SOC 245 - Hate Crimes and Violence

This course explores hate crimes and bias-motivated violence from a world-historical perspective. The COVID-19 pandemic or the current rise of terrorism/counterterrorism has contributed to a sharp increase in violent attacks and hate crimes. These episodes need to be understood within larger discourses of racism and injustice that have long surrounded minority groups and marginalized communities. This course investigates a series of related questions to the topics: What has been the nature of the acts constituting hate crimes? Who has committed hate crimes and why? Who has been targeted by hate crimes and why? In what ways have efforts to curb hate crimes connected to protests and larger activism? This course reviews an array of theoretical work, empirical research, and case studies to address these questions.

Satisfies Sociology major requirement.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.