The University of Hong Kong
Faculty of Social Sciences
Master of Social Science in Criminology
SOCI7003
Social Theory and Criminology
First Semester 2011-12
18:45 - 21:45 Tuesday and/or Thursday
Rm LG104, KK Leung Building
Lecturer:
Dr Kalwan Kwan
Phone: 3762 0832
Email: kalwan@hku.hk
Major Course Content:
Looking back to the history of the present, lingering where we are and what a society we
are pondering with, we will pose ourselves some fundamental questions about society.
What is the nature of the relationship between individuals? And between them and the
society where they live? Why this government? What is meant by social order? How is
order maintained? And in turn, what is the relationship between order and social
control? How does social change affect this order? Can we do away with punishment?
Sociologists have had a longstanding interest in these questions, dating back to some of
the Great Thinkers in the 1700s up to the present, possibly, why Independence for the
new America? Why the French revolution? Looking closer, why the 1967 Riots in Hong
Kong? Why the latest revolutions and changes of political leaders across countries?
What will our society evolve into? What kind of society we wish to have?
The purpose of this course is to look for a way of understanding our own societies by
examining the contributions of the “great masters” in sociology – Karl Marx, Emile
Durkheim, and Max Weber on: the relationship between society and individuals; the
conception of social structure; the social change and the evolution of society; our
response to evolving changes.
Each master had a distinctive framework for explaining the rapid changes in society,
from Marx’s historical materialism to Durkheim’s structural functionalism to Weber’s
interpretive historical sociology. Their work has been influential in a variety of
disciplines, and is essential for understanding the development and goals of criminology,
in particular, why individuals deviate from the order, if not violating the law which
promulgates the standard of conduct in our society.
1
We begin our discussion of the three European theorists with a review of the social
historical context in which they wrote and then turn to their preoccupations, their
theoretical assumptions about human nature, and the major tenets, ideas and critiques
of their work. We also look at how some contemporary thinkers have built on the work of
these classics in relation to criminology. Depending on flow of interests and progress,
we may cover Mead, Merton, Foucault, etc. We conclude with a glance at the work of
Mead, who complete the foundations laid by the three great masters and with a session
dedicated to some key concepts in the study of criminology. Mead philosophizes the
conceptual linking of the mind, self and society, shaping the paradigm of symbolic
interactionism, focused on the ‘micro-level of theorizing’, highly fruitful in understanding
the present debate on criminal behaviour and dispositions.
Course Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an integrative arena for the social
understanding of crime and deviance, how crime is socially constructed and the key
epistemological debates relating to the subject, while familiarizing students with a strong
pragmatic foundation in the application of social theories in the deliberation of social
order.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students who have derived the best of the learning
opportunities should be able to:
1. identify and critically discuss the social ideologies in crime and punishment
2. appreciate the conceptualization of social order and disorder
3. demonstrate understanding of the relationships between society and individuals
and the dialectic relationships between them
4. able to comprehend and analyze the integration of ideologies and correctional
pragmatism
5. demonstrate the ability to tease out and analyze issues in the regulation of social
order
Required Readings:
The readings for this course have been selected from a variety of sources, including both
original readings of the major theorists and interpretations and applications of their ideas.
See schedule below for corresponding reading schedule. There is no set text for this
course, despite a few chapters by Garland would be introductory. According to the
progress of the lectures, relevant articles will be uploaded to the website for this course.
Students are advised to download the readings with the password provided by the
department, and whenever possible, read before attending the class for fruitful sharing, if
not dialectical fusion. Remember, your contribution is essential to effective learning and
we count on you.
Some useful web sources for leisure reading on the three great thinkers:
http://www.marxists.org (Marx)
http://www.emile-durkheim.com (Durkheim)
http://sociosite.net/topics/weber.php (Weber)
2
Major reference books
Farganis, James (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory: the classic tradition to Postmodernism. NY: McGraw Hill. (301.01 R28)
Garland, David (1991). Punishment and Modern Society: A Study in Social Theory.
