CoursesVulnerable Vets
URBS 3120-301

Vulnerable Vets

Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship in the fields of sociology, history, psychology, psychiatry, and public health, this course interrogates the identity of vulnerable veterans (veterans who are incarcerated, homeless, or struggling with suicidal ideation). The course focuses on justice-involved veterans who are at the nexus of two of the United States largest, most powerful, and well-funded institutions—the criminal justice system and the military.

Instructor(s)
  • Tyson Smith
Semester

Fall 2024

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“Sweet is war to those who have never experienced it,” states the Latin proverb.

Central to the curriculum is this very disconnect, between those who have experienced war and those who have not. In addition to communing with veterans, we will analyze popular depictions of war, veterans, violence, and prisons in order to assess how military members, justice-involved people, and survivors of violence are understood in the public imagination versus how they in fact understand themselves and their realities.

Students will have in-person dialogue with both official and lay experts, including clinicians, veterans, military members, chaplains, and incarcerated people. Students will attend workshops at both the VA and a state prison.

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