CaliforniaStateUniversity, Bakersfield
Sociology 324: Sociology of Deviance
Monday/ Wednesday 3:10 p.m.-5:10 p.m. BDC154
Professor:Ms.Shyanne Ledford, MA
Office: ______
Phone: (661) 654-2368 or (661)______
Email:/ ______
Website:
Office Hours: M,W directly after class.
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: T/ Th 4:30p.m. to 5:30p.m or Saturday 9:00a.m.-11:00a.m.
Dr. Clark has office hours: Tues. and Thurs. from 7:30p.m. to 8:30p.m. in DDH B100/102
Course Description
This course surveys past and present experiences and perceptions of social deviance in American society. This involves assessing the history and consequences of deviance and deviant behavior specifically as the definition of deviance changes across time and space. It includes a discussion of the theories sociologists advance to explain deviance, the social and demographic distribution of deviance, and an analysis of the efficacy of social policy designed to control and/ or eliminate deviance.
Course Objectives
1. To survey past and present experiences and perceptions of deviance in American society. This involves learning and assessing the definition, history, and consequences of deviance and deviant behavior specifically as it changes across time and space.
2. To provide a more thorough and detailed understanding of how the social, political, religious, and economic climates influence the definitions of deviance and deviant behavior.
3. To consider the realities and meaning of labeling deviance and deviant behavior in our own lives, and how labeling or highlighting "difference" give rise to discrimination and prejudice that shape our lives, at the individual, group and structural level.
4. To sociologically examine the meaning and reality of labeling deviance and deviant behavior as illegal and its effects at an individual, group and structural level. We will focus on the relationship between formal law, a key social institution in our society, and deviance.
5. To examine the meaning and practice of justice and equality, along the axes of race, gender, class and sexuality as they relate to deviance.
6. To recognize the different types of deviance including both criminal deviance and social deviance.
Required Text:
Adler, Patricia and Peter Adler. (2009). Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction. ISBN- 13: 9780495504290. The text is an anthology, or collection, of articles written by other authors with introductions by Adler and Adler.
Schedule of Class Sessions and Required Readings
Week 1: Jan. 07, 2009- Course/ Self Introductions & Defining Deviance
Week 2: Jan. 12, 2009 and Jan. 14, 2009 Theory Week 1
"An Integrated Typology of Deviance Applied to Ten Middle-Class Norms" by Heckert and Heckert
“Differential Association” by Sutherland and Cressy
“Strain Theory” by Robert Agnew
“Control Theory” by Hirschi
“Functionalism: The Normal and the Pathological” by Emile Durkheim
“The Constructionist Stance” by Joel Best
Week 3: Jan. 21, 2009 (No Class on Jan. 19th MLK Day) Theory Week 2
Paper Part 1 Due- No Exceptions
***All Theory for this week comes from power point. We will cover: Durkheim’s Anomie, Sykes and Matza’s Neutralization, and Labeling Theory***
Week 4: Jan. 26, 2009 and Jan. 28, 2009 Theory Week 3/ The Study and
Construction of Deviance
“Child Abuse Reporting” by Douglas and Laumann-Billings
“The Social Construction of Drug Scares” by Craig Reinarman
“Blowing Smoke: Status Politics and the Smoking Ban” by Tuggle and Holmes
“The Mark of a Criminal Record” by Devah Pager
Week 5: Feb. 02, 2009 and Feb. 04, 2009 Deviant Identity
Feb. 04, 2009: Midterm
“The Adoption and Management of a ‘Fat’ Identity” by Degher and Hughes
“The Devil Made Me Do It: Use of Neutralizations by Shoplifters” by Cromwell and Thurman
“Men who Cheer” by Michelle Bemiller
Week 6: Feb. 09, 2009 and Feb. 11, 2009 Identity Continued/ The Social Organization of
Deviance I
Feb. 11, 2009: Guest Speaker on “Identity Theory”
“Convicted Rapists’ Vocabulary of Motive” by Scully and Marolla
“Self-Injurers” by Adler and Adler
“Recreational Ecstasy Users” by Michelle Gourley
“Real Punks and Pretenders: The Social Organization of a Counterculture” by Kathryn Fox
“War Profiteering: Iraq and Halliburton” by Dawn Rothe
Week 7: Feb. 16, 2009 (President’s Day: There will be class!) and Feb. 18, 2009
Structure of a Deviant Act I
Feb. 16, 2009:Power Point on: Music Subcultures and Deviations
Feb. 18, 2009: Presentation on Civil Unrest/ Social Movements/ Political Activism (may be a different topic)
Week 8: Feb. 23, 2009 and Feb. 25, 2009 Structure of a Deviant II
“Naked Power: Stripping as a Confidence Game” by Lisa Pasko
“Lesbian Cruising” by Denise Bullock
“Sexual Assault on Campus” by Armstrong, Hamilton, and Sweeney
“Fraud and the American Dream: The Ponzi Scheme” by Trahan, Marquart, and Mullings
Week 9: Mar. 02, 2009 and Mar. 04, 2009 Structure of a Deviant III/ Extreme
Deviance
March 02, 2009- Presentation on Sexual Deviance
March 02, 2009- Presentation on Religious Subgroups (may be rescheduled)
March 04, 2009: Power Point deriving from book titled Extreme Deviance by Erich Goode and D. Angus Vail ©2008 ISBN: 978-1-4129-3722-1
*We will cover tattooing, white supremacy, believing in alien abduction, and environmentalism.*
Week 10: Mar. 09, 2009 and Mar. 11, 2009 Deviant Careers
March 09, 2009- Guest Presentation on “Christian Bikers”
“Deciding to Commit a Burglary” by Wright and Decker
“Pimp-Controlled Prostitution” by Williamson and Cluse-Tolar
Power Point on: Deviance in the Medical Profession
Week 11: Mar. 16, 2009 (Last day of Class- 20 sessions total) Relevance/ Endnotes
“The Relevance of the Sociology of Deviance” by Erich Goode
“Shifts and Oscillations in Deviant Careers” by Adler and Adler
Final Exam: Friday, March 20, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30p.m.
