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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: January 31, 2008
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 352 Law and Social Change

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.

* * * * *

Week 3: Week of February 3, 2008

To stay on track, email me your visual project topic(s) for approval.

Topic: Difference and Privileging Subjectivity

Preparatory Readings

• Those Infamous Grades and Letters of Recommendation
• "The Case Against Gold Stars" by Alfie Kohn.
• Cooperative Learning
• Preface
• "Who's Habermas? Why Habermas?"
  
  
• Arrigo. Social Justice/Criminal Justice. ---.
• Mann, Zatz & Rodriguez. Images of Color, Images of Crime. Chapter 5 and 10 .
• Curran and Takata. Sociology of Law Handbook: Chapter 2
  -- Introduction
  -- Chapter 1, part 1
  -- Chapter 1, part 2
  -- Chapter 2

• Documentary/Film: "The Sneetches" and "The Zax" (to be shown in class)
  

Lecture related links:



• "My Role in Social Change" Poem by LaTricia White (Spring 2004)
  
• "They Ain't Us: Identity as an Anti-Norm"
  
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
  
  

Concepts to be covered:



• the tension between facts and norms
• auto-poietic non-learning subsystem
• the dilemma of difference
• privileging subjectivity
• the Other
• identity politics
• unstated assumptions
• circles of certainty
• inclusion/exclusion
• private autonomy vs. public autonomy
• "theory, policy, practice"



Discussion Questions:

Note: In order to answer these discussion questions, you will need to view "The Sneetches" and "The Zax" to be shown in class.

1. According to Habermas, what is a fact? What is a norm? Explain the tension between facts and norms. Provide your own example from this week's readings.

2. What does Minow mean by "the dilemma of difference"? How does "the dilemma of difference" relate to the two Dr. Seuss videos shown in class.

3. Select an issue (not discussed in class) that explains what Habermas was trying to tell us about "private autonomy" v. "public autonomy".

4. Link to the reading on Theory, Policy Practice. What is the most pressing issue relating to "law and social change" today? (Select an issue different from your answer for Question 3).Why. Explain the relationship of theory to policy and to practice as it relates to your selected issue? Why do we insist that you consider the relationship also in the reverse direction: practice to policy to theory?



Suggested Visual Projects:




Note: Start thinking about ideas for your creative measures. Must relate to "law and social change." 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). You will need to submit a bibliography with each project. No term papers! Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measure in class. Email me your ideas ASAP!



• Read Between Facts and Norms by Jurgen Habermas.
• Find an issue or example to illustrate the "tension" between facts and norms. Why does this tension exist? What would Habermas suggest as ways to alleviate the tension? Why.
• Explore the idea and concept of race. What are the arguments on both sides -- the biologic and genetic concept of race vs. the social realities of race.



Recommended Readings:



• Richard Goldsby. Race and Races.
  
• Paul Ehrlich. The Race Bomb.
  
• Cornel West. Race Matters.
  
• Robert Blauner. Still the Big News: Racial Oppression in America.
  
• William Julius Wilson. The Declining Significance of Race.
  
  

  --- 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 352 "Law and Social Change"

takata@uwp.edu