Criminology (SOC 3600)
Instructor Information
Instructor:
Dr. Nicole Kaufman
Office:
105 Bentley Annex
Email:
kaufmann@ohio.edu
Phone number:
(740) 593-1372
Office Hours:
Thursdays, 3:00-5:00
Course Information
Credits:
3
Pre-requisite: SOC 2600
Meeting time: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 AM to 10:20 AM
Classroom: Bentley Hall 304
Required readings:
Two books are required. They are for sale at College Bookstore and Follett’s University
Bookstore. They are also on reserve at the Alden Circulation Desk:
Zimring, Franklin E. 2007. The Great American Crime Decline. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Wright, Richard (1940). Native Son. Any addition.
There are also required articles that are available on our Blackboard site for this class.
Course Description
We will explore three principal questions together in this course.
1) What is crime? As we discuss crime and how it differs from deviance, we will ask what
social factors influence the definition of crimes. The same behavior may be regarded as
permissible at times and offensive at other times, depending on the actor, social context,
and historical period. We will discuss the social construction of criminality.
2) How can we study crime? We will cover the basic methodological tools for studying
crime and common data sources criminologists use.
3) What explains crime? We will review theories that explain the occurrence of crime using
individual choice, interpersonal dynamics, and societal-level characteristics. We will
apply theories explain a fictional homicide occurring in Richard Wright’s novel Native
Son.
Course Objectives
1) Students will gain substantive knowledge about current theories of crime and their
intellectual roots.
2) Students will learn and apply skills, including: interpreting graphs and tables about crime
rates and trends, calculating the crime rate, and appraising the strengths and weaknesses
of different types of sources of data on crime.
3) Students will develop critical thinking skills through the analysis of the designation of
some behavior and people as criminal and through our assessments of the soundness of
claims about crime.
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Course Requirements
The breakdown of the grade will be:
Item
In-Class Writing and Quizzes
Bad Man Ballad Paper
Measurement Exercise
Exam #1
Native Son Paper Outline
Native Son Paper
Exam #2
Portion of final grade
20%
10%
10%
15%
5%
15%
25%
Due date
Ongoing
Tues., Feb. 3
Thurs., Feb. 12
Thurs., Feb. 12
Thurs., April 9
Thurs., April 30
Thurs., April 30
In-Class Activities and Quizzes
This portion of the grade is made up of in-class discussion, written in-class responses, and inclass quizzes. Note two important quizzes:
Book 1 of Native Son, Thurs., Feb. 26
Book 3 of Native Son, Tues., April 9
Exams
The exams will be based on comprehension of and critical thinking about the core ideas
presented both in readings and in class. I am looking at whether you understand crucial concepts,
especially those I will put on the term sheets you will receive leading up to each exam. The
exams will have a combination of multiple choice and written identification questions. One
page (two-sided) of written notes will be allowed at the exams. The final exam (exam #2) is not
cumulative.
Communicating with the Instructor
I will send out announcements routinely over email, and hold you responsible for the information
in those announcements. I encourage you to visit me and introduce yourself by coming to my
office hours. If you wish to speak to me but cannot make the office hours, let me know so we can
set up an appointment at an alternate time. In emails, please reference the class number (3600) or
name (Criminology).
Responsibilities and Policies
Student Responsibilities: Students are expected to be familiar with Ohio University policies and
procedures. (See the Code of Conduct here: http://www.ohio.edu/communitystandards/). If a
situation arises that prevents the successful completion of this course, please note that it is each
student's responsibility to formally withdraw from this course.
Accessibility: Any student who suspects s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact
of a disability should contact the class instructor privately to discuss the student’s specific needs
and provide written documentation from the Office of Student Accessibility Services. If the
student is not yet registered as a student with a disability, s/he should contact the Office of
Student Accessibility Services in Baker at (740) 593-2620. It is best to request these
accommodations at the beginning so there is ample time to make the accommodations.
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Academic Integrity: Academic integrity an expectation in all OU classes and applies in this class.
Put simply, passing off another person’s work or ideas as your own will not be permitted. The
Ohio University Student Code of Conduct prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty, including
cheating, plagiarism, forgery, collusion, and furnishing false information to the university.
