Studying social deviance has a long standing in the field of Sociology. As various forms of deviance can cause harm, confusion, or dysfunction, we are very interested in studying them. In this course, we will focus our investigation on 3 key questions:

• What is deviance? How do we attach meaning to certain acts or behaviors? Who decides what is deviant and what is not?

• Why are people deviant (and, perhaps equally important) why do some people conform?

• How do we respond to deviance? What ways are effective and which ones are less effective?

Our mission in this course is two-fold: learn about the extensive theories and research about deviance and to evaluate and analyze them. In doing so, we will explore a rich collection of ideas about right, wrong, power, control, and our society.