A Jeanne Site
Syllabus for Juvenile Delinquency
California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Latest update: January 25, 1999
Faculty on the Site.
Sociology 369-01, Juvenile Delinquency
W-W 11:30-12:45, SBS B131
Jeanne Curran, Ph.D., Esq.
- Goals: To examine the issue of juveniles in our criminal justice system: how and why they come to be caught up in the system, what this means to us as a society, what this means to their future and ours as it is interdependent with theirs, and the social institutions which play a role in all of this. We will look at the many perspectives of those who come into contact with juvenile delinquency, namely, most of us, in some way or another. The course will take the perspective of public discourse on a topic of primary importance to the present social community. In plain English, that means that we will consider the juveniles and the institutions with which they must deal from the perspective of those whose professional roles are involved, from the perspective of the young people who are prosecuted and/or protected by them, and from the perspective of the community and the individual and what their needs are as this social problem carries over into a new century in which it will play a major part.
- Required texts:
- Weis, Crutchfield, and Bridges, eds. Juvenile Delinquency, Readings
- Chesney-Lind and Sheldon, eds. Girls, Gangs, and Juvenile Justice
- Dear Habermas Site Readings on Public Discourse and Juvenile Justice
Recommended text:
- Babbie and Halley, SPSS for Criminal Justice
Required activities:
- Completion of exercises on basic concepts covered in the course. These exercises are on the site, as are Lecture Notes covering each of the questions. You must have an e-mail account (available through school as are computers should you not have access to one), and all written materials must be submitted to jeanne by e-mail. Workshops during the first two weeks will teach you to access the site, and to send e-mail.
- A final exam, synthesizing the material covered in the basic concepts.
- A proposal for an individual project. This will include a chosen topic, as described below, and appropriate references e-mailed for posting to the class.
You are not required to do the project, merely to carefully idenitfy it and provide resources for it.
- A tightly delineated and delimited topic that can be discussed within a single class period. The topic should be stated in 25 words or less. Sample: Effect on identity formation when young black males are stereotyped as violent.
- References to readings by text and pages. If these include Web links, the links should be given to the material.
Sample: Young Black Males and the Criminal Justice System
Grading:
- Completion of assignments will be required for a passing grade.
- A competent individual project will be required for a B or better.
- Creative analysis and synthesis of the material will be required for an A.
Office:
SBS B326
310-243-3831
Office Hours: T 2:30-4:30, 5:30-7:00, W 1:00-2:00