Mirror Sites:
CSUDH - Habermas - UWP - Archives

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: April 17, 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.

* * * * *

"Law and Social Change" Spring 2008

"Arrigo Theories" Spring 2008

"Images of Color/Images of Crime" Spring 2008

Week 14: Week of April 20, 2008

Topic: Postmodern Feminist Criminology & Euro Americans

Preparatory Readings

• Arrigo. Social Justice/Criminal Justice. Chapter 6.
• Mann, Zatz & Rodriguez. Images of Color, Images of Crime. Chapters 5, 10, 15 & 20 .
• Documentary/Film: "-----" (to be shown in class)

Lecture related links:



• Auto-Poietic Learning Systems
  
  
• Participate in the Community Building discussion group .
  
• Curran and Takata. Sociology of Law Handbook:
  -- Introduction
  -- Chapter 1, part 1
  -- Chapter 1, part 2
  -- Chapter 2

• Martha Minow. Making All the Difference: Exclusion, Inclusion and American Law. Check out this link Martha Minow on the Dear Habermas site.
  
  
• "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
  
  
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Administered by the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
  

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 will need to do all of the assigned readings for this week, and view "----" 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? (MZR, p. 127).

4. In what ways do privileged white offenders avoid the criminal justice treatment described by the author?List examples of white privilege in crime (MZR, p. 177).

5. How do politicians contribute to the racial discrimination described by the author? (MZR, p. 177).

6. Are there any social bandits today? If so, who? Why.(MZR), p.242

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 "law and social change" (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.



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!

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: 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