CCJS453: White Collar and Organized Crime
Spring 2011 Syllabus
Class meets Monday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in 2205 LeFrak Hall
Instructor: Melissa Rorie
Email:
Office Phone 301-405-4727
Office: 2220AA LeFrak
Office Hours: Mondays from 5p.m. to 6 p.m. & by appointment
Course description
This course explores the history, definitions, categories, and trends of white collar crime (WCC) with an emphasis on corporate crimes. The course also briefly examines the history of organized crime (OC) activities in the United States. The course includes a discussion of the impact of WCC and OC, the nature of white collar and organized criminals, theories of WCC, and WCC sentencing and deterrence.
Textbooks
Trusted Criminals by David O. Friedrichs, Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN: 978-0-4-9560082-4 (Required)
Profit Without Honor: White Collar Crime and the Looting of America by Rosoff et al., Pearson. ISBN: 978-0-1-3515468-7. (Recommended)
Course Requirements and Class Conduct
The overall success of this course, and your individual success, will depend in very large part on your regular attendance and active involvement in class discussions, as well as maintaining a classroom environment conducive to learning. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for all classes, arrive on time, be actively engaged in class discussion and activities, and refrain from any disruptive behavior (which includes talking during the lecture).
I strongly encourage you to be on time to class; it can be highly disruptive to me and to the other students when people arrive late to class. Exams will start promptly at 6 p.m. Students arriving more than 10 minutes later than that may not be able to take the exam at that time and will have to provide me with written documentation explaining the absence. See the section below titled “Instructor policy on Makeup Exams, Assignments, Class Notes, and Special Accommodations” for more information.
You are allowed to eat during the lecture, but please be courteous and consider the ability of others around you to hear and concentrate on the lecture. Also, please be considerate of the cleaning staff and pick up after yourself if you bring disposable food containers into the classroom.
I will allow laptops for the purpose of note-taking only. If you are caught looking at something other than note-taking or electronic versions of articles during lectures then laptop use will be prohibited for the entire class. You may not have your laptops open during exams or class presentations.
Grades
The course will be graded based on two exams (including the final) and a 10-page paper. Each exam and the paper will be graded out of 50 possible points. Therefore, your overall course grade will be based on 150 possible points. Students will also be able to earn extra credit points on quizzes given at the end of each class. These various components are described in more detail below.
Paper and Presentation
The paper should be no more than ten pages and should examine an issue pertinent to WCC or OC (see possible topics below). All papers should be APA-style, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12) and 1-inch margins on all sides. Minimal use (if at all) of popular culture sources (e.g., magazines) should be employed unless these sources are integral to the research (e.g., content analysis of popular media). Students will be graded on their grammar and spelling, evidenced critical thinking about the topic, demonstrated comprehension of the topic, and level of research effort. Students will also have an opportunity to give a ten-minute presentation on their paper that will count for 5 points of extra credit to be added to their final grade. These presentations are meant for students to receive feedback on their papers and should be used to better inform their final draft.
Some potential topics for this paper include:
· Describe a type of WCC not discussed in class, its seriousness, and current/proposed strategies to prevent or address it
· Best practices in WCC or Corporate Crime prevention
· Apply a criminological theory not discussed in class to explain why WCC/OC occurs
· Measurement issues in WCC/OC
· Describe a specific case of WCC/OC and how it led to a specific change in law or regulatory strategies
· Other topic pending approval from the instructor
Exams
Both exams will consist primarily of multiple choice and true/false questions. The final exam is not cumulative. Exam questions will come from all sources: lectures, video presentations, class handouts, guest speakers, and assigned readings. I will provide study outlines and in-class review opportunities before each exam. Please note that the study outlines may not cover everything included on the test—students are responsible for preparing for exams based on all class materials.
Extra Credit
In addition to the paper presentation (worth 5 points), I will also be giving a five-question quiz at the end of every class (worth a maximum of 5 points each). The grades on these quizzes will be averaged at the end of the semester, and the average will be added to the students’ 150 point total for a maximum of an additional 5 points. Since the quizzes are for extra credit, if students are not present for the quiz they will receive a grade of 0 for that quiz.
The final grading scale is:
A+ 145 to 150 points (97% to 100%) B+ 130 to 134 points (87% to 89%)
A 139 to 144 points (93% to 96%) B 124 to 129 points (83% to 86%)
A- 135 to 138 points (90% to 92%) B- 120 to 123 points (80% to 82%)
C+ 115 to 119 points (77% to 79%) D+ 100 to 104 points (67% to 69%)
C 109 to 114 points (73% to 76%) D 94 to 99 points (63% to 66%)
C- 105 to 108 points (70% to 72%) D- 90 to 93 points (60% to 62%)
F 89 points or less
Instructor policy on Makeup Exams, Assignments, Class Notes, and Special Accommodations
I have a very strict policy regarding makeup exams and excused absences. Makeup exams will only be given in cases of excused absences and official documentation is required. Excused absences are: illness with a doctor's note, death in the immediate family, required University activities, and required court appearance. I will not accept a Health Center honor statement to verify an illness. If you go to the Health Center and a doctor will not write you a note, you will need to get a copy of your medical record from them to verify your illness. By law, you are entitled to get a copy of this and it is your responsibility to do so. I must be notified in person, e-mail, in writing, or by phone PRIOR to missing an exam for me to consider giving you a makeup. Makeup exams are essay in nature. If you have a problem on the day of an exam, call me. If you know in advance that you will be absent for an exam with an approved absence, you will be expected to take the exam prior to the exam date. There will be no makeup opportunities for missed quizzes.
