Susan Takata -- Spring 2000
CRMJ/SOCA 363 -- MWF 10-10:50a.m.
Office: 370 MOLN
Office Hours: MWF 8:45-9:45am & by appointment
Phone: (262)595-2116
E-mail: takata@uwp.edu
FAX: (262) 595-2471

CORRECTIONS

CRMJ/SOCA 363 will examine correctional contexts, practices, and trends. This course will take an issues approach rather than a comprehensive overview of corrections. From the early history of punishment to future visions in correctional practices, we will take a sociological look at American corrections. In addition, we will examine corrections and its relationship to theory/policy/practice. The readings will offer an inside glimpse of correctional life.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Texts:
* Haas & Alpert.(1999) The Dilemmas of Corrections: Contemporary Readings.
* Hassine.(1999) Life Without Parole: Living in Prison Today.
* Sachar. (1998). Holes.
* Dear Habermas Website [refer to frontpage handout]

Resources:
* You must have 1) an e-mail account and 2) Internet access. (Available through school as are computers should you not have access).

!!WARNING: THIS IS NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL COURSE WHERE THE PROFESSOR LECTURES WHILE STUDENTS QUIETLY TAKE NOTES. THIS PROFESSOR USES A COOPERATIVE LEARNING APPROACH AS WELL AS SEVERAL EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TEACHING/LEARNING TECHNIQUES. GROUPWORK IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN THIS COURSE!

ASSIGNMENTS:

Attendance Your active participation -- attendance, current events, class discussions and other course related activities -- is an important element in this course.

Concept Exercises -- A series of exercises, with accompanying lecture notes designed to clarify what we were thinking of when we asked the question, must be answered by e-mail. The lecture notes will apprise you of at least one plausible way to answer the question, and you should reflect in your answer that you recognize our response, though you are welcome to disagree with it. Answers to concept exercises shall be kept to no more than 25 words. You shall recognize any author whose work you quote with quotation marks; and some of your answer must be rephrased into your own words.You are required to submit 15 concept exercises, your choice of which concepts, but the concepts must cover a range taken from the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. The final deadline for each concept exercise is one week (7 days) after the exercise was assigned. The concept exercises constitute 80% of the course grade.

Debriefing of an Actual Sociological Experience Relating to Corrections and the Law -- For the actual experience, you may wish to visit a court, go on a police ride-along, interview someone with an experience to share, visit a "battered women's" shelter, visit a local school and talk to young people about their experience with the law and/or punishment, or any of a variety of other activities. You are required to submit one debriefing of a shared experience. Please keep your analysis brief, and be sure to link it to theory, to policy, to course discussions. A form for the debriefing that you may use as guide will be available on the "Dear Habermas" web site. Prior to the actual experience, pre-approval is required. Your debriefing assignment will have a written component which is due 10 a.m. April 24th via e-mail, and an oral component to be presented during the final week of class. This assignment is 20% of the course grade.


GRADING -- Successful and timely submission of 15 concept exercises will earn a basic C for the course. For a B or an A, your discussion and debriefing submissions must show scholarly discipline in conceptually linking your material to theory, policy, practice, and to course discussions, with appropriate citations to academic sources, should show some creative thought on the issue. The overall grading criteria is based on the 4C's - consistency, competency, creativity, and cooperation, (refer to the "Dear Habermas" web site for more details).


IMPORTANT NOTES:

Students with Disabilities - Students with disabilities are encouraged to meet with me as soon as possible to discuss accommodations. Accommodations should be authorized through the Disability Services Office, WYLL D175, Renee' Sartin-Kirby - Coordinator (595-2610).

Deadlines/Due Dates - All due dates and deadlines are firm. Late assignments and exercises will not be accepted. A "no show" will result in an "F" for that particular task.

Communicating - It is your responsibility to communicate an emergency and other situations in a timely manner to the professor. Communicating your whereabouts is important. Don't be a field mouse.

Groupwork: You may work in groups on any or all exercises or assignments. Cooperative learning groups are strongly encouraged. You can work with more than one group, and with different groups. All names of active group members should be recorded as indicated on the exercise material.