Students who fail to observe these standards are subject to disciplinary action: I will reduce the
grade of the assignment and report the incident to the student’s advisor and the Office of
Community Standards and Student Responsibility. Students may appeal academic sanctions
through the grade appeal process.
Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Attendance is essential for doing well in integrating
the information in this course and for our discussions. Participating in in-class activities,
including quizzes, accounts for 20 percent of the total grade.
Students who miss class should seek notes and materials from peers. In the event of an excused
absence for an emergency, documented medical condition or illness, authorized university
activity, or military service/training, please notify the instructor about your absence. When the
reason for the absence is documented (such as note from student health services), the student and
instructor can work together to accommodate the absence.
Sensitivity: Many of the topics we will discuss will be sensitive. The goal is for our classroom to
be safe for everyone. Our discussions require an environment of mutual respect. Differences in
experiences make the classroom rich. There may be times when you hear opinions that you do
not agree with, in the service of discussing complicated social issues. However, please notify me
(the instructor) if you feel uncomfortable with the way we are going about discussions or
addressing the course content.
Learner Responsibilities: As a student in this class, I expect you to:
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Take responsibility for your own learning
Arrive in class prepared by having done the reading and being ready to take notes, reflect
aloud, and ask questions.
Treat others with tolerance and respect
Set high standards for your work
Check your OU student e-mail account every day
Keep electronic copies of all your assignments
Turn in written assignments both in hard copy and on Safe Assign via Blackboard.
Instructor Responsibilities: As your instructor, I commit to communicating openly and frequently
with you about this class. I will maintain a professional, safe learning environment adhering to
the policies of the college. You can expect a reply to communication, be it via e-mail, voicemail,
or in person, within 24-48 business hours.
It is my policy not to distribute power point slides from lecture. Please ask after class if you
missed something.
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Syllabus Changes: As your instructor, I retain the right to make changes based on the timeline of
the class, feedback from learners, or logistical issues. I will inform you as soon as a change is
made.
Use of Electronic Devices: In order to minimize distractions to students and the instructor, there
is a no computer and no device rule in this class. (There is a possible exception for students
who have accommodations and receive special permission.)
Computing: Staying up to date on emails and the content of the Blackboard site are essential
parts of this course. Computer difficulties are not a long-term excuse for non-participation. If you
experience problems with your computer, call the computer help desk through Ohio IT at (740)
593-1222. They can talk you through fixing many problems.
A Blackboard course site has been created for this class. You can access this course by logging
in to blackboard.ohio.edu. This will be the place to follow your grade for the class. Papers will
also get turned in here via Safe Assign. If you have problems accessing our course on
Blackboard, please let me know. It is possible that Blackboard may have outages or temporary
failures.
Grading Policy
Appealing a grade: Please take 24 hours before speaking to me about a graded assignment or
exam score.
Late Assignments: Papers are due at the beginning of class in paper form and on Safe Assign via
Blackboard. Work is considered late when it does not meet these specifications. For every day
late, I will deduct 10% of the possible points for that assignment. Exceptions can be granted in
the case of a documented emergency.
Final grades: The final grade for the semester is not negotiable, except in the case of a
calculation error.
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Calendar
Date
Tues., Jan 13: First
meeting
Topic
Course Overview.
Introduction of idea of
empathy.
Defining and Measuring Crime
Thurs., Jan. 15
Defining crime and
deviance
Assignments Due
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Tues., Jan. 20
Social construction of crime
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Thurs., Jan. 22
Overview of crimes
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Tues., Jan. 27
Sources of crime data (1):
Ethnographic field research
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Thurs., Jan. 29
Sources of crime data (2):
Official crime reports
Sources of crime data (3):
Victimization research
Deconstructing the crime
epidemic
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Tues., Feb. 3
Thurs., Feb. 5
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Tues., Feb. 10
Thurs., Feb. 12
Explaining Crime
Tues., Feb. 17
Catch-up and review
Exam #1
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How to evaluate theories;
Introduce Native Son
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McQuade, Dan. 2014. Mayor Nutter Signs
Marijuana Decriminalization Bill. Philadelphia
Magazine. October 1.
