SOCIOL 244
Elite Deviance: White Collar, Corporate, and Governmental Misconduct
Maria Febbo
Description from DukeHub
Much of our societal preoccupation with crime revolves around 'street crime.' But what about 'crime in the suites'? This course examines 'suite crimes'--the deviant, unethical, and criminal behavior of people and organizations with immense power. We will critically dissect the social, historical, and political structures allowing actions such as corporate fraud, workplace safety violations, ecological destruction, political corruption, state-corporate violence, and more to be perceived of and treated as less serious, despite having enormous financial, human, environmental, and social costs. Investigation of the current state of justice as it relates to elite deviance and the criminal elite.
Skills
- policy and lawtitle: "governmental"
AI-resilient: 1 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "unethical"
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- No: Small, in-person format
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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