Students with a documented disability or other situation requiring academic accommodations should see the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester (by February 4th, 2011). Students having academic difficulty are also strongly encouraged to consult with the instructor as early as possible.
It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance; prior notification is especially important in connection with final examinations, since failure to reschedule a final examination before the conclusion of the final examination period may result in loss of credits during the semester. I will make every feasible effort to accommodate students' requests based on attendance of religious observances.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is an absolute requirement. Dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. Students are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.shc.umd.edu.
Class schedule and reading assignments
The following is a TENTATIVE schedule for lecture topics and exams. I will do my best to keep as close as possible to this schedule. I hope to have guest lecturers making class presentations. The availability of guest lecturers is subject to change depending on their personal schedules and this may require some flexibility in our class schedule. All exams will be given on the dates indicated. In the event the University is closed on a scheduled exam date (e.g., weather emergency) the exam will be given on the next day that class meets.
The required and recommended readings for each lecture topic can be found in the right-hand column. Any readings not from your textbook can be found on the Blackboard website—you can log onto our class page by going to www.elms.umd.edu. Supplemental required and recommended readings may be assigned during the semester.
Week / Date / Topic / Reading Assignment /1 / 1/24/2011 / Course Introduction and Orientation
Defining White Collar and Corporate Crime
2 / 1/31/2011 / Historical and Contemporary examples of WCC
The Study of WCC: Methods and Difficulties / Friedrichs: Chapters 1 (pp. 1 – 11) and 2 (pp. 34 - 44)
Simpson, Harris, and Mattson (1995): “Measuring corporate crime”
*Rosoff: Chapter 1
3 / 2/7/2011 / Varieties of WCC: Organizational/Corporate Crime; Occupational Crime; Financial Crime / Friedrichs: Chapters 3 and 4
*Rosoff: Chapters 2, 3, and 4
4 / 2/14/2011 / Extent and cost of WCC, organized, and corporate crime / Friedrichs: Chapters 2 (pp. 44 - 59)
*Rosoff—Chapters 6, 7, and 8
5 / 2/21/2011 / What do White Collar Criminals look like?
Images of Corporate and White-Collar Crime: Citizen Perceptions and Media Portrayal / Friedrichs: Chapter 1 (pp. 13 - 20)
Wright, Cullen, and Blankenship (1995): “The social construction of corporate violence”
6 / 2/28/2011 / Theories of White Collar/Corporate Crime: Individual-level / Friedrichs: Chapter 8 (pp. 219 - 238)
Benson (1985): “Denying the guilty mind”
Hirschi and Gottfredson (1987): “Causes of white collar crime”
7 / 3/7/2011 / Theories of White Collar/Corporate Crime: Macro-level
Multilevel
EXAM 1 REVIEW / Friedrichs: Chapter 8 (pp. 238 - 249)
Simpson and Koper (1997): “The changing of the guard”
Coleman (1987): “Towards an integrated theory of white collar crime”
8 / 3/14/2011 / EXAM 1
9 / 3/21/2011 / SPRING BREAK—NO CLASS
10 / 3/28/2011 / Organized Crime: Definitions, Theories, and Evolution of Organized Crime Business and Activities / Friedrichs: Chapter 7
McIllwan (1999): “Organized crime: A social network approach”
11 / 4/4/2011 / Interaction of White Collar Crime, Organized Crime, Legitimate Business, Government, Politics, and Terrorism
PAPER PRESENTATIONS / Friedrichs: Chapter 7
Szasz (1986): “Corporations, organized crime, and the disposal of hazardous waste”
12 / 4/11/2011 / Policing and Regulating WCC and OC
Contemporary responses to WCC: Legislative responses, criminal and civil statutes / Friedrichs: Chapter 9 and 10 (pp. 277 – 299, 303 – 307)
13 / 4/18/2011 / Contemporary response to WCC (cont.): Investigative Priorities and Responses
Whistleblowers, Qui Tams and other sources
PAPER DUE / Friedrichs: Chapter 1 (pp. 20 – 32)
Miethe and Rothschild (1994): “Whistleblowing and the control of organizational misconduct”
14 / 4/25/2011 / Contemporary Responses to WCC (cont.):
Prosecution and criminal defense
The Role of Gatekeepers
Reporting and Evidence Considerations / Friedrichs: Chapter 10 (pp. 299 – 303) and Chapter 11 (pp. 309 – 324)
Coffee (2005): “A theory of corporate scandals: Why the USA and Europe differ”
15 / 5/2/2011 / Legal and Social Controls of WCC:
Sentencing and Deterrence
Social and Economic pressures, individual characteristics / Friedrichs: Chapter 11 (pp. 324 – 343)
Kagan, Gunningham, and Thornton (2003): “Explaining corporate environmental performance”
Parker and Atkins (1999): “Did the corporate criminal sentencing guidelines matter?”
16 / 5/9/2011 / Applying What We’ve Learned to the Recent Financial Meltdown
Future responses to WCC and OC
FINAL EXAM REVIEW / Friedrichs: Chapter 12
17 / 5/16/2011 / FINAL EXAM
* The Rosoff chapters are recommended, but not required, reading.
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