2013. “In Our Opinion: Marijuana Should Not
Be Made Legal” (editorial). Deseret News. Oct.
11.
2014. “The Federal Marijuana Ban Is Rooted in
Myth and Xenophobia” (editorial). The New
York Times. July 30, New York edition, P. A22.
Jenness, Val and Ryken Grattet. 2001. “The Hate
Crime Agenda.” Pp. 1-13 (middle) in Making
Hate a Crime. New York: Russell Sage
Foundation.
Gurda, John. 2013. “A City’s History Scrapped.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. May 4.
Kurutz, Steven. 2004. “The Age of the Mugger.”
Sect. 14, col. 4, p. 1 in The New York Times.
October 24.
Kuttner, Robert. “The New American Hustle”
2014. Huffington Post, February 9.
Bourgois, Philippe. 1995. "Introduction." Pp. 118 in In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El
Barrio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zimring pp. 3-16, pp. 180-186 (top), pp. 196
(middle, “lesson 1”)-197 (middle).
Bad Man Ballad Paper Due
Dyson, Michael Eric. 2001. “Uglier Than Meets
the Eye.” Chicago Sun-Times. March 13.
Patterson, Orlando. 1999. “When ‘They’ Are
‘Us.” New York Times. April 30.
2010. “Editorial: The Columbine Generation.”
The State Press. April 19.
Measurement Exercise Due
Thurs., Feb. 19
Tues., Feb 24
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Classical and neo-classical
theories
Biological explanations of
crime
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Thurs., Feb. 26
Tues. March 3 and
Thurs., March 5
Tues., March 10
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Quiz on Native Son, Book 1
And economic explanations
of crime
SPRING BREAK
Racial inequality and crime
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Demographic explanations
of crime
Review theories discussed
to date
Techniques of neutralization
and control theory
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Tues., March 24
Social learning
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Thurs., March 26
Tues., March 31
Native Son: Film
Native Son: Film (finish and
discuss)
Social disorganization
theory
Thurs., March 12
Tues., March 17
Thurs., March 19
Thurs., April 2
Zimring pp. 35 (starting at “Broken Windows”) p. 37 (middle).
Buck v Bell Supreme Court ruling, 1927
Reinhold, Robert. 1980. “Virginia Hospital’s
Chief Traces 50 years of Sterilizing the
‘Retarded.’” New York Times. 23 February, p.
A6.
Franklin, Ben A. 1980. “Teen-Ager’s
Sterilization an Issues Decades Later.” New York
Times. March 7, p. A16.
Zimring pp. 63 (top) – 68
Native Son book 1 due
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Tues., April 7
Strain theory
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Thurs., April 9
Quiz on Native Son, Book 3
Tues., April 14
Life course theory
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Thurs., April 16
Guest speaker on prisoner
reentry
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Pp. 1-16 in Burch, Traci. N.d. “The Old Jim
Crow: Racial Residential Segregation and
Neighborhood Imprisonment.”
Zimring Pp. 56 (middle)-63 (top), pp. 85-103
(top), pp. 164-166 (top)
“Convicted Rapists' Vocabulary of Motive:
Excuses and Justification.” Scully, Diana and
Joseph Marolla. Social Problems 31(5):530-544.
Becker, Howard S. 1953. “Becoming a
Marijuana User.” American Journal of Sociology
59(3):235-242.
Snodgrass, Jon. 1976. “Clifford R. Shaw and
Henry D. McKay: Chicago Criminologists.”
Brit. J. Criminology 16(1):1-19.
Merton, Robert K. 1938. “Social Structure and
Anomie.” American Sociological Review 3(5):
672-682.
Native Son book 3 due
Native Son Paper Outlines due
Edin, Kathryn, Timothy J. Nelson and Rechelle
Paranal. “Fatherhood and Incarceration as
Potential Turning Points in the Careers of
Unskilled Men.”
Tues., April 21
Feminist criminology
Thurs., April 23
Thursday, April 30, at
8:00 a.m.
Conclusion
Exam #2

Caputo, Gail. 2008. “Early Life Trauma.” Pp.
26-66 in Out in the Storm: Drug-Addicted
Women Living as Shoplifters and Sex Workers.
Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Native Son Papers due
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