REST244L - Prison, Praxis and Prisoners

3 Credit(s)

Liberal Arts
What values are informing present prison structures? How does the stated purpose of prisons as defined by both federal and state mission statements compare to the actual experience of the imprisoned and the systematic administrations of that purpose? We will be engaging in a critical reflection of the experience of imprisonment to investigate the possibility of a socio-spiritual (re)configuration of the prison. This course will consider the social, psychological, political, and spiritual reality related to both prisons and those imprisoned. Among the related issues that we will examine will be social safety concerns and human rights. We will especially consider the experience of imprisonment for women separated from their children, and the effect of present policies on these children. Through Amnesty International, the Index on Censorship, and other work on behalf of human rights, we will also study the situation of political prisoners and pervasive torture in the world today. Given this sort of inquiry is it possible to conceive of values that reflect a more transcendent perspective on the prison experience? This course will attempt through readings, film, documentary, voices of prisoners, and a praxis project to gain a critical awareness of the prison system in the U.S. with some comparison to prisons in other countries. We will analyze alternatives to imprisonment and consider possibilities for change. We will also ask existential questions, for example, in what way are we ourselves imprisoned? Is life intrinsically meaningful, even in prison? What is our connection to those in prison? The course will consider different sociopolitical and theological positions infused with a theologically informed liberationist approach.

Offered When: Annually.