CRCJ 3380-001: Race, Crime, and Justice

CRCJ 3380-001: Race, Crime, and Justice Winter Session 2009/2010 ______Instructor: Michele L. Whitehead

Office Telephone Number: 817-272-3318

Email Address: [email protected]

Office Hours: By appointment ______

Time and Place of Class Meetings: Monday, Dec. 14th through Monday, Dec. 21st and Monday, January 4th through Monday, January 11th from 6:00 to 9:45 p.m., University Hall, Room 01

Description of Course Content: This course examines race in the context of the criminal justice system. Emphasis is on social construction of crime; and the treatment of minorities as victims and offenders by law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Prerequisite: CRCJ 2334.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course students will be able to…

 Discuss the history of racial classification and race and crime in America  Articulate issues for victims of crime, arrest trends based on racial classifications, and theories of race and crime  Discuss specific challenges and issues regarding race among the police, courts, in sentencing, the death penalty, and corrections  Describe situations and issues considering race in the juvenile justice system

Required Textbooks and Other Course Materials:

Gabbidon, S. L. and Greene, H. T. (2009). Race and Crime (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4129-6778-5

Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-0-06-097499-2

*Supplemental articles, videos, and readings of interest may be provided by the instructor

Blue Books: Students are responsible for purchasing 2 Blue Books in order to submit responses on both exams. They are available for purchase from the UTA Bookstore.

Descriptions of major assignments and examinations:

Reaction Paper and Presentation On January 8, 2010 students will complete a 3 to 4 page reaction paper over a chapter from the book “Savage Inequalities” by Jonathon Kozol. Students may select a particular topic of focus or theme from the material or may discuss several issues covered in the text. However, a reaction paper should be the student’s own reflection over the material, not a summary of what the author has written. On the due date for reaction papers, students will discuss or share excerpts of their writing informally with the class as part of the participation grade for the course.

More information regarding the requirements for reaction papers is found following the Course Calendar section of this syllabus.

Students will be divided into groups early in the course and will sign up for a chapter to make a presentation to their classmates regarding this text. The presentation can include information or a

1 summary of how the author described the conditions in the city at the date of the writing. Students may also choose to research the city via online news sources or city websites and provide this type of information along with their own thoughts. Students may want to integrate some of the things we will discuss in the course about the impact of racial disparities and the city they are studying. Groups are free to hypothesize about what issues they suspect the police, courts, and citizens may face in these cities today.

Within presentation groups, each student should have equal roles in the presentation. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes per group and students in the group should be prepared to answer questions about their chapter, the current conditions in the city, and the impact of race on issues residents may face. Since each group will only be reading one chapter from the text, including a summary of what the author has written may also be helpful for your classmates. Students will be graded on preparation and presentation.

Examinations Exams for the course will consist of short answer and essay questions. Blue books are available for purchase from the UTA Bookstore. There will be two exams and the final exam will not be cumulative.

Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be given if arranged and agreed upon in writing by instructor and student prior to the examination time and date. No student may make arrangements to take a make-up exam more than one day after the original date of the exam. Graded exams will not be returned to any student until all students have taken the exam and instructor will not discuss exam questions/answers until that time.

Grading Policy:

Exam 1 100 points Exam 2 100 points Presentation 100 points Reaction Paper 100 points Class Attendance/Participation 100 points TOTAL 500 points (100 %)

Final grade average will be recorded as follows: 400-500 points A 300-399 points B 200-299 points C 100-199 points D 99 points or Below F

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend class regularly. Failure to sign in on the attendance sheet will result in an absence for the class meeting and absences during this very brief winter semester will negatively impact the Class Attendance/Participation portion of your grade. No student may sign in for another, even if the student is “on their way” to class.

Drop Policy: Please refer to the University drop policy for limits, receiving a grade of “W” and other important policy information prior to dropping the course or withdrawing from the University. The last day to drop the course is January 4, 2010.

Americans With Disabilities Act:

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. 2 As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability. Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in room 102 of University Hall or call them at (817) 272-3364.

Academic Integrity:

It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2)

Student Support Services Available:

The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.

E-Culture Policy:

The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University email address as an official means of communication with students. Through the use of email, UT-Arlington is able to provide students with relevant and timely information, designed to facilitate student success. In particular, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation may be sent to students through email.

All students are assigned an email account and information about activating and using it is available at www.uta.edu/email. New students (first semester at UTA) are able to activate their email account 24 hours after registering for courses. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as a student is enrolled at UT-Arlington. Students are responsible for checking their email regularly.

Please allow 24 hours for instructor response to email!

Courtesies and Disruptive Student Conduct:

Please turn off cell phones, pagers, etc. before class begins! In the event that work obligations or other personal situations require you to be able to be reached during class, your phone(s) should be set to silent, as vibrate and other similar settings may still disturb others. If it is necessary to accept a phone call, please excuse yourself and step outside of the classroom as a courtesy to the instructor and other students.

Sending text messages and other disruptive behaviors including newspapers, crosswords, and magazines may also be distracting for other students. Please note that the instructor reserves the right to ask a student engaging repeatedly in disruptive activity to leave class. So that we will not miss your contributions to class discussions, every effort should be made to address your personal needs prior to class.

3 University Closings:

In the event that the University is closed due to weather or other circumstances, students should be prepared to cover all assigned material due on the date when classes resume. Please check your UTA email and the UTA website for information regarding campus closings.

Course Calendar

Week 1 Dec. 14 Course Introduction and Chapter 1 (Gabbidon & Greene) Overview of Race and Crime Dec. 15 Chapter 2 Extent of Crime and Victimization Dec. 16 Chapter 3 Theoretical Perspectives on Race and Crime Dec. 17 Chapter 4 Policing Dec. 18 Chapter 5 Courts

Week 2 Dec. 21 Review Chapters 1-5; Exam 1

Week 3 Jan. 4 Chapter 6 Sentencing Jan. 5 Chapter 7 The Death Penalty Jan. 6 Chapter 8 Corrections Jan. 7 Chapter 9 Juvenile Justice Jan. 8 Presentations and Reaction Papers Due! Savage Inequalities

Week 4 Jan. 11 Review Chapters 6-9; FINAL EXAM

***Additional Information Regarding Reaction Paper Assignments

The reaction paper should be 3 to 4 pages in length, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 11 or 12 pt. font. Any references included should be cited using APA format and papers should be free from grammatical and spelling errors. Papers should include a cover/title page with student name, Date, Reaction Paper, Course Number, Name, and Section. (The title page does not count as part of the 3 to 4 page requirement.) Reaction papers may include opinions, but should be grounded in material from the course such as lecture notes or readings. Please use appropriate citations when drawing from these sources, especially with direct quotations.