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Kaden Paulson Smith

faculty

Kaden Paulson Smith, PhD they/them/theirs

Assistant Teaching Professor

Crime & Justice Studies

Curriculum Vitae

Contact

508-999-8765

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Liberal Arts 399B

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Education

2021University of Wisconsin, MadisonPhD in Political Science
2017University of Wisconsin, MadisonMA in Political Science
2014Smith CollegeBA in Government

Teaching

Programs

Teaching

Courses

An introduction to the principal concepts and methods of Afrocentric scholarship. Topics include the social, political, aesthetic, and economic experiences of Black people in America and throughout the world. Students will develop their academic research, critical reading & writing, and oral presentation.

The history of criminology through a study of the theorists who comprise the field's three dominant schools of thought: Classical Criminology, Positivism and Critical Criminology. Students will be introduced to critical deconstructions of each paradigm through a fourth school of thought: Anti-Colonial Criminology. The historical and political contexts of each theory and theorist will be emphasized to highlight the impact criminology has on policy, society and human relations.

Selected topics in Black Studies. May be repeated with change of content/topic.

Selected topics in Black Studies. May be repeated with change of content/topic.

The history of criminology through a study of the theorists who comprise the field's three dominant schools of thought: Classical Criminology, Positivism and Critical Criminology. Students will be introduced to critical deconstructions of each paradigm through a fourth school of thought: Anti-Colonial Criminology. The historical and political contexts of each theory and theorist will be emphasized to highlight the impact criminology has on policy, society and human relations.

Directed readings and analysis in selected topics.

Selected topics of contemporary relevance in the field of Crime and Justice studies. Active discussions, mini-lectures, filed simulations, student presentations, role-playing, guest speakers, and field observations may be utilized. A significant research project will be required.

Teaching

Online and Continuing Education Courses

The history of criminology through a study of the theorists who comprise the field's three dominant schools of thought: Classical Criminology, Positivism and Critical Criminology. Students will be introduced to critical deconstructions of each paradigm through a fourth school of thought: Anti-Colonial Criminology. The historical and political contexts of each theory and theorist will be emphasized to highlight the impact criminology has on policy, society and human relations.
Register for this course.

The history of criminology through a study of the theorists who comprise the field's three dominant schools of thought: Classical Criminology, Positivism and Critical Criminology. Students will be introduced to critical deconstructions of each paradigm through a fourth school of thought: Anti-Colonial Criminology. The historical and political contexts of each theory and theorist will be emphasized to highlight the impact criminology has on policy, society and human relations.
Register for this course.

Research

Research interests

  • Critical carceral studies
  • Law and society
  • African politics
  • Feminist and postcolonial studies

Select publications

See curriculum vitae for more publications

  • Kaden Paulson-Smith (Forthcoming).
    The Colonial Legacy of Policing as Statebuilding
    Cultural Pluralism, The State, and Gender Politics in Africa: The Intellectual Legacies of M. Crawford Young, Edited by Scott Straus and Aili Tripp
  • Kaden Paulson-Smith, David Nehlsen, Jacob Lau, Jared Knutson, Jake Wesner, Mackenzie Klug, Gage Beck, Brady Reinhard, and Aaron Weinschenk (2023).
    The Politics of Words: A Survey Experiment on "Defund the Police"
    The Social Science Journal
  • Kaden Paulson-Smith (2022).
    "Police Fire on Rioters": Everyday Counterinsurgency in a Colonial Capital
    Small Wars & Insurgencies
  • Kaden Paulson-Smith and Aili Tripp (2021).
    Women's Rights and Critical Junctures in Constitutional Reform in Africa (1951-2019)
    African Affairs

Kaden Paulson-Smith is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Crime & Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Their research and teaching crosscut critical carceral studies, law and society, African politics, and feminist and postcolonial studies. Kaden’s current book project reframes contemporary policing as a colonial legacy in East Africa. Before joining UMass Dartmouth, Kaden was an Assistant Professor of Democracy & Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. Kaden received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a BA in Government from Smith College.

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