SOC 4566 - Sexual Assault

Why is sexual assault on college campuses so pervasive? What are rape myths and rape culture and what role do they play? How should we respond to sexual assault? These and other questions will be addressed in this course. The objective is to explore sexual assault, its context, and its causes. It will explore sociological, criminological, and legal perspectives of sexual assault with a particular interest in the impact of sexual assault on its victims and societal reactions. The course is divided into three majors sections: an introduction to sexual assault; an exploration of different types of sexual assault; and lastly the criminal justice to sexual assault. The goal is to introduce students to origins, types, effects, and to identify changes that can be made to ultimately reduce and prevent the occurrence of sexual assault.