F | 1 | Plato, “The Apology” | Week 1 Discussion Board | |
| W | 2 | Sidore Event 1: “What Is a Criminal?” (video, at whatisacriminal.org) | ||
| F | 2 | HiPhi Nation, “Criminal Minds” and “Justice and Retribution” (podcast) | Week 2 Discussion board | |
| M | 3 | Writing Day: Framing a critical essay | ||
| W | 3 | Writing Day: revising | ||
| F | 3 | Writing Day: sharing | Critical Essay Due | |
| Incarceration and Reentry | ||||
| M | 4 | What Is a Criminal, Introduction and Ch. 1-2 | ||
| W | 4 | WIAC, Ch. 3-4 | ||
| F | 4 | Guest: Bobby Bostic | Week 4 Discussion Board | |
| M | 5 | The New Jim Crow, Introduction and Ch. 1 | ||
| W | 5 | NJC Ch. 2, 3 | ||
| F | 5 | Writing Day | Week 5 Discussion Board; schedule Oral Exam | |
| M | 6 | HiPhi Nation, “Redemption in the DDU” and “Punishment without End” (podcast) | ||
| W | 6 | Gawande, “Hellhole,” The New Yorker 3/23/2009 | ||
| F | 6 | Oral Exams–No class | Oral Exam 1 (10/5 and 10/6) | |
| Enforcing the Law | ||||
| W | 7 | What Is a Criminal, Ch. 5-6 | ||
| F | 7 | WIAC, Ch. 7-8 | Week 7 Discussion Board | |
| M | 8 | Wilson and Kelling, “Broken Windows,” The Atlantic 3/1/1982; Hidden Brain (podcast) 11/1/2016 | ||
| W | 8 | Sidore Event 6, “Could-Be Criminals” (video) | ||
| F | 8 | Writing day | Week 8 Discussion Board | |
| M | 9 | Guests: Superintendent Chris Brackett, Blair Rowlett | ||
| W | 9 | HiPhi Nation, “The Precrime Unit” and “Police Discretion” (podcast) | ||
| F | 9 | Field trip to Strafford County Jail | Essay 2 | |
| Ripple Effects | ||||
| M | 10 | What Is a Criminal? Ch. 9-12 | ||
| W | 10 | The New Jim Crow, Ch. 4 | ||
| F | 10 | Writing day | Week 10 Discussion Board | |
| M | 11 | The New Jim Crow, Ch. 5 | ||
| T | 11 | Visit to UNH Museum of Art | ||
| W | 11 | John Pfaff, Locked In (excerpt) | Week 11 Discussion Board; schedule oral exam | |
| M | 12 | Sidore Event 3, “Criminal Minds” (video) | ||
| W | 12 | Guest: Joseph Lascaze | ||
| F | 12 | No class | Oral Exam 2 (11/16 or 11/17) | |
| The Bigger Picture | ||||
| M | 13 | What Is a Criminal? Ch. 13-15 | ||
| M | 14 | WIAC Ch. 16-17 | ||
| W | 14 | Sidore Event 7, “Returning Citizens” (video) | ||
| F | 14 | Writing day | Week 14 Discussion Board | |
| 5 | 15 | 13th (film) | ||
| 5 | 15 | King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” | ||
| 5 | 15 | Writing day | Week 15 Discussion Board | |
| 5 | 16 | Wrap-up | ||
| Final exam block: Final Paper Sharing | Final Paper | |||
What Is a Criminal? 