Oxford: Clarendon Press. (364.6 G23 p)
Garland, David and Sparks, Richard (Eds.) (2000). Criminology and Social Theory. NY:
Oxford University Press. (364 C92 G23)
Ritzer, G. (2008). Classical Sociological Theory (5th ed.). NY: McGraw Hill Higher
Education. (301.01 R61 c)
Supplementary references
Bakken, Borge (Ed.) (2005). Crime, Punishment, and Policing in China. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (364.951 C92 B)
Blomberg, Thomas and Cohen, Stanley (Eds.) (2003). Punishment and Social Control.
NY: Aldine de Gruyter Inc. (364.60973 P98)
Boonin, David (2008). The Problem of Punishment. NY: Cambridge University Press.
(364.601 B72)
Carrabine, Eamonn [et al.] (2009). Criminology: A Sociological Introduction (2nd ed.). NY:
Routledge. (364 C92 C3, also electronic resource)
Cavadino, Michael; Crow, Iain and Dignan, James (1999). Criminal Justice 2000:
Strategies for a New Century. Winchester: Waterside Press. (KM570 C37)
Clinard, Marshall and Meier, Robert (2011). Sociology of deviant behaviour (14th ed.).
Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. (302.542 C64)
Garland, David (2001). The culture of control: crime and social order in contemporary
society. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (364.973 G233 c)
Maguire, Mike; Morgan, Rod and Reiner, Robert (Eds.) (2007). The Oxford handbook of
criminology (4th edition). New York: Oxford University Press. (LB 364 O98)
Rock, Paul and Downes, David (2011). Understanding Deviance: a guide to the
sociology of crime and rule-breaking (6th ed. pending delivery). Oxford: Oxford
University Press. (5th edition of 2007 available X 364.2 D74)
Ross, Jeffrey Ian (Ed.) (2009). Cutting the Edge: Current Perspectives in Radical /
Critical Criminology and Criminal Justice (2nd ed.). New Brunswick, NJ:
Transaction Publishers. (364 C991 R82)
Siegel, Larry (2010). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies (10th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. (364 S57)
Tierney, John (2009). Key Perspectives in Criminology. Berkshire: Open University
Press. (364 T56 k)
Tonry, Michael (Ed.) (2011). Why Punish? How Much? A Reader on Punishment.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. (364.6 W629 T66)
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Lecture 1: Sep 8th (THURSDAY)
Introduction: overview of the course and stepping into crime sociologically.
Try to think sociologically, sometimes philosophically, occasionally critically, yet always
integrative, with a little bit of criminality.
Major Readings:
 Ritzer, G. (2008). Chapter 1: A Historical Sketch of Sociological Theory: The
Early Years, in Classical Sociological Theory (5th ed.). NY: McGraw Hill Higher
Education. Pp. 1-37. (301.01 R61 c) [1d]
 Rock, P. (2007). Sociological Theories of Crime, in Maguire et. Al. Oxford
Handbook of Criminology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp. 51-82. [1e]
Refreshing Classicism (Beccaria, Bentham). Positivism, Symbolic Interactionism,
Hermeneutics – from the investigator to the actor, how it affects our understanding and
response to crime, implementation in criminal justice policies.
Hegel’s antithesis and synthesis.
Why the French revolution.
Exercise: think about what is the epistemological basis (knowledge & values) of our
criminal justice system?
Lecture 2: Sep 15th (THURSDAY)
Key concepts in Emile Durkheim: division of labour, types of
solidarity, anomie, suicide, alcoholism, structural
functionalism
EMILE DURKHEIM
1858-1917
Major Readings:
 Ritzer, G., (2008). Chapter 6: Emile Durkheim. In
Classical Sociological Theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Pp.
