Sociology 342-001: Criminology Summer II: July 8 – Aug. 7 2013 Online - 3 credits
Instructor Office Hours Kate Gunby via email and gchat [email protected] or by appointment in Social Sciences 426
Course Description This course begins with a quick introduction to the multidisciplinary study of criminology, and how crime and criminal behavior are measured. Then the class will explore different theories of crime and criminality, starting with early schools of criminology and then covering structural, social process, critical, psychosocial, biosocial, and developmental theories. Then the class will focus on different types of crime, including violent crime, sex crimes, multiple murder and terrorism, property crime, public order crime, and white collar and organized crime. Finally, we will broaden our scope to explore victim experiences, mental health and incarceration, concepts of justice and incarceration trends, and the consequences of crime and incarceration.
This course uses the acclaimed television series The Wire to explore the fundamentals of criminology. Students will develop their ability analyze, synthesize, apply, and evaluate the course material through written memos linking each reading to the content in a specific episode of The Wire. Students will further engage with the material and each other through online forum discussions. This class is guided by student goals, which are established from the beginning and reviewed throughout the term.
Readings All of the course readings are on D2L. You do not need to buy any books. Almost all of the readings are excerpts from books or articles, so please download the readings from D2L so that you only read the portions that are required for the class.
Episodes of The Wire All 60 episodes of The Wire are available for you to stream for free on D2L. For the sake of time, your assignments only require that you watch 47 episodes of the show. However, you are welcome to watch any of the episodes that we skip, and may integrate them into your memos and discussions as you choose.
Grade Evaluation Grade Scale Introduction and Syllabus Quiz 5% A 90-100% Goals Assessments 5% B 80-89.9% Discussion Posts 30% C 70-79.9% Daily Memos 50% D 60-69.9% Final Paper 10% E 0-59.9%
I do not accept late work.
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A Note about Grades Your grade starts at zero and you must earn your points. You are not entitled to a certain final grade, rather you earn your grades throughout the semester and your final grade will reflect how well you demonstrated your learning during the term. Grades are simply tools that assess your academic performance and relay that information back to you.
Your grades do not necessarily reflect your intelligence, work ethic, potential, progress, talents, or worth.
Introduction (2.5% of final grade) Due July 8 (M) at 11:59pm in forum in D2L Your first assignment is to submit a note in the discussion area that includes this information: Name Preferred email address Year in school Hometown(s) Major(s) and minor(s) Sociology and criminology experience – both classes taken and other exposure to these disciplines What do you hope to gain from this class? What other classes are you taking this term? What other responsibilities (employment, sports, extracurricular activities, family, pets, etc.) do you have this term? What else do you want the class to know about you? If there is anything else that you would like the instructor to know, but do not want to share with the class, please email Kate at [email protected]
Syllabus Quiz (2.5% of final grade) Due July 9 (T) at 11:59pm in quiz area on D2L The syllabus quiz is worth 2.5% of your final grade, and should insure that you have thoroughly read the syllabus. This quiz is open note, untimed, and you can take it an infinite number of times. While your score on the quiz is not worth a large portion of your class grade, you must earn 100% on your syllabus quiz to pass the class.
Goals Assessments (5% of final grade) Due July 9 (T), July 23 (T), and Aug 7 (W) at 11:59pm in the quiz area in D2L By 11:59pm on the July 9 (T), you should complete the Learning Goals Inventory that is in the quiz section of D2L. Everyone receives full credit for completing this quiz; there are no right or wrong answers. The Learning Goals Inventory allows everyone to assess their personal goals for this class and reflect on their role as a student and their personal philosophy of learning. I will refer back to these goals assessments to better focus and contextualize my individual feedback.
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In the middle of the class, July 23 (T), there will be a new “quiz” that will ask you to assess your progress, (re)evaluate your priorities, and assess whether the class is helping you to meet your goals. Everyone receives full credit for completing this quiz.
At the end of the course, Aug 7 (W), you will complete a final goals assessment where you compare your performance in the class with the goals you set in your Learning Goals Inventory. This serves as a time for reflection on your progress in the course. Once again, everyone receives full credit for completing this quiz.
