Discover New York
Take-home midterm (due 10/26)
Professor Hala
Fall 2012
Answer the following questions in a paper 2-3 pages in length (500 – 850 words). Email your paper to
me (nhala.qc@gmail.com) by October 26th.
City of Disorder describes the changing nature and extent of various (often related) social problems in
New York City and the changing policies the city uses to address these problems. Starting with the
1970s Fiscal Crisis, New York City suffered through a prolonged period of dislocation and disorder.
“Urban Liberalism,” which had shaped approaches to urban problems since the days of the New Deal,
appeared to be failing. By the early 1990s, we saw a “paradigm shift,” from “Urban Liberalism” to
“Quality of Life.” (A paradigm is a philosophical framework; it frames how we see social
problems, their causes and possible solutions.)
Pick a social problem (e.g., homelessness, delinquency, substance abuse and/or mental illness, etc.)
and find current, valid and reliable data on it. What is the current nature and extent of the problem?
How is the city currently dealing with this problem? Describe and critique the policy using concepts
from the course.
Here are some links to research/policy organizations that collect statistical data and
produce policy reports on homelessness in New York City and nationally:
Coalition for the Homeless: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/
Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH): http://www.icphusa.org/
National Coalition for the Homeless: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/index.html
Homelessness Resource Center: http://homeless.samhsa.gov/Default.aspx
KEY CONCEPTS
Mills, “The Promise,” Ch. 1 (Excerpt, 5 pgs) in The Sociological Imagination (1959)
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION, TROUBLES, ISSUES
Schaefer, “Deviance and Social Control,” Ch. 7, pp. 171-191, in Sociology (2010)
DEVIANCE, *ANOMIE THEORY OF DEVIANCE, *LABELING THEORY, INFORMAL SOCIAL CONTROL,
FORMAL SOCIAL CONTROL, CRIME, VICTIMLESS CRIME (* to be presented in class on 10/17)
Video: “NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM,” Episode 7: “THE CITY AND THE WORLD” (19462003)
DEINDUSTRIALIZATION, SUBURBANIZATION, NYC FISCAL CRISIS (1977)
Video: “STYLE WARS”
BOMBING, ALL-CITY, BURNER, SUBCULTURE, CRIMINALIZATION, QUALITY-OF-LIFE OFFENSE
Vitale, City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York
Politics,
Intro, Ch.1, 2, 3, 4, and 6
QUALITY OF LIFE PARADIGM, BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY, URBAN LIBERALISM, SQUEEGEE MEN,
LAW ENFORCEMENT POLICING, QUALITY-OF-LIFE POLICING, STOP AND FRISK, ZERO TOLERANCE