Requirements and Grading
Participation Activities and Reflections: 15%
Throughout the quarter, there will be five (5) in class activities or reflections at 15 points each. These will be short responses to questions or prompts based on course material, your interpretations, your opinions and experiences. The purpose of this activity is to help you further think about and process what you are learning. Total Points: 75/500
Paper: 20%
Each student is required to independently produce a paper on a topic of deviance. The paper must cover theory, historical perspectives, and modern issues surrounding your topic. There are three parts. Total Points: 100/500
Part I:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009: Topic Request Due
*Must be typed! Please list the topic on deviance that you wish to explore. Give the reason you want to explore this particular topic, the theory (or theories) from class that you are leaning towards using, and ONE SOURCE. You must cite one source (an article, a book, something scholarly) that you have already located and WILL use in the paper. *This is called a “Topic Request” because not all topics will be approved. Total Points: 10/100 = 10% of the paper grade
Part II:
Wednesday, February 25, 2009: Paper Due
1)The paper must be 6-8 pages in length, typed, double-spaced with one (1) inch margins on all four sides.
2)The paper must include one (1) theoretical perspective. You must choose one, and do it well. Choose the one that best fits.
3)The paper must fully discuss and examine the history of your topic. When did this form of deviance first start popping up in the main stream or in the literature? Is there anything that suggests that this had been going on longer than that? How prevalent is it then and now? Are there ideas (besides theory) that suggest why this is happening or is more or less prevalent than before?
4)The paper must fully discuss the subjects who participate in this form of deviance. Attempt to pin point who they really are. What is the predominant age group, race, income level, education level? Can we make generalizations about the people who are most likely to engage in (or be in the condition of) this form of deviance?
5)The paper must fully discuss and include predictions or speculation (scholarly, not first person) about the future of this form of deviance. Total Points: 80/100 = 80% of total paper grade
Part III: Works Cited (due with paper on Feb. 25. 2009)
The paper must include six (6)or more relevant, scholarly, sources. Only one can come from the text used for this class. These sources must be appropriately cited throughout the paper (where referenced) and then must be appropriately listed in the Works Cited section using the ASA (American Sociological Association) format for citations. Websites with ASA style guides:
1)
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Total Points: 10/100 = 10% of total paper grade
Midterm: 30%
February 04, 2009
There will be a midterm covering all topics covered up until the day of the midterm. Material for the midterm will be gathered from power point presentations, guest speakers, and assigned readings. The Midterm will consist of true/ false, multiple choice, and essay questions.
Total Points: 150/500
Final: 35%
March 20, 2009
There will be a final covering all topics covered from the day of the midterm to the last day of class. Material for the final will be gathered from power point presentations, guest speakers, and assigned readings. The Final will consist of true/ false, multiple choice, and essay questions. Total Points: 175/500
Point Distribution
A / 465 - 500 / C+ / 385 – 399A- / 450 - 464 / C / 365 – 384
B+ / 435 – 449 / C- / 350 – 364
B / 415 – 434 / D+ / 335 – 349
B- / 400 – 414 / D / 315 – 334
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
If you have any questions about academic integrity, please ask me. Plagiarism occurs when you use material (e.g., exact written or spoken words, a summary of written or spoken words/sentences, and/or ideas) that someone else has produced without giving credit to the original author. When you use someone’s words or thoughts, you must indicate (cite) where the material came from. Downloading a paper or other material from the Internet and using those words and ideas as if they were your own words counts as plagiarism. Asking someone else to write your paper, book report, or essay counts as plagiarism. Including ideas from your readings without citing the source, counts as plagiarism. I will follow the guidelines for plagiarism in the CSUB Catalog which includes, but is not limited to, assigning a failing grade for the course and placing a note in your academic file. For a complete description of academic integrity, plagiarism, and cheating, please link to:
STUDENT ACCOMODATIONS
If you have any permanent or temporary disability that could affect your ability to perform in this course please inform me of your situation at the start of the quarter. Adaptation of methods, materials or testing may be made as needed to provide for equitable participation. Students who need special accommodations for this course must notify the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), SADM 140, at (661) 664-3360. SSD’s website is:
CLASSROOM CONDUCT AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
1)Students are expected to be on time and present for each lecture. Should you arrive late, please enter quietly and take the first available seat so you do not disturb the class. For this course, there is no such thing as an ‘excused’ absence. However, should you need to be absent, it would be best to notify me in advance.
2)Turn off cell phones or other communication media. Please do not send or receive text messages during lecture. Your success depends on your commitment.
3)In sociology, topics of great controversy may come up. It is crucial that we respect each other’s differences. I will not tolerate disrespect or any comment or behavior, which may damage the classroom environment. It is my goal that we can express ourselves, our beliefs, our ideals, without embarrassing or insulting one another. When in doubt, refer to the golden rule- If you can’t say anything nice, keep your mouth shut!
4)Students are expected to have read the assigned material and to have prepared for each class in advance.
5)In order to do well in this course, your writing must be grammatically correct with correct spelling. Good writing does not mean complicated writing: clear, carefully constructed sentences should be your goal. Writing tutors are available free of charge at OASIS in Academic East.
6)If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from a classmate. I do not take attendance, but if you are not present for assignments, you will lose points in the course. Excused absences are those for which you can provide documentation proving illness, death in the family, or participation in a university-sponsored event. Excused late arrivals must be discussed with me before class starts.