Daily Memos (50% of final grade) Due daily at 11:59pm in dropbox in D2L One memo is due for every reading and its corresponding episodes of The Wire. Every memo should include: 1. At least one sentence summarizing the reading’s main point(s). (synthesize) 2. At least four sentences discussing how things that happened in those episodes of The Wire demonstrate and/or contradict the main points from the reading. (analyze, apply, and/or critique) 3. At least one page number from the daily reading to show which section(s) of the reading you’re referring to. 4. At least one time (minutes and seconds) to show which part(s) of the episode you’re referring to. 5. At least one sentence stating whether you liked the reading and why. 6. Optional: let Kate know if you think the reading or episodes should be matched with different readings or episodes so that she can improve the pairings for future classes. In the content area you will find a memo template that may be helpful. You do not have to use the template, but it may be a helpful guide for your early memos. Also, please read the Final Paper section of the syllabus for details on how you can make up lost memo points.
Discussion Posts and Etiquette (30% of final grade) Due daily at 11:59pm in the forum in D2L You are required to participate in discussions in the forum on D2L. For each day that there is a reading, you must start at least one topic by midnight and respond to two other topics by midnight the following class day. This means that discussions started on Fridays will need to be responded to by Mondays at 11:59pm. The only exception to the daily discussion for 8-7 is optional for extra credit since there will not be much time to respond before the class concludes.
In order for a post to receive full credit it must include a title that is descriptive of the discussion topic, have at least 100 words, include at least one citation from the reading (page number) or the episode (time in the episode), and deal with criminology in some way. Discussion posts can clarify confusing material, make connections to your own experiences, argue for a specific position, judge the ethics or morals of a specific decision, propose a solution to a problem, or something similar. Discussion posts should demonstrate critical thinking about criminological ideas in order to earn full credit. Do NOT simply react to what happened on the show (ex: “OMG, can you believe what McNulty did?! He needs to get his life
3 together!”) Discussion posts do not need to read like formal academic writing, but they should still reflect substantial engagement with the course materials.
Your discussion posts should be respectful, courteous, and friendly. You are accountable for what you post. Whenever possible, provide context for your comments - explain where you are coming from and what you’re thinking. It can be hard to convey tone in online discussions, so feel free to make your tone explicit or add in casual indicators (such as “haha”, or the occasional smiley face) to avoid confusion and hurt feelings. Examples of good and bad posts are available in the discussion section on D2L.
Final Paper (10% of final grade) Due Aug 7 (W) at 11:59pm in dropbox in D2L At the end of the class, you will compile all of the paragraphs that you have already written as your daily memos, and write an additional introduction and conclusion. Your introduction and conclusion should tie the whole class together, and be at least a combined 500 words long. Please read the Final Paper Instructions document for more details.
Since your final paper will consist of all of the daily memos that you’ve already written, this will also be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your development over the semester and make- up lost points from their earlier errors. You may add new paragraphs for days that you missed to earn back up to ¼ of the memo points that you lost, and may correct your previous paragraphs to earn back up to ½ of the memo points that you lost.
Online Classes Taking a three credit class online in less than five weeks presents unique challenges. I have organized the course so that you may work ahead of schedule to accommodate for your obligations and summer activities. You may log in whenever you like and complete tasks as early as you want. If something comes up and you need more time to complete a task, contact me ASAP and I will try to be accommodating.
Online classes can feel isolating. The introduction assignment and mandatory discussion posts are designed to aid interactions with your peers. I hope that you will take full advantage of the discussion tools to connect with your classmates. I encourage you to contact me via email, and also to chat with me by appointment or anytime you see that I’m logged in to gchat. We can also set up a time to meet in person.
TurnItIn.com The instructor reserves the right to utilize electronic means to help prevent plagiarism. Students agree that by taking this course all assignments are subject to submission for textual similarity review to TurnItIn.com. Assignments submitted to TurnItIn.com will be included as source documents in TurnItIn.com’s restricted access database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism in such documents. Students can view the originality reports for their own work in dropbox.
Academic Integrity
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Students are expected to observe the University’s Code of Academic Integrity. The Code can be found at: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity. The work you turn in must be your own. All cases of cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action. If you turn in work that is not your own, the consequences will be worse than if you simply had not submitted the assignment.
To earn your own degree, you must do your own work. Your failure to understand how to properly cite ideas and quotations in research articles is not an excuse for plagiarism. I’ve found that when students resort to cheating and plagiarism, it is typically because they feel poorly prepared for an assignment, perhaps because of complications in other aspects of life (family tragedy, illness, etc.). If you do your part by attending class, doing the readings, and are giving your best effort to keep up with the assignments, I will be more than willing to work with you. Please talk to me before you fall behind or act dishonorably.
