PresentationLAW, CRIME, AND SOCIETY LEGAL STUDIES 397G Spring 2006 Instructor. Farid Samir Benavides Vanegas Gordon Hall 121 Office Hours: Wednesday 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Course Objectives In this course we will study different aspects of the Criminal Justice System, focusing on contemporary problems in the American Criminal Justice System as well as in international law. From an analysis of the concept of law, through a study of the idea of crime and criminals, to a study of international justice and international crimes, we will analyze how crime and criminals are socially constructed concepts, as well as the role society plays in this process. We will see that race, class, nationality, and gender are elements to take into account when we analyze questions like crime, death penalty and prison. In spite of the constructed character of crime, we will see that there are some conducts that, while being a construct, like genocide or crimes against humanity, affect rights in a way other crimes do not. Throughout this course we will study this type of crimes and how they are the result of a long political process. Make sure you understand the requirements of this course. If you are not a hard worker, this is certainly not a class for you. In order to learn more about all the topics of the course, we will read a number of articles, academic and non academic, and I expect you to be prepared to discuss them in class. Feel free to come to my office hours to discuss any topic related to the readings and class in general. Readings All the readings for this class are posted on the web. I expect you to download and print them and bring them to class. Make sure you have read the materials before coming to class; otherwise you are not going to be an active member of this community. Class Participation A small part of the class will be lecture, but most of the times you will be asked to intervene with your ideas and opinions. If you have not read the materials or if you are unwilling to intervene in class, it will affect your participation grade. You should come to class prepared to ask questions about what you have read, to evaluate the material, and to express your own reasoned views on controversial issues. Your participation should demonstrate that you have carefully read the material and thought about its implications. Remember that you are reading academic texts that are the result of research. Read the authors critically, do not accept everything they say just because it is in accord with your personal opinion,but do not reject them because they do not share your views on one particular topic. Feel free to say whatever you think, but do it in a respectful and rational manner. Expect to be part of a community of discussion and bring arguments to support your views. Participation in class will be worth 15% of your final grade. If you do not come to class you cannot participate, no matter the reason for your absence you cannot make up participation in class. If you find it difficult to get a word in or if you are not used to participating, talk to the instructor. If you tend to talk a lot, remember to give others a chance. Participation is important, but quantity is less important than quality. Regular attendance with minimal participation will not be considered participation at all. If you cannot come regularly, this is not a class for you. During the class I will ask a question related to the readings. You have to fill a file card AND answer correctly the question in order to get the credit for participation in that session. You need to bring a file card for every class in order to be ready to answer the question related to the readings. Repeated absence (10% of the total) lowers your participation grade. Frequent absence can result in a failing grade for the course, regardless of your performance on other assignments. WebCT Participation We will use the WebCT. In order to use this tool you need to have an OIT account. I will ask a question on the web board and I expect people to answer it. I will not consider participation on the Web that is done after the session the reading will be analyzed. Check WebCt regularly. This means that you cannot wait until the end of the course to participate on the web. Remember that what matters is quality and not quantity. Comments that are unrelated to the class or that do not reflect a thoughtful reading of the texts will not be taken into account. Paper For the paper I will ask you a question that involves a careful analysis of at least five readings of this class. You need to answer the question and not just give your personal opinion. However, you have to write it as a paper where you are demonstrating a point based on the analysis of the readings. These are some guidelines for the paper. More detailed rules will be distributed by the third week of this course. 1. You must write 5 double spaced pages. Font 12. 2. You need to state your thesis at the beginning of the paper. It could be something like this: “In this paper I want to evaluate the argument that crime is negatively correlated with social class”. 3. You have to show arguments in favor of your position. For example: “According to some authors (Lineker, 1986; Rossi, 1982; Do Nascimento, 1970), race plays a role in the selection of people by the criminal system because….” 24. You have to show arguments against your position. For example: “Other authors (Yashin, 1962; Zoff, 1982; Leao, 1978; Goycochea, 1990) argue that race does not play a role. They show this when they say….. 5. You have to criticize both points of view: “Lineker’s analysis is flawed because….but in any case he makes a strong case because…..On the other hand, Goycochea’s study of race in a small town of River Plate is not as representative of all studies of race because….. 6. Based on this analysis you have to reach a conclusion, stating clearly whether your argument has been proven or not. 7. You can use the readings for the class, other readings, and statistics from the Department of Justice. At the end of the paper you have to present the bibliography you used for your paper. 8. The paper is due ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 26th. I will collect them at the beginning of class. Those students that do not hand in their paper at the beginning of that class will lose 3 points out of 20 in their final grade. Those who do not hand