179-212. [2a]
 E. Durkheim. – Excerpts from the original reprinted in
Farganis, J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory:
the classic tradition to Post-modernism. NY: McGraw
Hill Chapter 2. Pp. 55-72. (301.01 R28) [2b]
 E. Durkheim. – Excerpts from the original reprinted in
Muncie, J. et al. (ed.). (2003). Criminological
Perspectives: essential readings (2nd ed.). Calif.: Sage
Publications. Pp. 65-68. (364 C9 M1)
Durkheimian Analysis of Crime and the Criminal Justice System
Supplementary readings:
 Rock, P. (1998). Rules, Boundaries and the Courts: Some Problems in the NeoDurkheimian Sociology of Deviance, in British Journal of Sociology, vol. 49. No.
4, pp. 586-601. [2d]
 Mestrovic, Stjepan and Lorenzo, Ronald (2010). Durkheim’s concept of Anomie
and the abuse at Abu Ghraib, in Journal of Classical sociology, vol. 8, pp. 179 –
207. [2e]
 Dicristina, B. (2004). Durkheim’s Theory of Homicide and the Confusion of the
Empirical Literature, in Theory and Society, vol. 8, no.1, pp. 57-91. [2f]
Exercise: think sociologically, why suicide and/or alcoholism in Hong Kong?
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Lecture 3: Sep 20th (Tuesday)
Following Durkheim, examine Marxist Analysis of Crime and the Criminal Justice System
Key concepts in Karl Marx: historical materialism as a method,
Political and legal superstructure, class conflict, alienation
KARL MARX: 1818-1883
Major Readings:
 Ritzer, G., (2008). Chapter 5: Karl Marx, in Classical
Sociological Theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Pp.144- 178.
[3&4a]
 Marx, K. – Excerpts from the original reprinted in
Farganis, J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory: the
classic tradition to Post-modernism NY: McGraw Hill
Chapter 1. Pp. 23-54. [3&4c]
Introduction
The Manifesto of the Communist Party.
Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844
The German Ideology
Exercise: watch Marx
Lecture 4: Sept 22nd (THURSDAY)
Supplementary Readings:
 Marx and Engels on Crime and Punishment, in David
Greenberg (ed.). Crime and Capitalism: readings in Marxist
criminology. 1993. Philadelphia: Temple University Press,
pp. 38-56. Excerpts: (364.01 G7) [3&4d]
Crime and Primitive Accumulation
The Demoralization of the English Working Class
Crime in Communist Society
The Usefulness of Crime
The Labelling of Crime
On Capital Punishment
 Chambliss, W. (1975). Toward a Political Economy of Crime. Theory and Society.
2: 149-170. [3&4e]
 Linebaugh, P. (1976). Karl Mark, the theft of wood and working class
composition: a contribution to the current debate, in D. Greenberg (ed.) Crime
and Capitalism. 1993. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, pp. 100-121. [3&4f]
Exercise: is there any criminal justice policy biased towards the ruling class? Any hold
and check mechanism?
5
Lecture 5: Sept 27th (Tuesday)
Sharing by the Bangladesh Law Minister on the Constitutional Reform
(30 minutes)
Brainstorm: the reasons and ideologies behind reform, linkage to social theories,
the state of governance, relationships between the State and the People, legitimacy of
power, Durkheimian solidarity, Marxist class struggle, Weberian authority, etc.
Contingency: Ethics in Criminal Justice & pluralism in CJ ideologies
Suggested reading: Ethics and Integrity in HK Police [5a]
Lecture 6: Oct 4th (Tuesday)
Key concepts in Max Weber: verstehen, ideal types, authority
Major Readings:
 Ritzer, G. (2008). Chapter 7: Max Weber. In Classical
Sociological Theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Pp. 215 - 257.
[6&7a]
MAX WEBER
1864 - 1920
 Weber, M. – Excerpts from the original reprinted in
Farganis, J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory:
the classic tradition to Post-modernism NY: McGraw Hill
Chapter 3. Pp. 91-125. [6&7b]
Introduction
Objectivity in Social science and social policy
The Protestant ethic and the Spirit of capitalism
Bureaucracy
Class, Status and Power
No class on Oct 11th
October 18th – Compulsory Writing & Plagiarism Workshop, 6:45 pm – 9:45 pm.
