Syllabus for Soc 441 - CriminologyCourse Schedule for Soc 441 - CriminologySOCIOLOGY 441 – CRIMINOLOGY Spring 2011 -- Social Science 6104 Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00 – 5:15 pm Instructor: Cecile David, Ph.D. Office No.: 2452 Social Sciences Office Hours: Thursdays, 10 am – 12 pm or by appt. Office Phone: (608) 265-2368 Email Address: [email protected] Teaching Assistant: Robert Chiles Office No.: 7110 Social Sciences Email Address: [email protected] Discussion Sessions: MONDAYS: 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 Course Description and Goals This course is an introduction to criminology -- the study of crime and the theoretical perspectives which explain criminal behavior and the causes of crime. We will learn how crime is defined and measured, and how criminal actions are classified. We will examine social and psychological explanations of criminal acts and criminal behavior, the social structural theories of criminal law and crime rates, and the different theories regarding treatment, control, correctional methods, and the administration of justice. We will review some of the institutions that are part of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, correctional facilities, and the legal system), and how the theoretical foundations in criminology impact their systems and processes. While this course focuses mainly on the United States, we will conclude with a comparative study of criminological approaches and research in other countries. The course is divided into three parts. The first part will provide an overview of the criminal legal system and how the social construction of criminality is viewed and perpetuated by the media. We then delve into the measurement of crime and researchers’ attempts to understand criminal behavior and actions. We will evaluate how crime is defined and calculated at the local and national level, and we will assess how the correlates of crime are the most common variables used in looking at the prevalence and determinants of crime, criminals and victims. Finally, we will discuss the difficulties faced in researching crime, particularly, the under-reporting of crime and the ethics involved in using ethnographic methods. The second part of the course is a study of criminological theories that provide an understanding of the major theories of criminal involvement. We will examine the basicSoc441: Page 2 intellectual orientation of each theory, its history, arguments, central hypotheses, and how each theory can be empirically tested. At the end of this section, students should have a strong understanding of the process by which criminal involvement emerges. The third and final part of this course will examine typologies of criminal behavior and how different types of crime are categorized. We will review current research that tests criminological theories and apply them to specific kinds of crimes. We will then analyze societal responses to crime, particularly in three institutions: law enforcement and policing, correctional facilities, sentencing, and incarceration, and prosecution and the criminal legal system. Finally, we will finish the course with a comparative examination of social control, crime data, and the criminal justice systems in selected countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Required Readings: Crime and Criminals: Contemporary and Classic Readings in Criminology by Frank R. Scarpitti, Amie L. Nielsen and J. Mitchell Miller, 2nd edition. (2009) Oxford University Press. Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application by Ronald L. Akers and Christine S. Sellers, 5th edition. (2009) Oxford University Press. Soc 441 READER – required readings of selected book chapters and journal articles are posted at Learn@UW. The complete course packet will be available for purchase at the Social Science Copy Center (6120 SS). All the required readings (both textbooks and reader) will be available in the Reserve Collection at the College Library. Learn@UW We will use the online Learn@UW system for various parts of the course, e.g., news, links, instructions, a survey, online quiz, access to required readings, dropbox, or paper submission. (The gradebook, however, will not be enabled.) I do not post my lecture notes online, so if you miss class, you will need to borrow notes from a classmate. You can access Learn@UW through https://learnuw.wisc.edu/index.html or www.wisc.edu. Log in, click on the Criminology link, and take a few minutes to look around the site. (Students on the waitlist need be added to the class list by me.) Classroom Format The course meets twice weekly for 75-minute lectures and one 50 minute discussion section. The lectures will generally be just that: lectures. I have also scheduled five distinguished guest speakers to make presentations to our class (see the course scheduleSoc441: Page 3 for the list of speakers and topics). Attendance at all the lectures is required, and attendance at the guest speakers’ presentations is MANDATORY. There will be exam questions based on material presented at the lectures and the guest speakers’ presentations. This is a full classroom and students should not engage in disruptive behavior. Students who negatively impact the learning environment of their classmates will be asked to leave. Do not text during lecture. Do not access social media websites or surf the internet during lecture. Students may think that they can text without others noticing. This is not true. Students may think that their texting does not distract others. This is also not true. As a simple matter of respect, please do not text during lecture. Similarly, if you are using a laptop to write notes, do not surf the internet or access social media websites like Facebook during lecture. With a crowded classroom, everybody around and behind you can see what you are doing. Grading Policy Final letter grades are based on the following components and weighted percentage: Online Quiz (February 15th-16th): (7%) One-Page Paper Proposal (due March 10th): (part of the research paper grade) Midterm Exam (March 28th) : (20%) 10-Page Mini-Research Paper (due April 28th): (35%) Final Exam (May 10th): (25%) Discussion Section Participation: (13%) Details of the graded components are as follows: Quiz (7%): There will be one timed 30-minute quiz taken online at Learn@UW between February 15th and 16th. (The quiz