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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: March 14, 2008
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ 353: Criminal Justice/Social Justice

You will be held accountable for purposes of grading for the readings and exercises listed here. There will be no "testing." That means that you will not have to live in anxious anticipation of what we will ask and how much you will have to know. Instead, we will provide weekly discussion questions, lectures, essays, and concepts we feel that you should know as a result of having taken this course. You will assure us of that learning and receive your grade for the questions and concepts about which you choose to write and talk with us. In addition you will find detailed explanations and examples on our grading policies in the first week's reading.

* * * * *

Week 10: Week of March 23, 2008

Topic: Radical Dignity/Democracy Matters are Frightening...

Preparatory Readings:

• Make A Box!!!

• Cornel West. Democracy Matters. Chapters 1-2
• Paul Loeb. The Impossible Will Take a Little While. Chapters 33 through 38.
• Martha Minow. Between Vengeance and Forgiveness. -- entire book.
• Documentary: "----" (to be shown in class)
  
  

Lecture related links:

• If you would like to make more explosion boxes .
• Try making an origami earth.
• Actively participate in the Community Building discussion group.
  
• Paul Loeb's website
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
  
  
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Administered by the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
  

Concepts to be covered:

• free-market fundamentalism
• aggressive militarism
• escalating authoritarianism
• political nihilism
• evangelical nihilism
• paternalistic nihilism
• sentimental nihilism
• the blues
• the Emmitt Till case

Discussion Questions:

Note: You will need to incorporate this week's readings and the documentary, "------" into your answers.

1. Do you agree or disagree with Cornel West's point that "Democracy matters are frightening in our time"? Why or why not.

2. What are the connections between Loeb's part 7 and the first two chapters of West's book? Why.

3. Explain in your own words, why the retelling of the Rosa Parks story as most know it may actually make it harder for ordinary citizens to get involved in issues of social change. Did you know the real story before reading this book? How does knowing it shift your view of social change? Why. [from Loeb's website]

4. Summarize what Cornel West is saying about rage and its need to have some kind of constructive channel. Do you agree/disagree? Explain. [from Loeb's website]

5. Whatever one thinks about the possibilities of nonviolent resistance, what do these essays tell us about the possibilities of human courage and hope? [from Loeb's website]

Suggested Creative Measures:

Note: Start thinking about ideas for your creative measures. Must relate to "criminal justice/social justice." Must be approved before starting your creative measure. Cannot be something that you are doing or have done for another course. Research cannot be 100% online (i.e., google, askjeeves). Must conduct library research using scholarly works, (not the popular press -- Time Magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated). No term papers! Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measure in class. Email me your idea.



• Explore one of the following three dominating, antidemocratic dogmas: free-market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism, or escalating authoritariansim.
• Research the origins of the blues.
• Study one of the forms of political nihilism: evangelical nihilism, paternalistic nihilism, or sentimental nihilism.
• Interview someone who is a model of social commitment (or read more about someone you have identified from this anthology)in order to find out additional information about the daily struggles that they faced and how they kept going. [from Loeb's website]
• Research one of the following historical efforts at change: the American union movement; the movement that brought us Social Security; the women's suffrage movement; the origins of the 40 hour week; the environmental movement. Through your research, identify a person often associated with the movement who often has been overlooked, but serves as a model of social commitment. [from Loeb's website]
• Research other examples of nonviolent resistance, liek the others in Ackerm and DuVall's book. Or the Peaceful Revolution in Leipzig, Germany that contributed to German unification. How do these stories support the thesis of the essay? [from Loeb's website]
  
  
• Make A Box a Week or some other visual presentation focusing on this week's topic.
• Select a current event and examine the left/right perspectives and other news source links on the Dear Habermas site (located in the middle of the front page). How do the different perspectives present this current event? Why.

Recommended Readings:

• James Washington (ed). A Testament of Hope: TheEsential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King. Jr. .
• Paul Loeb. Soul of a Citizen: Living by Conviction in a Cynical Time.
• Kelvin Sealey (ed). Restoring Hope: Conversatoins on the Future of Black America.
• Cornel West . Race Matters.
• Billy Wayne Sinclair. A Life in the Balance: The Billy Wayne Sinclair Story.
• Peter Ackerman & Jack DuVall. A More Forceful Power: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict.
  
  
• Martha Minow. Breaking Cycles of Hatred: Memory, Law and Repair.
• Desmond Tutu. No Future Without Forgiveness.
• MoveOn.org. Move On's 50 Ways to Love Your Country.
  
  

Self-Assessment Questions for each Visual Project:

1. List the names of the individuals in your group. What did you do exactly for this visual project? (If in a group, explain the division of labor and your individual contribution to this visual project).
2. Briefly explain how your visual project relates to "criminal justice/social justice" (i.e., the readings, the documentaries). What did you learn?
3. Assess how the 6Cs apply to your visual project, with special attention on competence and creativity. What is your visual project self-assessment (provide a letter grade) ___ ? Why.

Course Syllabus for CRMJ 353 Criminal Justice/Social Justice

takata@uwp.edu