JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CJBA 220:01 RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, CRIME AND JUSTICE (HYBRID)
Tuesdays 12:15 PM, New Building 1.92
Thursday 12:15 on Zoom:
https://jjay-cuny.zoom.us/j/82900269237?pwd=ZmJlWmc2cUo4U0VUZjdyNlRVRzUwQT09
Meeting ID: 829 0026 9237
Passcode: 828683
PROFESSORS
Dr. Frank Pezzella
Department of Criminal Justice
1 (212)-237-8410
Email: Fpezzella@jjay.cuny.edu
Office hours: 1:30- 2:30 Tuesdays or by appointment
Professor May Pascaud
Department of Criminal Justice
1 (914) 844-4029
Email: Mpascaud@jjay.cuny.edu
Office hours: 1:30-2:30 PM Thursdays or by appointment
ZOOM MEETING INFORMATION
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://jjay-cuny.zoom.us/meeting/tZYkdmqqDIoGdOiWWZXRx_YTwZAXhs8AN88/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqpzsqGNKcshqARpwQHYigcrwplhBjadylSjSORhhejzPAvV4E4p3A4Dx
Join Zoom Meeting
https://jjay-cuny.zoom.us/j/82900269237?pwd=ZmJlWmc2cUo4U0VUZjdyNlRVRzUwQT09
Meeting ID: 829 0026 9237
Passcode: 828683
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course provides for a critical examination of the relationships between race, ethnicity,
gender, intersectionality, crime and justice. The course is meant to promote dialogue to unpack
how American Society operationalizes concepts of race, crime, justice and other race influenced
concepts. We will examine the historical, social, political, economic and cultural,
conceptualizations of which race, crime and justice are interdependent. Five essential topics
will be studied because of their salience to the question of equal justice, systemic racism and
intersectional oppression. These topics include the racialization of crime and the myth of black
criminality, intersectional victim perspectives, racial theories of crime, and criminal justice
sentencing and corrections issues.
This is a 200 level-course, so you are expected to demonstrate your intellectual best bringing
forth your accumulated knowledge of your entire postsecondary education in every aspect of
the class. A great deal of learning happens in the discussion board, when we examine each
other’s ideas, convictions, and moral positions. You’ll get the most benefit from this course if
you stay abreast of the assigned readings.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate:
1) A knowledge of the core literature, statistics and debates around race, crime and
justice. Students will be able to:
a) show evidence of having read and understood the core literature and debates.
b) show the ability to carry out a thorough review of the existing evidence in
relation to the subject area of interest.
c) critically engage with and cite the relevant literature and statistics.
d) be able to contextualize their thinking in relation to the criminological
literature.
2) An understanding of the methods of race, crime and justice research. Students will
be able to:
a) show an understanding of the most widely used methods of collecting data
and the methodological difficulties inherent in researching race, crime and
justice. Be acquainted with exemplars of relevant research.
3) The ability to make reasoned and informed judgment on issues relating to race,
ethnicity, gender, intersectionality crime, and justice.
4)
Students will be able to:
a) formulate a practical and meaningful research question that can be addressed
by either locating the research findings of other criminologists or by collecting
original data.
b) show the ability to make systematic observations that are objective, accurate
and insightful.
c) be able to situate findings within the wider debates on issues related to race,
crime and criminal justice policy.
d) show an ability to be reflective on research findings and consider the policy
implications of their discoveries.
5) The ability to organize thoughts and communicate arguments effectively in writing.
Students will:
a) produce discussion board answers, reactions and essays that are evidenced
based, well organized, and written with correct citations and bibliography.
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b) compose a clear analysis of the evidence, data or findings.
c) draw appropriate and informed conclusions.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The essential intent of this course is to challenge the links between the distinct social
phenomena of race, ethnicity, gender, intersectionality, crime, and justice, and to examine
these phenomena and their relationships for negotiations of social, cultural, political,
economic, and legal power. To this end, the class will be conducted as a hybrid course
meeting in person and synchronously over blackboard with discussion board questions,
reaction papers, and an end of term final examination. Moreover, students have been
randomly assigned to groups of 6 from 1-1 to 1-6. Each group will field a different discussion
question of which they are expected to lead the discussion. Still the entire class as individuals
are expected to weigh in on the discussion questions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Textbook: Race and Crime by Shaun Gabbidon and Helen Taylor Greene
Fourth or Fifth edition, ISBN 978-1-4833-8418-4
Class participation: Earned each week for full credit; class participation grade assigned at the
end of the semester can range from 0-5.
