CRIME AND DEVIANCE
SOCIOLOGY 361
TERM 2, 2003
CHRIS
CARLSON OFFICE:
201 COLLEGE HALL
OFFICE HOURS: MWF 11-12, OFFICE PHONE: EXT. 4207
AND BY APPOINTMENT HOME
PHONE: 895 8697
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces the diverse traditions
in the sociological study of deviant behavior—the study of deviance as a social
process. Through a focus on several different types of deviant behavior, we
will consider why and how people become deviant, the ways people are identified
as deviant by others and the consequences of this identification, and the
processes by which crime and deviance are defined in society. As we explore
the sociological approach to deviant behavior, we will consider both its value
and limitations.
READING
The following books are available in the
bookstore.
Shrover, Neal. Great Pretender: Pursuits and Careers of Persistent Thieves
Sterk, Claire.
Fast
Lives: Women Who Use Crack Cocaine
Chambliss, William.
Power, Politics, and Crime
Some reading is on reserve in the library.
Articles on reserve from Theories of Deviance by Traub and Little (two
copies) are followed by "T&L" on the reading list. Chapters
on reserve from Crime and the American Dream by Messner and Rosenfeld
(three copies) are followed by “M&R” on the reading list. Other articles
on reserve are followed by an "R" on the reading list.
Some reading is available on line. The database to access the reading is listed
following its title.
ASSIGNMENTS
Exams: A midterm and a final exam will be given. These exams
will be composed of short answer and essay questions. The final exam will
be comprehensive.
Papers: Two papers are required: an individual data
analysis paper and a group movie analysis paper. These papers are described
in separate handouts.
Class
Participation: Attendance and participation are expected. Class will
begin at 9 A.M. Please arrive on time.
I will assign participation points on the basis of your contributions to the
class in the form comments and questions. You cannot make these contributions
if you are not in class. Absences from class will result in a significant
reduction in the points for participation and consequently may have an impact
on your grade in the class.
Reading Questions: On four days (noted by ¨on the syllabus) you should prepare written
questions for discussion based on the assigned reading. Your questions may
relate to any material we have read previous to the day the questions are
due but they must include a question incorporating the material for that day
as well. Questions of clarification are important and necessary (e.g., what
does Durkheim mean by...?), and you should certainly raise these questions
in class as we discuss the material. However, the questions that you prepare
for discussion should be more analytical and critical. Analytical questions
focus on the relationships of the parts or elements of an author's ideas or
approach. Critical questions focus on the implications and evaluation of the
ideas or approach of an author. Accordingly, your questions should be in the
form of paragraphs presenting ideas for exploration rather than single
sentences. You should bring your type-written questions to class, and
I will collect them at the end of class. I will look for evidence that you
have done the reading carefully and that you have put some thought into your
questions. You should prepare two carefully composed questions for each day,
approximately ½ - ¾-typed page, single-spaced.
Final
Grade: I will determine your final grade by adding
the points on the assignments and participation together. I will use the following
scale: A 93-100%, A-
90-92%, B+ 87-89%, B 83-86%, B- 80-82%, C+ 77-79%,
C 73-76%, C- 70-72%, D+ 67-69%, D 63-66%, D-
60-62%, F below 60%.
The distribution of points on the assignments
and exams is:
|
4 Sets of Questions |
20 points |
|
Data Analysis Paper |
50 points |
|
Midterm Exam |
100 points |
|
Final Exam |
100 points |
|
Movie Analysis Paper |
50 points |
|
Participation |
40 points |
|
Total |
360 points |
Late work without penalty will be
accepted only with prior approval by me or with a written excuse from the
Health Center. Late papers without approval or excuse will be assessed a penalty
of 5% of the total points for the assignment if not submitted by the deadline
indicated on the syllabus and an additional 5% for each one hour they are
late. Time deadlines for papers indicate the latest they may be submitted
without penalty.
In assigning points to your work, I am guided
by the following general criteria: A signifies distinctive achievement,
mastery of content and concepts; B competent performance, good knowledge
of content and concepts; C signifies satisfactory performance, less
complete knowledge of content and concepts; D signifies passing work
but work that demonstrates only minimal knowledge of content and concepts;
and F signifies failure to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of content
and concepts to justify receiving credit for the course.
Class meets from 9-11 unless otherwise noted
on the following schedule for topics and reading.
COURSE TOPICS AND READING LIST
I: SOME PRELIMINARY ISSUES
Monday (9/29) Crime and Deviance as a Field
of Sociological Study
Tuesday (9/30) Deviance and Moral Boundaries
Durkheim, "The Normal and the Pathological" 3-7 T&L
Swigert and Farrell, "Corporate Homicide" R (18 pages)
II: Crime and Social Structure: The Macro‑Normative Approach
Wednesday (10/1) The Macro‑Normative Approach:
Anomie and the “American Dream” (9-11
in classroom, 1-3:15 in Hedges)
Shrover, xi-xiv, 1-28
Durkheim, "Anomic Suicide" 96-102 (bottom) T&L
Merton, "Social Structure and Anomie" R (9 pages)
Messner and Rosenfeld, “A Society Organized
for Crime” 1-14 M&R
CLOCKERS
¨Thursday
(10/2) Values, Institutions and Crime
Shrover, 29-48
Messner and Rosenfeld, “Culture,
Institutional Structure, and Social Control” 60-86 M&R
Messner and Rosenfeld, “Strengthening
Institutions and Rethinking the American Dream” 91-110 M&R
Friday (10/3) Violent Crime and Social Structure
VIOLENT CRIME PAPER DUE AT 9 A.M.
III. Becoming and Being Deviant: The Micro-Normative
Approach
Monday (10/6) The Micro-Normative Approach:
Motivation, Learning, and Opportunity
Shrover, 49-76
Hirschi, "A Control Theory of Delinquency" 257-264 (Top)
T&L
Sutherland and Cressey, "The Theory of Differential Association"
176-182 T&L