CRCJ 5380 Race, Crime and Justice Instructor: Robert Bing, PhD. Spring 2012
Office: TBA; Office Hours: 5:00-5:45 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. All other hours by appointment. Telephone # 817.272.3318 (department) or E-mail
Course description: This course explores issues specific to race, ethnicity, crime and justice. This course will involve a critical and realistic examination of existing practices and policies, as they relate to race, ethnicity, gender and crime within the criminal justice system. Throughout, there will be an emphasis on the examination of constructs important in analysis and explanation of crime patterns, criminal behavior, justice systems, and criminal justice processes. Ultimately, I am focused toward a review of a wide range of books, journal articles from main stream and thought provoking articles, designed to stimulate thought and to engender class discussion. One of many goals is to get students to embrace paradigms that extend beyond traditional criminal justice constructs.
Course expectations/requirements: Students are expected to come to class prepared. Each person (via group sessions) will have an opportunity to facilitate discussion. Each person (or group) will be responsible for coverage and discussion of assigned articles. There will be at least one exam and one paper required for the course. The success of the class depends upon reading and preparedness for class. Students must come to class prepared to talk about what they have read. No student will be the passive recipient of knowledge. Attendance, participation, and reading of assigned articles are critical. Anyone absence, will be assigned a major reading.
Learning objectives: Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
· Understand how the moral panic contributes to the social construction of crime.
· Compare and contrast the treatment of racial and ethnic groups in American society.
· Identify and define the role of race in the processing of criminal offenders.
· Understand how crime can be socially constructed by the media.
· Identify and explain four policies that are effective and based upon the empirical evidence.
· Describe three discriminatory policing practices.
· Describe three discriminatory correctional practices.
· Describe the processing of adult/youthful offenders throughout the criminal/juvenile justice system.
· Describe the impact of drug enforcement of female and minority group populations.
· Understand the conceptual issues or prejudice, racism, and discrimination.
· Describe effective policy initiatives that are designed to influence/impact of race on policy development.
· Describe/discuss competing explanations for racial/ethnic disparities within the cj system.
Required textbooks: 1.) Savage Inequalities by Kozol. 2.) The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America by Walker, Spohn, and DeLone 3.) Fist, Stick, Knife and Gun by Geoffrey Canada and 4.) The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Prison by Reiman and Leighton.
In addition to required textbooks, the instructor will routinely require readings from mainstream law, criminology and criminal justice journals. Students should be prepared to discuss readings in class.
Suggested Readings: 1. Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts. 2.) A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki 3.) Arbitrary Justice by Angela Davis 4.) Neither Angels, Nor Demons: Women, Crime and Victimization by Ferraro, 5.) How Do Judges Decide: The Search for Fairness and Justice in Punishment by Cassia C. Spohn 6.) The Truly Disadvantaged by William Julius Wilson. 7) Race, Crime and the Media by Robert Bing 8.) Race, Crime and the Law by Randall Kennedy, 9.) The Color of Crime by Katheryn Russell-Brown 10.) Racial Profiling in America by Alejandro del Carmen, 11.)The Myth of a Racist CJ System by Wilbanks, 12.) Search and Destroy: African Males in the CJ System by Jerome Miller, 13.) Faces at the Bottom of the Well by Derrick Bell.
Text readings and oral reports: All text material should be read by each student during the semester. On designated class periods, students (or groups) may be assigned specific chapters or certain readings. Students with assigned readings will be expected to facilitate discussion of chapter or selected readings. When you facilitate discussion, there should be more than a mere review of what you have read. I will be listening for your insights, interpretations, etc. Students should prepare notes from their assigned readings and should not attempt to read the article or chapter to the class, but to demonstrate mastery of the course content. I will also offer a review of salient points in the chapters that have been read and discussed.
An idea: The following format is recommended: 1) A quick overview of the assigned material. 2) A few major points made by the author. 3) Your thoughts, your reactions, etc. There is the expectation that student facilitate discussions about assigned readings with classmates. I want students to immerse themselves in the readings. Everyone should read for class, but the facilitators are expected to talk and lead a discussion about the assigned readings. Do not be reluctant to engage your classmates into a meaningful discussion about the readings. Do not regurgitate the points made by the author(s).
American with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 91-112- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.
As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of their need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at www.uta/disability. Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in room 102 of University Hall or call their office at 817.272.3364.
Academic Integrity: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All person involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.
“Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.” (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 2010, Section 2.2)
Student Support Services Available: The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817.272.6107 or www.uta.edu/uac for more information and appropriate referrals.
Electronic Communications Policy: The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University email address as an official means of communication with students. Through the use of email, UT-Arlington is able to provide students with relevant and timely information, designed to facilitate student success. In particular, important information concerning registrations, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation may be sent to students through email.
All students are assigned an email account and information about activating and using it is available at www.uta.edu/email. New students (first semester to UTA) are able to activate their email account 24 hours after registering for courses. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as a student is enrolled at UT-Arlington. Students are responsible for checking email regularly.
