Walls to Bridges - Socio-Legal Issues
SOCY 406
400-Level Courses
Fall 2026
3 Units
In-person
3
one-way Exclusions
Off-campus activity
Please note that course information listed in the Arts and Science Course Calendar supersedes any information listed on the Sociology website.
For the most current course offerings, registered Queen’s students should consult SOLUS.
Course Description
This is an experimental learning course based on the Walls to Bridges program model, which brings together students from Queen's University ('outside students') with students from a local federal prison ('inside students') to learn and share knowledge based on their lived experience and critical analysis of academic scholarship. Topics may vary.
NOTE This course will take place off campus at a local federal prison, as part of the Walls to Bridges prison education program
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire knowledge of the concept and process of 'othering' by bringing together course readings and lived experiences in both oral and written form.
- Challenge the stigma of incarceration by fostering dialogue between "inside" and "outside" students.
- Develop a clear understanding of the socio-political nature of incarceration and the othering process via intersectional analyses of race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability.
- Develop and demonstrate communication skills, self-reflexivity, and critical engagement with course material.
- Practice collaborative and reflective learning.
- Understand and enact the principles of non-hierarchical circle pedagogy, as practiced in the Walls to Bridges program.