Syllabus for Criminology, Fall 1999

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Latest update: July 29, 1999
Faculty on the Site.

This page is under construction for Fall 1999. July 29, 1999.

At CSUDH and At UWP

At CSUDH:

Sociology 368-01
Time: T-Th 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Room: SBS B 137
Jeanne Curran, Ph.D., Esq.
Course requires computer literacy.

At UWP:

CRMJ/SOCA 233 Section 001
Time: MWF 10:00-10:50 a.m.
Room: MOLN D101
Susan Takata, Ph.D.
Course requires computer literacy.

• Goals: A review of the classical readings in criminology will offer a basis for understanding how the field has grown and adopted to modern concerns with the criminal justice system. In following the thread of theory to policy development and practice, we expect students to develop an awareness of the underlying importance of theory and the policy it engenders in the "big issues" that we face today in this field. To this end the course is organized to strongly emphasize the interdependence of theory, policy, and practice.

• Texts:

  Pollock, Joycelyn M. Criminal Women. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing, 1999

  Williams III, Frank P. and Marilyn D. McShane. Criminology Theory: Selected Classic Readings. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing, 1998 (2nd ed.)

  (optional) Adler, Freda, Gerhard O.W. Mueller, and William S. Laufer. Criminology: The Shorter Version. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998 (3rd ed). The major concepts covered by the Adler book will be covered in lectures. If you are comfortable with occasionally borrowing the text from a friend who has it, and with being sure to have any questions answered in lecture, then you may wish to rely on that. Otherwise, you should have this text.

• Requirements and Grading:

  • 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.

    Answer to concept exercises shall be kept to no more than 50 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 may work in groups on any or all of these exercises. Cooperative groups are strongly encouraged. Permission to work with more than one group, and to work with different groups. All names of active group members should be recorded as indicated on the exercise material.

    You are required to submit 10 concept exercises, your choice of which concepts, but the concepts must cover at least three of the topic sections.

    These exercises will be recorded, but not corrected, since the lecture notes have already provided satisfactory responses.

  • Discussion Exercises

    Discussion questions, along with accompanying lecture notes, are provided with each topic section.

  • Debriefing of an Actual Experience with the Criminal Justice System.

    For the actual experience, you may wish to visit an agency, 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 criminal justice system, or any of a variety of other activities.

    You are strongly encouraged to work in collaborative groups. You may work with a variety of different groups.

    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 a guide will be available.

  • Cooperative Learning Principles

• Grading

  Successful and timely submission of all exercises will earn a 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, and course discussions, with appropriate citations to academic sources, and should show some creative thought on the issue.

• Office:

  Jeanne Curran

  Office Location: SBS B-326
  Office Telephone: (310) 243-3831
  Office Hours: TTh: 2:00-4:00 pm
  

  Susan Takata

  Office Location: 370 MOLN
  Office Telephone: (414) 595-2116
  Office Hours: MWF 8:45-9:45 a.m. and by appointment
  Email: takata@uwp.edu
  FAX: (414) 595-2471