Discussion board: There will be a total of five discussion board assignments worth two points
apiece.
Reaction paper essays: Four reaction paper essays worth 10 points apiece; see section
specifications below.
Midterm examination (11/9/2023): Students will take their first of two exams in the class.
The midterm exam will be comprehensive covering all the material discussed in class, YouTube
videos and from the readings. The exam will have the full class period to complete it and
internet exercises.
Final exam (12/19/2023): This exam will be cumulative, and students should be prepared
to answer questions on materials derived from the semester, However, questions will lean
heavily towards the latter half of the semester but not exclusively.
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All assignment due dates:
9/4 at 8 AM
9/13 at 8 AM
9/25 at 8 AM
10/2 at midnight
10/23 at 8 AM
11/2 at midnight
11/9
11/27 at midnight
12/4 at 8 AM
12/11 at midnight
12/19
Discussion board #1
Discussion board #2
Discussion board #3
Reaction paper #1
Discussion board #4
Reaction paper #2
MIDTERM
Reaction paper #3
Discussion board #5
Reaction paper #4
FINAL EXAM
COURSE POLICIES
Class attendance: After three unexcused and undocumented absences student final grade will
be deducted by one ½ letter grade and then f1/2 letter grade for every subsequent two
absences after that. Attendance will be taken each class and tardiness noted. Both attendance
and tardiness will have an effect on your class participation grade which will be graded based
on both professors’ assessment of individual “substantive” participation throughout the
course. The class participation grade must be earned and not taken for granted. If you don’t
consistently and regularly participate, please don’t expect to earn the maximum participation
grade of 5 points.
Tardiness: Class will start each week promptly at 12:15. If it is impossible for students to come
to class on time, they should consider taking this course when and where tardiness won’t have
consequences on your grade. In the hopefully unlikely case where a student is late, it is
understood that they will demonstrate respect for other members of the class by creating as
little disruption as possible finding the nearest seat. Note that it is impossible to attain full
credit for class participation if a student has more than two or three tardy arrivals to class.
Classroom/zoom behavior:
•
•
All phones/pagers/music players or any other technology that could be disruptive to the
class should be silenced prior to class starting.
If you must answer the phone, seat yourself in a location where you can quickly exit the
room to address the call.
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•
When we have our weekly in-class assignments, students may be assigned to work
individually or in groups. Regardless, voices should be kept low so as not disturb others
working on the assignment.
Students with disabilities: Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities will be
provided reasonable academic accommodations if determined eligible by the Office of
Accessibility Services (OAS). The instructor must receive written verification of a student’s
eligibility from the OAS which is located at L66 in the new building (212-237-8031). It is the
student’s responsibility to initiate contact with the office and to follow the established
procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor. The OAS website:
http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/office-accessibility-services CLASS CALENDAR1
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Class Participation
Discussion Board (5)
Midterm Examination (1)
Reaction Papers (4)
Final Examination (1)
5%
10%
20%
40%
25%
1. Discussion board assignments (5) (10%)
A total of 5 discussion board questions are provided on Blackboard. Students are
expected to post their own original response to the discussion board questions and be
prepared to discuss AND evaluate a classmate’s post with a substantive, evidenced
based response that either supports or refutes the posts. Only consistent and respectful
comments to classmate’s post are permitted and eligible for the highest value class
participation grades. Comments that are not respectful will receive a negative value by
the professor. Posts that are based on opinion without substantive evidence will not
garner full credit. Please pay attention to the word count as they vary depending on the
complexity of the question.
Important: Initial discussion board post are due day before class at 8:00 AM Thus,
please make all your contributions to the discussion forums within the required
weekly time frame.
