Graduate Program in Socio-Legal Studies
SLST 6030 3.0 “Politics of Security and Regulation: The Science of Corporate Crime”
Winter, 2015
Tuesdays 11:30am-2:30pm
James Williams
Tentative Course Description
The subject of “forensic science” has received a great deal of attention in the context of
conventional forms of violence and criminality. However, to date there has been very little
attention to the role of science in the investigation and regulation of corporate crime. Drawing
upon the connections between science and technology studies (STS) and socio-legal and
regulatory scholarship, this course examines the role of “science” and forms of scientific inquiry
in the production of knowledge regarding various forms of corporate harm including financial
fraud, prescription drugs, workplace illness and disease, environmental pollution, and global
warming. More specifically, the course will examine the logics, practices, and conventions at
work in a range of substantive sites which are regularly implicated in claims of corporate harm:
(1) the autopsy; (2) the epidemiological study; (3) the clinical trial; (4) the forensic audit; (5) the
toxicology lab; (6) the computer model; (7) the documentary; and (8) the class action lawsuit. By
exploring how these sites and associated forms of knowledge work have changed in recent
years, particularly as they relate to standards and constructions of “evidence” and “proof,” the
course will examine the distinct challenges and barriers associated with the identification,
documentation, and regulation of corporate harm. Attention will also be devoted to alternative
sources of knowledge and awareness ranging from online advocacy to pharmacovigilance.