Statement of Copyrighted Materials Students are advised that all lecture notes, lectures, study guides and other course materials disseminated by the instructor to the students, whether in class or online, are original materials and as such reflect intellectual property of the instructor or author of those works. All readings, study guides, lecture notes, and handouts are intended for individual use by the student. Students may not distribute or reproduce these materials for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the instructor. Students who sell or distribute these materials for any use other than their own are in violation of the University’s Intellectual Property Policy (available at http://www.ott.arizona.edu/uploads/ip_policy.pdf). Violations of the instructors copyright may result in course sanctions and violate the Code of Academic Integrity.
Threatening Behavior is Prohibited “Threatening behavior” means any statement, communication, conduct or gesture, including those in written form, directed toward any member of the University community that causes a reasonable apprehension of physical harm to a person or property. A student can be guilty of threatening behavior even if the person who is the object of the threat does not observe or receive it, so long as a reasonable person would interpret the maker’s statement, communication, conduct or gesture as a serious expression of intent to physically harm.
Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements must register with the Disability Resource Center. If you qualify for services through DRC, send your letter of accommodations to me as soon as possible. I want to work with you to ensure your full participation in this course.
Changes to the Syllabus The information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
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Course Schedule Season & Date Reading and Assignments Episode # Title
M 7-8 Walsh and Hemmens. “Introduction” 1:1 "The Target"
Introduction Due 1:2 "The Detail"
T 7-9 Vigil. "Urban Violence and Street Gangs" 1:3 "The Buys"
Syllabus Quiz Due 1:4 "Old Cases" Goals Assessment #1 Due
W 7-10 Sánchez-Jankowski. "Gangs and Social Change" 1:5 "The Pager"
1:6 "The Wire"
Th 7-11 Alarid et al. "Gender and Crime Among Felony 1:7 "One Arrest"
Offenders" 1:10 "The Cost"
F 7-12 Akers. "A Social Learning Theory of Crime" 1:11 "The Hunt"
1:12 "Cleaning Up"
1:13 "Sentencing"
M 7-15 Albanese. "The Causes of Organized Crime" 2:1 "Ebb Tide"
2:3 "Hot Shots"
T 7-16 Walsh and Hemmens. “Victimology” 2:5 "Undertow"
2:6 "All Prologue"
W 7-17 Walsh and Hemmens. “Victimology Theories” 2:9 "Stray Rounds"
2:10 "Storm Warnings"
Th 7-18 Sung. "State Failure, Economic Failure, and 2:11 "Bad Dreams"
Predatory Organized Crime" 2:12 "Port in a Storm"
F 7-19 Parenti. Lockdown America. 3:1 "Time After Time"
3:2 "All Due Respect"
M 7-22 Jacobs and Wright. "Stick-Up, Street Culture, and 3:3 "Dead Soldiers"
Offender Motivation" 3:4 "Hamsterdam"
T 7-23 Provine. "Creating Racial Disadvantage" 3:5 "Straight and True"
Goals Assessment #2 Due 3:6 "Homecoming"
W 7-24 Weitzer. "Prostitution as a Form of Work" 3:7 "Back Burners"
3:8 "Moral Midgetry"
Th 7-25 Becker. "The Economics of Crime" 3:9 "Slapstick"
3:10 "Reformation"
F 7-26 Alexander. The New Jim Crow. 3:11 "Middle Ground" AND Colbert Report video clip 3:12 "Mission
Accomplished"
M 7-29 Glueck and Glueck. "Unraveling Juvenile 4:1 "Boys of Summer"
Delinquency" 4:2 "Soft Eyes"
T 7-30 Vien and Beech. "Psychopathy: Theory, 4:3 "Home Rooms"
Measurement, and Treatment" 4:4 "Refugees"
W 7-31 Walsh. "Behavior Genetics and Anomie/Strain 4:5 "Alliances"
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Theory" 4:6 "Margin of Error"
Th 8-1 Veenstra et al. "Temperament, Environment, and 4:7 "Unto Others"
Antisocial Behavior in a Population Sample of 4:8 "Corner Boys" Preadolescent Boys and Girls"
F 8-2 Anderson. The Code of the Street. 4:9 "Know Your Place"
4:10 "Misgivings"
M 8-5 Comfort. "Punishment Beyond the Legal 4:11 "A New Day"
Offender" 4:12 "That's Got His Own"
T 8-6 Walsh. "African Americans and Serial Killing in 4:13 "Final Grades"
the Media: The Myth and the Reality" 5:3 "Not for Attribution"
W 8-7 Sampson and Laub. "A Life-Course View of the 5:8 "Clarifications"
Development of Crime" 5:10 "–30–" Final Paper Due Goals Assessment #3 Due
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