Lecture 7: Oct 25th (Tuesday)
Weberian Analysis of Crime and the Criminal Justice System
The case of the Metropolitan Police: Peel’s New Police and legitimacy of policing by
consent
Supplementary readings:
 Robinson Matthew (2004). “McDonaldization of America’s Police, courts and
corrections” in McDonaldization: the reader, p. 77- 90. [6&7c]
 Ritzer G. (2004). “An introduction to McDonaldization” and “The past, the present
and the future of McDonaldization”, in The McDonaldization of society, p. 1- 55.
[6&7d]
Exercise: is police powers too much in Hong Kong?
6
No class on Nov 1st
Lecture 8: Nov 8th (Tuesday)
Group Presentations on Crime & Punishment: Dialogue base on the Meeting of the
Great Masters
Major Readings:
 Morrill, Calvin et al. (2005). Seeing Crime and Punishment Through a
Sociological Lens: Contributions, Practices and the Future. University of Chicago
Legal Forum. [8a]
 Giddens, Anthony (1996). Part 4: Capitalism, socialism and social theory, in
Capitalism and Social Theory: An analysis of the writings of Marx, Durkheim and
Max Weber. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 185-242. [8b]
Lecture 9: Nov 15th (Tuesday)
(continued with group presentations if unfinished)
The Other Thinkers – Keynes, Hayek and new trends in penological pragmatism
(Cavadino et al. (1999)), transformation of corrections and ideologies (Dinitz).
Major Readings:
 Garland (2001), Ch 2 Modern Criminal Justice and Penal-Welfare State. [9a]
 Garland (2001), Ch 4 Social Change and Social Order in Late Modernity. [9b]
 Dinitz, Simon (2006), Transformation of Corrections: 50 years of silent
revolutions (National Institute of Corrections) [9c]
No class on Nov 22nd
George Herbert
Mead 1863-1931
Lecture 10: Nov 29th (Tuesday)
The “Other Classic” – Mead, Pragmatism, and Symbolic Interaction
Readings:
 Ritzer, G., (2008) Chapter 9: George H. Mead, In Classical
Sociological Theory. NY: McGraw Hill. Pp.290-315. [10a]
 G. H. Mead. – Excerpts from the original reprinted in Farganis,
J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory: the classic tradition
to Post-modernism. NY: McGraw Hill. Chapter 4. Pp. 143-164.
[10b]
Introduction
Mind, Self and society
 Sandstrom, K.; Martin, D. and Fine, G. (2001). Ch 17 Symbolic
Interactionism at the End of the Century, in Handbook of Social
Theory. (ed.) G. Ritzer and B. Smart. London: Sage. Pp. 217231. (300.1 H23) [10c]
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Lecture 11: Dec 1st (THURSDAY)
Round up key “classical” concepts in studying criminology
The Future
Major Readings:
 Rigakos, G. (1999). “Risk Society and actuarial criminology: prospects for a
critical discourse”, in Canadian Journal of Criminology. Vol.41(2). Pp. 137-150.
[11a]
 Simon J. and Feeley M. (2003). “Form and Limits of the New Penology”, Ch 3 in
Blomberg and Stanley. [11b]
 Schutz A. “Common sense and scientific interpretation of human action” in
Farganis, J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory: the classic tradition to Postmodernism. NY: McGraw Hill Chapter 10. Pp. 305-329. [11c]
 Berger P. and Luckmann T, “Foundations of knowledge of everyday life” in
Farganis, J. (ed.) (2011). Readings in Social Theory: the classic tradition to Postmodernism NY: McGraw Hill Chapter 10. Pp. 330-339. [11d]
 Spector, Malcolm and Kitsuse, John (1987). Ch 1, Introduction, in Constructing
social problems. NY: Aldine de Gruyter. Pp.1-22. (361.1 S74) [11e]
This is an intensive schedule. However, keep in mind that the course is relatively flexible
so that we can continue discussions on a particular topic when required. The format for
the weekly seminars includes lectures followed by class discussion during exercises
(lectures 1 to 7) whenever time permits.