Discussion Rubric: Discussion assignments are designed to encourage interaction
between the class participants. Of course, students should always be respectful of
others when giving their opinion(s). The best discussion posts and responses do more
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than merely recite the materials. They analyze and extrapolate what you have learned
and posit questions for you peers to discuss and wrestle with. Take any stance or
approach you like, so long as you support it with the materials or logical argument.
2. Reaction/Position Paper Essays (4) (40%)
Reactions papers should be concise substantive accounts of the race and crime issue
under study. Using Times New Roman font (12 pt.). Reaction papers should include a
maximum 250 words with APA formatted in text citations that address the assigned
questions.
Please select one of the topics we are studying this semester and prepare an essay
either supporting or refuting the authors we have studied. You will need to provide at
least two original references outside of our assigned reading to support your position.
Well supported and argued essay will garner maximum points. Pay attention to your
citation format and grammar (references and title pages are excluded from the page
count).
1. What is critical race theory. What are the tenets of critical race theory? Should it be
taught in institutions of higher education?
2. Should hate crimes be prosecuted more severely than their ordinary crime
counterparts?
3. Should the law consider intersectionality in its assessment of victimizations?
4. Why are African Americans disproportionately imprisoned in the United States?
Your reaction/position papers grading rubric:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Provide the APA citation of the article or podcast.
Answer in a sentence what is being argued.
Address at least three significant claims of the article
Address what is being claimed that answers the subject matter question if one has
been posed.
5. Discuss anything you find particularly striking about the reading or the podcast.
6. Do not exceed the word limit.
Course grading:
A: 92 - 100
A+: 90 - 91
B+: 87 - 89
B: 83 - 86
B-: 80 - 82
C+: 77 -79
C: Below 77
Required reading: Students are expected to read the assigned material before responding to
discussion board post. Students should take care to incorporate the substance of the reading in
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their post. High value original posts and responses incorporate the reading. Opinions without a
basis in evidence will not garner the highest value grade. The readings will be derived from
following assigned books and peer reviewed journal articles:
http://jjay.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php?action=browse#books/2652192/
College Policy for a Grade of Incomplete (INC): An Incomplete grade may be given only to
those students who would pass the course if they were to satisfactorily complete course
requirements. It is within the discretion of the faculty member as to whether or not to give the
grade of Incomplete. If a faculty member decides to give an Incomplete grade, he or she
completes an Incomplete Grade drop-down form that will appear on the grading screen when
the faculty member assigns the INC grade online. The faculty member will then provide the
following information: the grade the student has earned so far; the assignment(s) that are
missing; and the percentage of the final grade that the missing assignment(s) represents for this
purpose. If the course takes place during the fall semester or winter session, then the
incomplete work is due by the student no later than the end of the third week of the following
spring semester. It is within the discretion of the faculty member to extend this deadline under
extraordinary circumstances. When completing the online Incomplete Grade Form, the faculty
member agrees to grade the student’s outstanding coursework as specified on the form and to
submit the student’s grade for the course any time from the date the student submits the
completed work until the end of that fall or spring semester. This policy should be included on
undergraduate course syllabi. If the student does not successfully complete the missing work,
the faculty member may change the grade to a letter grade. If the faculty member does not
submit a change of grade, the Incomplete grade automatically becomes the grade of “FIN” at
the end of that semester.
Expectations: Students are expected to complete all required readings prior to class, participate
in class discussions. Late submissions will receive a full grade deduction for each late day
(meaning, a ‘B’ paper will receive a grade of ‘C’ if it is one day late). Penalties for lateness may be
avoided under exceptional circumstances, with appropriate documentation related to the special
circumstances and if the student contacts the professor prior to the submission deadline. Papers
will only be accepted electronically on blackboard and must be typed and double spaced.
Academic dishonesty: Violations involving cheating will result in a failing grade on the exam or
written assignment. Violations will also be reported to the Dean of Students. It is the
responsibility of each student to be familiar with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice policy
on academic integrity as described below. Academic dishonesty includes all forms of cheating,
copying, plagiarism and giving assistance to other students during exams.
