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 23, 2009
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 15: Week of April 26, 2009

Monday, May 4th at the beginning of class -- Final Visual Project due (including bibliography & self-assessment)

Friday, May 8th -- Last Day of Class

Topic: Postmodern Feminist CriminologyEuro Americans

Preparatory Readings

• Arrigo. Social Justice/Criminal Justice. Chapter 6.
• Mann, Zatz & Rodriguez. Images of Color, Images of Crime. Chapters 5, 10, 15 & 20.
• On Roediger's Wages of Whiteness
  
• Documentary: "----" (to be shown in class)
  
  
• Curran and Takata. Sociology of Law Handbook
  -- Introduction
  -- Chapter 1, part 1
  -- Chapter 1, part 2
  -- Chapter 2

Lecture related links:



• National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Administered by the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
  
• Metaphor and Theory links to "The Blind Men and the Elephant" which applies to several concepts discussed in both classes. Eric K. mentioned this metaphor during one of our class discussions in "Law and Society."
• "My Role in Social Change" Poem by LaTricia White (Spring 2004)
  
• "They Ain't Us: Identity as an Anti-Norm"
  
• Those Infamous Grades and Letters of Recommendation
• "The Case Against Gold Stars" by Alfie Kohn.
  
  

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 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 Visual Projects:





Final Visual Projects will be due at the beginning of class on Monday, May 4th (include your bibliography and self-assessment)



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). What small item did you create to "give away" to those visiting your visual project?
2. Explain in depth, how your visual project specifically relates to the course (i.e., the readings, the documentaries, class discussions, major concepts). Demonstrate how your visual project relates to "theory, policy, practice". 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) ___ ? Explain why this particular grade.
   
   
   

   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!
   
   

   • new Examine the notion of "white privilege."
   • font color="ff033">new Read David Wellman's Portraits of White Racism.
   
   

   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