Be prepared to participate in sharing your views, bearing in mind, there is hardly any
absolute answers and we endeavour to know what we could know, and to challenge
what we think we know.
8
Assessment
Students are required to attend and actively participate in class. As a reminder of the
programme’s policy, if a student should miss a class, it is their responsibility to inform the
lecturer (preferably in advance) along with the reason. Students may be required to
produce appropriate documentation. Students who miss more than three classes will be
penalized (this may range from deduction of the overall course grade to not being
permitted to take the final examination). The penalty will be determined by a panel of
teachers in the programme and the student may be called upon to appear before the
panel. The final mark for the course is based on coursework (50%) and an examination
at the end of the term (50%). The coursework portion of the grade is based on three
elements:
1. Active class participation (not simply attendance)(10%, and major factor of
consideration in pulling grades)
2. Individual portfolio (20%) - Read some recent local newspapers and magazines
and then select a current issue/controversy in Hong Kong relevant to our study (it
can be a local issue or an issue which involves Hong Kong in a regional or
international context). Alternatively, you can select an issue about the
department/place of your employment (e.g., the bureaucracy of your organization
and problems within). After each two week session with the three major theorists
- Durkheim, Marx, Weber – you will write a 600-word discussion of how each of
the theorists would analyze the problem you selected.
For each theorist, you need to address how a) he would explain and analyze the issue;
b) his solution; and
c) your own critique/assessment of that theorist’s explanation.
You may turn in the assignments mid-way through the semester so that I can
give you feedback. You will be given a preliminary mark on the first two
assignments if you do so, and then allowed to revise those assignments and
complete the Weber assignment. Also, you will include in your final portfolio,
another 700-word comparative discussion of the theorists on your issue,
explaining who and which one is most useful in examining your issue and why.
In total then, your portfolio will be approximately 2500 words. This is due on
December 8th by 5:00 p.m. Late portfolios will be penalized. For ‘security’ sake,
do submit both hard copies (to department’s assignment box) and soft copies
(kalwan@hku.hk).
3. Group portfolio (20%) – Students will be organized into groups for the semester
(about 6-7 students in six groups). During the semester you’ll be engaging in
classroom exercises (to help you learn to apply the concepts of the course).
Each group will have an opportunity during the course of the semester to present
and debate with other groups.
Each group will be responsible for one presentation in lecture 8 and 9. After the
presentation, the group shall write up a summary of what they found and what
they learned (about 2000 words). At the end, the group will write a 500-word
discussion of what they learned overall from the exercises. Group portfolios are
due on December 8th by 5:00 p.m. Late portfolios will be penalized. Again, both
hard and soft.
9
Lecture schedule in Brief
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
Lecture 4
Lecture 5
Lecture 6
Lecture 7
Lecture 8
Lecture 9
Lecture 10
Lecture 11
8.9.2011
(Thursday)
15.9.2011
(Thursday)
20.9.2011
(Tuesday)
22.9.2011
(Thursday)
27.9.2011
(Tuesday)
4.10.2011
(Tuesday)
18.10.2011
(Tuesday)
25.10.2011
(Tuesday)
8.11.2011
(Tuesday)
15.11.2011
(Tuesday)
Overview of course: sociology of crime (Past and Present)
Classicism, positivism, symbolic interactionism and Durkheim
Durkheim
Marx
Marx
Talk by guest speaker
(venue & time to be confirmed)
Weber
Reading week:
Writing & Plagiarism Workshop
Weber
No class on 1.11.2011
Group presentations
Group presentations (continued)
Other thinkers
No class on 22.11.2011
Mead and others
29.11.2011
(Tuesday)
1.12.2011 Roundup: the Future
(Thursday)
8.12.2011 Deadline for submission of individual and group portfolios
(Thursday)
September 2011
10