Classroom Etiquette Please turn off cell phones. Please no text messaging while in the classroom. Please treat classmates with respect and courtesy. Please respect divergent points of view in this classroom; I cannot over emphasize this point enough.
Research paper: You will be required to write a paper on some aspect of race, crime and justice. The instructor and student MUST agree (in writing) on the topic. It must be original research. The paper should range from 10 to 12 pages, with at least 12 citations. My preference is that the paper be on a narrowly focused area. This paper will be due on or before April 25th. Your paper should cover the intersection of race, ethnicity, and/or gender and any stage of the criminal justice system. In short, identify a problem. Tell me why it is important? Discuss definitional issues or conceptual issues? Again make a cogent case for the importance of the topic. The paper is essentially a lit review that effectively addresses issues identified as important. Conduct a literature review, and then proceed with a section that summarizes the points and or themes to emerge in the literature. As always, bring the paper to proper conclusion, with discussions or section on implications of research, plus inclusion of any recommendations for policy changes, based upon your paper.
I recommend APA, although not required. I am partial to traditional academic citations, rather than Internet citations. It is important that you have a well organized paper, free of typos, etc. A good paper should properly introduce the material and provide a roadmap for the reader. Next a statement of the problem, coupled with a review of the literature, a discussion of the issues to emerge, plus a summary and or conclusion.
Journal assignments: With respect to journal articles, you be graded based upon the degree of your participation/preparation, coupled with your ability to highlight the points made and to lead a meaningful discussion about the assigned journal article(s). The journal assignments are designed to generate more discussion and may be less formal in presentation/discussion of the material.
Hints: Journal Articles: Describe. Discuss. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Why? Why not? Are there any contradictions? Any counter intuitive findings?
For Color of Justice: SAA…but more organization and structure in presentation. Identification of themes. Articulation of important points? Integrating major points of interest into your discussion about the assigned readings? Fluid discussion of some of the questions at the end of each assigned chapter. Groups should get together and agree on strategy. I do not want you to repeat every point made, but to highlight and expand upon some of the points made by the authors. Use of handouts, power point presentations, etc. is encouraged.
For all of the above: I am looking for eye contact and listening for organization, substance, meaningful interaction with class, and articulation of main points. Humor helps!
Attendance and class participation: While students may miss classes due to personal or professional reasons, good attendance is required/expected. Poor attendance and minimal class participation can result in a lower grade. In addition, if you miss a class you are required to submit written assignment to the instructor. This expectation will be discussed in greater detail.
Drop policy: Please refer to the University drop policy.
Exam: The final exam will be a blue book exam. There will be several essay questions that will be based upon readings, lectures, group projects, etc. I will provide you with information about the exam.
EXTRA CREDIT Readings: I will reward you for extra readings, if students are interested in doing extra reading. Please see me about this opportunity. I strongly encourage some of you to agree to read a book and to present the essence of that book in class. I will reward you handsomely for stellar presentations. You can increase your possible points from 100 to 110%.
Summary of requirements:
1. Oral reports on materials assigned Each week
2. Satisfactory attendance Each week
3. Agreement about research paper No later than March 28, 2011
4. Research paper due April 25, 2011
5. Class participation Each week
6. Final exam May 7, 2011
Grading Scale:
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 59 and below
How will I be graded?
Presentations/participation...... 25%
Final Exam…………………………………………………………………………..….. 45%
Research paper……...... 25%
Journal participation.…………………..………………………………….……….. 5%
100%
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Disability: If you have a disability and desire accommodation, please let me know and every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate you.
TO ACCESS THE ONLINE ARTICLES:
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Access On-Site Reserves
1.Go to the UT Arlington Library Catalog
2.Select the "Course Reserves" tab
3.Search for materials by instructor's name and/or course. Use the drop down arrow to select your instructor's name, then cursor down to select the course number [crcj 3380; BING]
Tentative course schedule
The following is a tentative outline of course assignments for the semester:
Mar 19 Introduction to class and course expectations.
The Truly Disadvantaged (part one) Prof. Bing
21 Journal article: How the War on Drugs Is Destroying Black America by
John McWhorter (Cato Letter) Cato Institute, vol. 9(1) Winter 2011. [All]
Access the McWhorter article at this site:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/catosletter/catosletterv9n1.pdf
Savage Inequalities (part one) Groups 1, 2, 3
The Truly Disadvantaged (part two) Prof. Bing
26 Ch 1. The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity and Crime Group 1,
Savage Inequalities (part two) Groups 4,5,6
The Social Construction of the African American Criminal Stereotype Prof. Bing
A Look into the Mind of Katheryn Russell: Scholar or Angry Black Woman by Prof. Bing
28 Ch 2. The Color of Justice: Victims and Offenders: Myths and Realities about Crime Group 2
The Missing White Woman Syndrome (RB)
Latinos and Latinas: The Color of Skin Is the Color of Crime Prof Bing
The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Prison by Reiman and Leighton Prof. Bing
Apr 02 Ch 3. The Color of Justice Race, Ethnicity, Social Structure, and Crime Groups 3
Journal article: Space Traders by Derrick Bell Group: 1 (online)