Cheating and/or plagiarism: Cheating and plagiarism (see below) will not be tolerated. Any
student found to be cheating or engaged in any academic dishonesty will receive a failing
grade for the semester, as well as have the infraction reported to the Office of Student
Integrity.
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Prohibition against use of AI including but not limited to /Chat AI Chat GPT: Unless
specifically authorized, the use of artificial intelligence technology is a violation of the
CUNY/College Policy on academic Integrity, and constitutes both cheating and plagiarism.
Submitting work generated by someone or something other than yourself as if it were your
own is cheating. Presenting ideas, concepts, words etc. without providing appropriate credit
to your sources is plagiarism.
Statement of College Policy about Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the presentation of someone
else's ideas, words or artistic, scientific or technical work as one's own creation. Using the
ideas or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified.
Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original
source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not
necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. It is the student's own
responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are common knowledge
(which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others.
Paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as
the source is cited. Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are
advised to consult with their instructors. The library has free guides designed to help
students with problems of documentation.
One such guide for the American Psychological Association (APA) Citation style can be found
at: http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/apastyle_spring_2012.pdf.
It is the student’s responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are
common knowledge and restatements of the ideas of others. Paraphrasing, summarizing, and
direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, if the source is cited.
Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with
their instructors. The library has free guides designed to help students with problems of
documentation. Students will be expected to submit all written assignments to the plagiarism
detection program selected by your professors.
Policy on cheating: Students are prohibited from using books, notes and other reference
materials during examinations except as specifically authorized by the instructor. Students may
not copy other students’ examination papers, have others take examinations for them,
substitute examination booklets, submit papers written by others, or engage in other forms of
academic dishonesty. An instructor who determines that such a violation has occurred may
follow the options stated below.
Resolving allegations of cheating and plagiarism: Allegations of cheating may be referred to
the Vice President for Student Development to be handled under the Student Disciplinary
Procedures in Article 15 of the Bylaws of the CUNY Board of Trustees, copies of which are
available in the Library and on line at www.cuny.edu. Plagiarism may be either an academic
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infraction or a disciplinary infraction, depending on the nature of the allegation. The key factor
in determining whether an allegation of plagiarism should be treated as an academic or
disciplinary matter is whether resolution of the issue involves primarily a question of fact or
primarily a question of professional academic judgment (i.e., a judgment involving the
professor’s expertise, or a subjective evaluation of the student’s work product or both). For
example, whether a student did, in fact, plagiarize from another source frequently involves
primarily a question of fact. In such circumstances, the matter may be referred to the Vice
President for Student Development for Student Development for the initiation of a disciplinary
hearing. However, the primary issue in a plagiarism case frequently is whether the idea and/or
language expressed by a student were original or were the ideas of another. In such cases, the
matter is more properly characterized as academic, for which the faculty member should award
a grade appropriate to the circumstances. In some instances of plagiarism, a faculty member
may wish to impose a grade reduction penalty to a student as well as seek the imposition of
one of the penalties that may be authorized only by a disciplinary committee convened
pursuant to Article 15 of the Bylaws, such as disciplinary probation, long-term suspension, or
expulsion. Where the faculty member refers a case to the Vice President for Student
Development for referral to a Judicial Committee, the faculty member must hold the grade in
abeyance until the Judicial Committee has determined whether the student is guilty or innocent
of the charges. After the Judicial Committee has rendered its decision, the faculty member may
award a grade that is consistent with the findings of the committee.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Date
Topic
8/29
Syllabus Review/Course Policies and Overview of Race and crime
8/31 – 9/5
Historical Antecedents of Race and Crime
Reading: Gabbidon & Green, Ch. 1 pgs .1-37
Discussion Board #1 due 9/4
9/7-9/14
Extent of Crime and Victimization
Sources of Crime and Victimization Statistics: UCR, NIBRS, NCVS
Reading: Gabbidon & Green, Ch. 2 pgs .38-65
Discussion Board #2 due 9/13
9/19-9/26
Theoretical Perspectives on Race and Crime
Reading: Gabbidon & Green, Ch. 3 pgs. 66-102
Discussion Board # 3 due 9/25
9/28- 10/5
Race Theories on the Relationship between Race and Crime
Critical Race Theory
Bell, Derick (1995) Who’s Afraid of Critical Race Theory? Illinois Law
review, Pgs. 893-910 (BB)
You Tube Videos: Crensahw, Kimberle, Critical Race Theory
First Reaction Paper Due 10/2 (Critical Race Theory)
10/10
No class: Monday schedule
10/12
Minority threat theory
Reading:
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The Myth of Black Criminality (Robinson, 1990) (BB)
Craig, M. A., & Richeson, J. A. (2014). More diverse yet less tolerant?
