WHO, WHEN, AND WHERE

Instructor of record—Hal Pepinsky, 319 Sycamore Hall, off. hrs. T—11:15-12:15, W—12:30-1:30, 855-1450 (office), 339-4303 (home), e-mail pepinsky@indiana.edu.

Associate Instructors (who will give you their own syllabi in discussion section Friday, Sept. 1)—Amy Kearns, Ernest Nickels, Kevin Whiteacre

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To buy or read at the Undergraduate Library on 3-hr. reserve:

Jim Consedine, Restorative Justice: Healing the Effects of Crime. Lyttleton, New Zealand: Ploughshares Press (rev. edn. 1999). Paper ISBN 0-473-05656-9.

 

WHY ARE WE HERE?

I offer this class as your opportunity to work out your ideas of how to make ourselves safer from personal criminal violence especially, and exchange your ideas: with mine of how to "make peace," with Jim Consedine’s vision of "restorative justice" as practiced around the world, with your AI, with other class members, with our guests, with readings as on web sites and otherwise as I and your AI assign journal points, with your friends and other sources. As you write about it on your own terms in a journal due weekly, you will make your own final grade. Understand this, and you know what this class is all about.

 

LECTURE SECTION

Jim Consedine’s book will provide a unifying thread for our exploration of how, if at all, we might start reforming criminal justice, and of what vision of peace and social security might guide our efforts. Each of the 14 chapters in his book will be a theme for a week, beginning the first week, August 31, with his first chapter (and the introductory material preceding it, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s foreword), "Retribution: A Dead-End Street."

Each of the following weeks we will spend class either Tuesday or Thursday on a succeeding chapter of Consedine’s book—

New Zealand Criminal Justice: A Punitive Obsession

Advance Australia Unfair

Retribution: The British Way

The Caging of America

The Maori Restorative Tradition

A Gift to the World: Youth Justice in Aotearoa ["New Zealand" in Maori]

Aboriginal Australia: Betwixt and Between

Western Somoa: Both Systems

The Celtic Tradition: Repairing the Damage

God’s Way: Biblical Justice

Sentencing Circles: New Hope for Canada

African Justice: Compensating, Healing, Reconciling

Restorative Justice: A Parallel System.

The closing sentence, paragraph or page of each chapter is a provocative thesis for us class members all to consider. So for instance for class on August 31, I will respond, and ask you too to respond, to how Jim Consedine closes chapter 1:

The millions of dollars wasted so sinfully on the prison system could be freed up to provide the resources necessary to attack crime at its very roots, thus preventing its development and escalation.

The other "lecture" meeting each week, I will present various alternative voices about crime and criminal justice. Often, these will be guest presenters. Sometimes I will show a video. In every case I present issues for you to address in your journals. This will include reacting to readings which are generally accessible, often web sites.

It is assumed that every class member has access to the internet and the web. If this is not so, please let me or your AI know as soon as possible.

 

DISCUSSION SECTION

Every class member will be assigned a Friday discussion with an associate instructor (AI). Your AI will give you a separate syllabus with contact information in your first meeting, September 1. Discussion is your chance to build on "lecture" material, with your AI’s guidance. Each discussion section meeting, your AI will give you a separate journal assignment.

 

COMMUNICATION

At your first discussion section meeting September 1, your AI will ask you for your e-mail address. You will then be put on three e-mail lists: 1) pepinsky_202f00@indiana.edu, for the whole class; 2) [your AI’s username]_202f00@indiana.edu, for all of the students in your AI’s three discussion sections; and 3) [your AI’s username]_[your discussion section number]@indiana.edu, for those in your discussion section only.

Anyone may [un]subscribe to any list at any time by sending the message—[un]subscribe [listname] –to-- majordomo@indiana.edu. Any list member may write to everyone on any list merely by sending e-mail to the list address. Feel free to share ideas and information with the rest of us on these lists.

The AIs and I will respond to your journal entries and to class discussion on these lists. FOR A BONUS POINT TOWARD THE COURSE GRADE, you may write at least several sentences of reaction to any of these responses.

Your AI will explain in her or his syllabus how you can find out your current point count toward the course grade as the semester progresses.

 

GRADING

Your course grade will come from your point total for a journal you submit weekly. Late submissions earn no points. Journal entries are due, typed, in the discussion section after the journal class assignment or e-mail response occurs (in class or any other way your AI will accept). If an emergency arises, contact your AI right away to seek an extension. Keep a copy for yourself. Give your AI two copies if you want one back with the number of points you have earned on it.

In each lecture (except the first one August 29) and discussion session (except the last one), I or your AI will give you four topics which you can write at least several substantive sentences about each, for a point apiece.

Here, for instance, in advance, is the journal assignment for August 31, due to your AI September 1. For one point each, write several sentences:

1. Reacting to the syllabus and what you have learned about the class.
2. Reacting to Jim Consedine’s introductions through chapter 1, ending p. 26.
3. Reacting to class discussion of Consedine’s chapter 1.
4. Introducing your own vision of how, if at all, criminal justice should be reformed.

On September 1, your AI will give you another four-point assignment due in discussion section September 8.

The grade for your point total for the semester will be assigned according to this scale: 10 or fewer=F; 11-20=D; 21-30=D+; 31-50=C-; 51-60=C; 61-70=C+; 71-90=B-; 91-100=B; 101-110=B+; 111-130=A-; 131-140=A; 141+=A+.

Here’s to a great semester building alternative visions of social control together!

Love and peace--Hal