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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: July 27, 2003
Latest Update: February 15, 2007
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

CRMJ/SOCA 385 Media, Crime, Criminal Justice

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 6: Week of February 18, 2007

Starting Monday, February 19th, sign up for your First Meeting. These meetings are scheduled between February 26th-28th.

Topic: Crime and Criminality

Preparatory Readings:



• Rafter. Shots in the Mirror. Chapter --.
• Surette. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice . Chapter--.
  
  
• Potter and Kappeler. Constructing Crime . Chapters 14-18.
• Documentary: "Media Survival Tactics" and "Outfoxed" (segments to be shown in class).
  
  

Lecture related links:



• Join the Yahoo Discussion Group with CSUDH students
  
  
• Ray Surette's website
  
• W.I. Thomas "Definition of the Situation
• Metaphor and Theory. Read the Blind Men and the Elephant fable. Think about how this fable relates to the course.




Concepts to be covered:



• fear of crime
• perception v. reality
• definition of the situation
• social construction of reality



Discussion Questions:

Note: Be sure to incorporate the documentary segments in your answers.

1. According to the media, what is the relationship between crime and fear of crime? How does this relationship compare and contrast with the views of criminologists and criminal justice practitioners?
2. How does one distinguish between perceived fear and real fear? What are today's Americans afraid of? Why. What "should" they be fearful of? Why.
3. Provide an example where the "story becomes the story"? How and why did this happen?
4. Throughout Part III in Potter and Kappeler, the "fear of crime" is a major theme. As a student who is studying criminal justice, what kind of news story would be a more accurate portrayal of the extent of crime in the United States? Why.
5. What news source do you trust the most? Why.



Suggested Creative Measures:




Note: You should be well into the process of researching your creative measure/visual presentation topic, (i.e., reviewing the scholarly literature).


Your creative measure/visual presentation: 1) must relate to "media, crime, and the criminal justice system." 2) must be approved via email before starting. 3) cannot be something that you are doing or have done 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). No term papers! 5) Allow time to dialogue and present your creative measure in class (preferably before the March 2nd deadline).



• Make an "explosion box/card" that focuses on this week's topic, "Effects of Constructing Crime."
• Compare and contrast both the front stage and back stage of the news media. Find out how news is "made" by talking to someone in the journalism profession.
• Compare and contrast several different news broadcasts (local or national). What are some similarities and differences? Why.



Recommended Readings:



• Edward J. Gerald. News of Crime: Courts and Press in Conflict.
• Nicholas Cowdery. Getting Justice Wrong: Myths, Media and Crime .
• Marshall McLuhan. The Medium is the Message: An Inventory of Effects.
• David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne. Crime and the Media.
• Sheila Brown. Crime and Law in Media Culture.
  
  
• Lawrence Lessig. Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity. Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Stanford University, has made his book free online.
• Internet Movie Database