INDS B.A Critical Carceral Studies
Sara Stewart
My INDS Degree
During my first two years at UMBC, I was mostly taking Political Science, Africana Studies, and Gender & Women’s Studies classes. I enjoyed most of my classes, but I found myself wanting to study something more specialized while integrating each of those disciplines. I was encouraged to learn more about INDS, where I met Ms. Sauter, and felt that the support of the program, in addition to the freedom I had to incorporate my social justice interests into my academic pursuits, made it the right major for me!
Post Graduation Plans
After graduation, I’ll be more involved in labor and anti-imperialist organizing in the DMV. Although it was mostly within the context of jails and prisons, my INDS degree allowed to study the systematic nature in which capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppression interact to keep various peoples marginalized. My degree has also supported the development of my organizing and problem-solving skills, and will enable me to navigate different organizing situations. From an abolitionist standpoint, I understand that the way the carceral system functions is also reflected in everyday life, and that resolving issues of mass incarceration and over-policing will require a broad restructuring of society which I hope to help advance through my organizing work.
Courses In My Degree Plan
✅ Defining Criminality: What is crime? The U.S. has responded differently to this question over time by weaponizing harmful stereotypes about marginalized people. These courses will expose how social categories such as race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status have been deployed to construct narratives of criminality to consolidate power and social control among a ruling class.
(AFST 371, HIST 408, HONR 300, GWST 338/POLI 338, GWST 381, SOCY 369, GWST 328)
✅ Control, Oppression, and the Carceral: An understanding of the development of criminal narratives allows me to recognize how carceral systems are strategically constructed to capitalize on links between criminality and social identities. Before proposing new ways of responding to social needs and conflict, I must first understand the function and structure of the carceral system in perpetuating violence.
(AFST 275, AMST 413, GWST 328, GWST 345, SOCY 371)
✅ An Abolitionist Horizon: Inspired by Kaba and Ritchie’s ideas, an abolitionist lens pushes me to envision a world where every person has access to the universal rights of housing, food, and security. Exploring how ideas of justice differ over time and place, I will be able to articulate new strategies and worldviews that truly provide safety for communities.
(GWST 338/POLI 338, GWST 343, 340, PHIL 357, POLI 210, )
✅ Building Community and Practicing Safety: Abolition is concerned not just with abolishing prisons, but in building networks that can keep people housed, safe, and fed. These courses will equip me with the skills to identify my community, organize, and problem-solve with other people. Furthermore, historical social movements and contemporary organizing strategies will provide me with an idea how I can be an advocate in conjunction with existing grassroots activists.
(ENGL 321, AFST 385/POLI 340, GWST 200, 381, POLI/SOCY 205)
✅ Individualized Study: Critical carceral studies interweaves knowledge from several disciplines that will challenge me to think critically about the approach to my degree, and navigate through several fields of thinking seamlessly. This coursework assists me with making logical decisions to meet my goals, engaging interdisciplinarity, building my degree, and carrying out project work.
(INDS 330H, INDS 335, 410, 480, 490H)