Cultural critique is essential to understanding and reimagining the institutions of policing. We’ll study how policing is constructed, represented, and contested in popular culture; narratives and images that legitimize, dramatize, or challenge police power; and how representations of policing shape legal consciousness, juror expectations, legislation, and media coverage. Throughout this course, we will develop tools for critical cultural analysis and connect them to questions of law, justice, and democracy. Our approach will be centered on British cultural artifacts with comparisons to the United States and other global contexts. Visits to key sites and exhibits such as National Police Memorial, Metropolitan Police Museum, and the British Library. Activities will also include movies/plays, crime-writing festival, and art installations. Course assessment will include class participation, reflection papers, and/or presentations.