Sociology 494
Special Topics in Sociology:
Crime and Punishment in America
Marilyn Brown, Ph.D.
Office Hours:
MWF 10:00 – 11:00 and 1:00 – 2:00
(And by appointment) UCB 346
Contact:
Phone: 933-3184, e-mail: marilyn @hawaii.edu
Web Page: http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/faculty/marilyn/
Class Times:
Monday/Wednesday 3:00 – 4:15, UCB 331
The late 20th century saw the build-up of an extensive system designed to control what many
viewed as one of the nation’s most serious problems: crime. By the end of 2002, over two
million men and women were being held in federal or state prisons, and in local jails in the
United States. At the same time, crime and punishment became objects of cultural fascination
and the focus of intense media interest, becoming the subject of numerous films and television
programs.
This course will highlight the determinants of crime as theorized by leading experts in the field.
In addition, we will explore how America has responded to crime as a social problem. Topics
include contemporary explanations of crime, prison expansion in the United States, race and
crime, sentencing policies, women and crime, and the death penalty. In addition, this
sociological analysis of crime and punishment offers important insights into the nature of social
processes and culture in the contemporary United States.
Objectives:
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Become familiar with the major theoretical perspectives in criminology
Understand crime and punishment within a sociological context
Formulate a research question concerning crime or punishment
Make use of high-quality academic literature on a specific topic in order to complete
a research paper.
Improve communication skills (including speaking, reading, and writing) and the
ability to use diverse sources of information technology
Crime and Punishment in America will be a seminar-style class, where students will rotate
presentations of reading assignments for class discussion. Students will also write a 10-15
seminar paper on a course-related topic and present their research.
Course Requirements: Sociology 100, senior standing, or permission of the instructor.
1
Required Texts:
Bedau, Hugo Adam, ed. 1997. The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies. New
York: Oxford University Press. (ISBN: 0-19-512286-0 Pbk)
Mauer, Marc and Meda Chesney-Lind. 2002. Invisible Punishment: The Collateral
Consequences of Mass Imprisonment. New York: New Press. (W.W. Norton & Co.) (ISBN: 156584-848-9 Pbk)
Paternoster, Raymond and Ronet Bachman. 2001. Explaining Criminals and Crime. Los
Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company. (ISBN: 1-891487-32-9 Pbk)
Additional readings as assigned.
Attendance Policy & Special Needs
Regular attendance is essential. If you should miss a class be sure and get the notes from a
classmate. You are responsible for taking exams and doing your presentation on the day
specified. If you miss an exam or presentation because of illness, I will require a doctor’s
note.
If any student with a documented disability would like to request accommodation, they should
contact the University Disability Services Office at 933-0816 (V), 933-3334 (TTY),
shirachi@hawaii.edu, or visit Campus Center Room 311 as early in the semester as possible.
Academic Ethics
Academic dishonesty hurts all of us by undermining the values of the UH community and,
ultimately, the value of your education. Cheating and plagiarism affect overall student grades
and, therefore, will not be tolerated in this classroom. Become familiar with the section on
academic dishonesty in the Student Conduct Code because you will be held to its rules in this
class. Academic dishonesty includes presenting others’ ideas as your own, cheating on exams,
falsifying data, or failing to properly cite others’ work. I will not hesitate to give students who
are caught deliberately engaging in these behaviors a failing grade for the course. Nor will I
hesitate to use any other recourse noted in the Student Conduct Code as a sanction. Bottom line:
It’s soo not worth it!
Course Requirements and Grading
There will be one exam, three group presentations, a bibliography, and a research paper of 10-15
pages.
Annotated Bibliography
Exam
Presentations (3)
Individual research presentation
10%
20%
15%
15%
2
Final Paper
40%
Exam: This will be an in-class exam on the material in the Paternoster/Bachman text.
Group Presentation: Each student will participate as a member of one of six groups that will be
responsible for presenting the scheduled reading to the class. I encourage students to be as
creative as possible in explaining the material. Skits, role-playing, video segments, songs, or
other forms of expression are all permitted! The main thing is to work collectively to understand
and present the material to the class. Remember that the class will depend on you to explain the
important concepts to them in a clear, enjoyable way. Each student will receive an evaluation
from the members of the group which will be factored into their group presentation grade.
