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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: October 18, 2007
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 359 Law and Society

You will be held accountable for the readings and discussion questions 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.

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Week 8: Week of October 21, 2007

October 24th, beginning of class -- Midterm Creative Measures/Visual Projects due. Submit a bibliography.

Friday, October 26th -- Last Day to Drop a Semester-long Class

Topic: Habermas/Midterm Visual Projects

Preparatory Readings

• Bonsignore . Before the Law. Chapter 6 & 7.
  
• Bellow and Minow. Law Stories. intro, Alfieri .
• Curran and Takata. Sociology of Law Handbook. Chapter 1 & 2 (see links below)
  -- Introduction
  -- Chapter 1, part 1
  -- Chapter 1, part 2
  -- Chapter 2
  
  

Lecture related links:



• Metaphor and Theory links to "The Blind Men and the Elephant." Eric K. mentioned this metaphor when we were discussing several concepts relating to our class.
• "Who's Habermas? Why Habermas?"
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
  
  
• Those Infamous Grades and Letters of Recommendation
• "The Case Against Gold Stars" by Alfie Kohn.

Concepts to be covered:



• fact
• norm
• tension between facts and norms
• private autonomy
• public autonomy
• privileging subjectivity
• auto-poietic non-learning subsystem



Discussion Questions:

Note: In order to answer these questions, you must do the assigned readings for this week.

1. According to Habermas, what is a fact? What is a norm? And, what did Habermas mean by the tension between facts and norms? In Bonsignore's Chapters 6 and 7, what are some examples of the tension between facts and norms?
2. Explain how your visual project(s) relate to the interrelationship between "theory, policy, practice."
3. How would a structural functionalist, Marxist and interactionist present your creative measure/visual project topic(s)? Why. Which theoretical explanation do you agree with the most and why?
4. Relate Habermas to your creative measure/visual project. In other words, explain the tension between facts and norms as it relates to your visual project.



Suggested Creative Measures/Visual Projects:




Note: Start thinking about ideas for your creative measures. Must relate to "law and society" 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). A bibliography must be attached to your visual presentation. No term papers! Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measure in class. Email me your ideas ASAP.



• Make an explosion box , and decorate it to reflect Haberma's tension between facts and norms.
• Explore the "labeling" that goes in schools, at the workplace or within a family?
• Study both positive and negative stereotypes and stereotyping.



Recommended Readings:

--- Jurgen Habermas. Between Facts and Norms.
--- Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Exclusion, Inclusion and American Law. Check out this link Martha Minow on the Dear Habermas site.

Course Syllabus for CRMJ/SOCA 359 "Law and Society"

takata@uwp.edu