How the increasingly diverse racial landscape affects white Americans’
racial attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(6), 750761
Brad W. Smith, Malcolm D. Holmes, Police Use of Excessive Force in
Minority Communities: A Test of the Minority Threat, Place, and
Community Accountability Hypotheses Social Problems, Volume 61, Issue
1, 1 February 2014, Pages 83–104,
https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2013.12056,
10/17-10/19
Race and Policing: The NYPD Experience and the Myth of Black
Criminality
The History of Racialized Policing in New York City
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Daniel Stageman, Director of Office for Advancement
of Research John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Reading: Stageman, Daniel (2023) , Signal Events: Racialized Policing in
NYC (BB)
10/24
Historical Overview of Race and Policing
Contemporary Issues in Race and Policing
Reading: Gabbidon & Green Ch. 4, Pgs 103-139
Discussion Board #4 due 10/23
10/26
The Racialization of Crime and the Myth of Black Criminality
Reading: Muhamad, (2010) Ch 2: Writing Crime into Race: Racial
criminalization and the dawn of Jim Crow Pgs. 35-87
Watch You Tube Video: Muhummad, Kahil John Jay College 2015
10/31-11/2
Race, Crime, Gender, and Intersectionality
Watch videos:
TED Talk: The urgency of intersectionality
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5UsQ2o&pp=ygUSa2ltYmVybGVlIGNyZW5zaGF3
Kimberlé Crenshaw: On Intersectionality
https://youtu.be/-DW4HLgYPlA?t=18
Reading: Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume
10 , Issue 2 , Fall 2013 , pp. 303 - 312
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X13000349
Crenshaw, Kimberlé ~1989!. Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race
and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine.
University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989: 139–168.
Second Reaction Paper due 11/2 12:15 (Intersectionality)
11/7
No class – Election Day
11/9
Midterm
11/14-11/16
Special topic: Gender, sexuality and incarceration
Reading:
Comfort, M. L. (2003). In The Tube At San Quentin: The “Secondary
Prisonization” of Women Visiting Inmates. Journal of Contemporary
Ethnography, 32(1), 77–107.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241602238939 (BB)
Ben Crewe and others, The Gendered Pains of Life Imprisonment, The
British Journal of Criminology, Volume 57, Issue 6, November 2017,
Pages 1359–1378, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azw088 (BB)
YouTube:
“Black Trans Bodies are Under Attack”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuH43-_4Yo
11/21
Hate Crimes
Reading:
Fetzer, M. D., & Pezzella, F. S. (2019). The nature of bias crime injuries: A
comparative analysis of physical and psychological victimization effects.
Journal of interpersonal violence, 34(18), 3864-3887. (BB)
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Pezzella, F. S., & Fetzer, M. D. (2017). The likelihood of injury among bias
crimes: An analysis of general and specific bias types. Journal of
interpersonal violence, 32(5), 703-729. (BB)
11/23
Thanksgiving
11/28
Hate crimes continued
Third Reaction Paper due 11/27 12:15 (Hate Crimes)
11/30-12/5
Sentencing
Reading: Gabbidon & Green, Ch. 2 pgs .179-210
Discussion Board #5 due 12/04
12/7-12/12
Corrections
Reading: Gabbidon & Green, Ch. 2 pgs .241-281
Fourth Reaction Paper due 12/11 12:15 (Sentencing & corrections)
12/14
Review for Final Examination
12/19
Final Examination
Syllabus schedule and subject matter may change at professors’ discretion.
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