Annotated Bibliography: The bibliography will be composed of lists of sources from peerreviewed sociology/criminology journals. Each student bibliography will include five such
articles as a minimum. Provide a list of ten sources (including the five journal articles) with
notes about the material. Two copies will be due on February 25th. I expect to see these sources
cited in the final paper.
Suggestions: Find literature reviews on your subject as soon as possible in the term. Add
sources later as necessary, but be sure to decide on the major sources early on in the semester.
Research Paper: Begin by selecting your topic at the beginning of the semester. Submit the
topic along with a paragraph about the research question by the end of January (January 28th).
Be as specific as possible. For example, rather than writing about “serial killers,” write a paper
addressing the question of why most serial killers have been white males (and why this might be
changing!). Instead of writing a paper on crystal methamphetamine, write the paper about the
merits of using a public health rather than a criminalization approach to the problem “ice” in
Hawai‛i. I will expect to see reference to theoretical perspectives cited in your work.
3
Assignment Schedule – Sociology 494
1
Mo.
Day
Class Tasks
Reading Assignment
January
12
Introduction
Handout: Criminology: Explaining
Crime and Its Context,
Chapters 3-4)
14
What do we know about
crime and how do we know
it?
Holiday
Classical theories of crime
Positive School
Control Theories
Paper Topics Due
Social Disorganization &
Crime
Anomie/Strain theories
Library Orientation
Differential Association &
Social Learning Theory
2
19
21
26
28
3
4
February
4
9
11
5
6
7
8
9
2
March
12
Hui 1
Hui 2
Hui 3
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 5
Hui 4
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 6
Meet at Library
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 7
Hui 5
Hui 6
Holiday
Stanford Prison Experiment
Radical and Feminist
Theories
Work on Bibliography
Video
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 8
Hui 1
25
Labeling or Social Reaction
Theory
Annotated Bibliography
Due
Exam
The American Justice
System: Structure &
Institutions
Sentencing Policies
Video: The Legacy
Consequences of
Imprisonment
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 9
Hui 2
Race, Gender & Incarceration
Part 2, Mauer & Chesney-Lind
Chapters 4-6
Part 3, Mauer & Chesney-Lind
Chapters 7-8
1
3
8
15
17
11
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 2
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 3
Paternoster & Bachman, Chapt 4
16
18
23
10
10
Group
Presenting
N/A
22
24
29
Families, Communities,and
Incarceration
Spring Break
Spring Break
Punishment & Poverty
4
Handout: To be announced
Part 1, Mauer & Chesney-Lind
Chapters 1-3
Part 4, Mauer & Chesney-Lind
Chapters 10-11
Hui 3
Hui 4
Hui 5
Hui 6
31
13
April
5
7
14
12
14
15
19
16
17
May
May
21
26
28
3
5
7
First Draft of Paper Due
Punishment & American
Society
Introduction to the Death
Penalty Death Penalty & the
Law
Death Penalty: Public
Attitudes
Deterrence & Incapacitation
Student Presentations
Constitutional Issues
Student Presentations
Controversies: Prosecution to
Execution
Student Presentations
Student Presentations
Student Presentations
Student Presentations
Student Presentations
Student Presentations
No Class: Final Papers Due
No Final Exam
Other Dates of Interest:
Last Day to register or add a class:
Late Add/Drop
Last day to withdraw without a W
Spring Recess
Jan. 16
Jan. 17-23
Jan. 30
Mar. 22-26
5
Part 5, Mauer & Chesney-Lind
Chapters 12-16
Hui 1
Part 1, Bedau, Chapters 1-6
Hui 2
Part 2, Bedau, Chapters 7-8
Hui 3
Part 3, Bedau, Chapters 9-11
Hui 4
Part 4, Bedau, Chapters 12-19
Hui 5
The Illinois Controversy (report)
Part 5-6, Bedau, Chapters 20, 22,
24, 25, 29
Hui 6