Social Deviance & Taboos
Undergraduate course, New York University, Silver School of Social Work; open to all NYU students across schools, 2024
Instructor. The purpose of this course is to explore and better understand, from a social work perspective, what behaviors, identities, practices, and experiences are categorized as socially deviant and taboo in society. Students utilize a diverse range of theories on deviance to collectively examine how social deviance and taboos are defined, determined, and socially/historically constructed. Emphasis is placed on how deviance has historically been used as a tool to systemically mark certain groups as “other,” denying them access to power, resources, and full social belonging.