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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: April 16, 2005
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 352: Law and Social Change

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 14: Week of April 17, 2005

Topic: Postmodern Feminist Criminology and Euro Americans

Special Announcements:



• April 22nd, beginning of class -- ABSOLUTE FINAL DEADLINE!!! Materials submitted after this deadline will NOT be accepted.
• May 6th - Last Day of Class
  

  Preparatory Readings:

• Arrigo. Social Justice/Criminal Justice, Chapter 6.
• Mann and Zatz. Images of Color, Images of Crime, Chapters 6, 11, 16 and 21 .
• On Roediger's Wages of Whiteness
  
• Video: "Race and Racism in the 90s" (to be shown in class).
  
  

  Lecture related links:
  
  

• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
• Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Exclusion, Inclusion and American Law. Check out this link Martha Minow on the Dear Habermas site.
  
  

  Concepts to be covered:
  

• postmodern
• storytelling
• difference
• subjectivity/objectivity
• white privilege
• psychology of white criminals
• institutionalized white supremacism
• social bandits
  

  Discussion Questions:

  Note: In order to answer these discussion questions, you must view the documentary, "Race and Racism in the 90's" to be shown in class.

  1. How do feminism and postmodernism differ from one another? (from Arrigo, p. 126, Q.1).

  2. Why is equality a problematic concept for feminist and postmodern scholars, and how do they propose to alter the law to address these problems? (Arrigo, p. 126, Q.8).

  3. What are some of the consequences of the media's treatment of whiteness and crime? How do the media contribute to the perpetuation of racial inequality in the United States? (M&Z).

  4. In what ways do privileged white offenders avoid the criminal justice treatment described by the author?List examples of white privilege in crime (M&Z).

  5. How do politicians contribute to the racial discrimination described by the author? (M&Z).

  6. Are there any social bandits today? If so, who? Why.
  
  

  Suggested Creative Measures:

  
  
  • Explore and examine the concept of "white privilege." What are the unstated assumptions behind the concept?
  • How does the mass media portray white criminals? Why.
  • Read one of the recommended books listed below on Euro Americans. Email me a brief book review.
    
    
  • Note: All creative measures: 1) Must relate to "law and social change." 2) Must be pre-approved. 3) Cannot be something that you are doing for another course. 4) 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).
  
  

  Recommended Readings:

  
  
  • Richard Maxwell Brown. Strain of Violence: Historical Studies of American Violence and Vigilantism.
  • David Wellman. Portraits of White Racism.
  • Robert Blauner. Black Lives, White Lives.
  • Paula Rothenberg. White Privilege.
  • Maurice Berger. White Lies: Race and the Myth of Whiteness.
  • David Roediger. Black on White: Black Writers on What it Means to be White.
    
    
  • Jurgen Habermas. Between Facts and Norms.
  • Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Inclusion, Exclusion and American Law.

• Course Syllabus
  
  
• Links to the Sociology of Law Handbook readings
  -- Introduction
  -- Chapter 1, part 1
  -- Chapter 1, part 2
  -- Chapter 2

takata@uwp.edu