History: Crime and Punishment in Early Modern London

Whipping, scolding, pillories, stocks, branding, and the death sentence. Crimes that range from theft to highway robbery, smuggling, and murder. All these subjects will draw you in and provide a lens that examines the past and gets at the mentalities of the time. Between the age of the Tudors and the reign of George III much of England and especially London was viewed as a hotbed of crime. Recurrent crime waves endangered the lives and property of rich and poor alike. The responses to these perceived threats, from whippings to hangings and much more, changed and shifted based on both top-down decisions and bottom-up pressure. This course will explore crime and punishment across this tumultuous period. Learning outcomes: Understand the shifting nature of crime and punishment over almost three hundred years. Understand how both people and policies instigated the changes. Gain insight into the social history of the period. Think critically about the changing nature of history, both in its interpretation and practice. Learn research skills and where to search for material related to the subject