Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice (SOC*4320)

Code and section: SOC*4320*01

Term: Winter 2026

Instructor: Tugce Ellialti-Kose

Details

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

SOC*4320 | Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice

Gender, Law, and Social Change

Winter 2026

 

Instructor: Dr. Tuğçe Ellialtı-Köse

Email Address: tugce@uoguelph.ca

Class Time & Location: TBA

---

This course is designed to introduce students to the key issues, theories, and debates concerned with the workings of the law and the state in relation to gender. In this course, we will explore how notions of sex and gender inform, and are shaped by, the laws and public policies, and examine how gender is embedded in the politics of law making and application, by looking specifically at the organization and workings of public, state, and legal institutions, the behaviors of legal, political, and social actors as well as the discourses employed in these processes and related practices. Within the scope of this course, the law is understood and analyzed as both a tool of monitoring, classifying, regulating, and constraining the living conditions, bodies, and sexualities of women – and men – and LGBTQs, racialized, Indigenous or otherwise, and their everyday experiences in households, markets, and communities, as well as a site of discursive struggle and emancipatory practice.

The course seeks to develop a theoretically rich, nuanced, and comprehensive understanding of the socio-legal connections between gender, law/the state, and social change. To this end, the course will begin with an examination of the relationship between law and social change, and an overview of key concepts, questions, and theoretical approaches in socio-legal scholarship with respect to gender, including a discussion on how feminist engagements with the state exposed the gender-discriminatory aspects and components of laws and policies—and the ways that such laws and policies historically impacted certain populations—and sought to replace them with “better ones” from a gender perspective. By drawing on and employing concepts, ideas, and insights from a range of disciplines and fields, including sociology, anthropology, criminology, and law, the course will continue with a survey of some of the key topics that gender and feminist legal scholars substantially studied, including, but not limited to, employment, care work, family and parenting, the regulation of sexuality and intimate relationships, and reproductive rights and justice, domestic and sexual violence, sex work/prostitution, and immigration.

In the course, we will probe the explicit and implicit assumptions about gender, race, class, sexuality, and other axes of social differentiation that influence, are promoted in, and built into, law as well as legal processes and practices. While gender is the central concept around which the course is organized, we recognize that all people — including women — differ on many other dimensions, such as class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, geography, etc. to name a few, and that these factors impact law making, policy orientations, and legal decisions as well as processes of marginalization and inequalities.

    The readings will include both foundational texts in feminist and law and society scholarships and newer critical literatures on specific, contemporary social, legal, and political issues.

On successful completion of this course, you will be able:

• to develop a sociological and feminist understanding of the law both as a tool of regulation and control as a site of dissent and contestation.
• to develop a comprehension of the major theoretical approaches elaborated and adopted by gender and feminist scholars in socio-legal studies.
• to better understand inequities based on sex and gender, their sources, and attempts to reduce them through political and legal means.
• to have an in-depth grasp of the key topics, methodologies, and debates that animate the literature.
• to clearly articulate in both speaking and writing their theoretically informed and empirically supported arguments on those issues and debates.
• to develop the ability to understand the extent to which gender matters with respect to law with a particular focus on how states and governments regulate relationships and axes of social differentiation (i.e., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, citizenship status, etc.) through the making and implementation of laws and their interpretation by various institutions and read and critique feminist social science research and theory.
• to approach controversial issues, texts, and arguments with an open and reflective mind and a critical lens and to engage in thoughtful and respectful discussion.
• to connect sociological theory, empirical research, and real-world experience/events (e.g., to apply course content and class discussions to contemporary everyday life). Please remember that what we read and discuss in class is highly relevant to our lives.
• to improve your critical thinking, reading and writing skills to use academic sources to develop compelling research questions and make convincing and well-grounded arguments through engagement with course materials and your peers.
• to demonstrate competence in critically evaluating, synthesizing and communicating information, arguments, and analyses accurately and effectively both orally and in writing.

All readings and learning resources will be available online via ARES Course Reserve, CourseLink, and the links on the syllabus. There are no costs for textbooks or other materials for students in this course.

As a seminar, this is a reading-intensive, interactive, and discussion-driven class. Our learning environment will be centered on principles of curiosity, participation, and inclusivity/belonging; the successful realization of these principles requires a commitment to dialogue and reflection from everyone in the course as well as meaningful engagement in class. Students are asked to come to class well-prepared (i.e., having completed the assigned readings) and ready to contribute and participate in class activities that allow us to work through ideas and apply course material. Please note that both individually and collectively, the success of this class will depend on adequate preparation and active participation in discussions. So, it is absolutely important that everyone is familiar with the assigned readings for each class and is ready to grapple with them in a constructive fashion during class.

In each class, I will deliver what I call brief “agenda setting” remarks to provide a general overview for each topic. The bulk of each meeting, however, will consist of collaborative and largely open-ended discussion of the work assigned for that week. Two students will serve as presenter and discussion leader for each class and two other students will contribute to the discussion with their pre-formulated/drafted and insightful commentaries and questions. Students’ participation in each meeting is the most important component for an effective seminar, so please come to each class fully prepared to engage closely and carefully with the material we are covering—and do not rely solely on presenters, discussion starters, and/or on me.

This course has different evaluation components, including seminar engagement and participation, presentation and class facilitation, critical commentaries, annotated bibliography and paper proposal,  peer review, end-of-semester reflections, and a research paper.

Note: This draft outline is for informational purposes only and may be subject change. A complete syllabus will be shared with the students during the first class. In the meanwhile, if you have any questions about the course, please email me at tugce@uoguelph.ca.