SOCIOLOGY 8111 – CRIMINOLOGY
Spring 2005
Wednesday
Professor Christopher Uggen
(Pronounced
You-Gun)
1167
Social Sciences: 624-4016
Office:
www.chrisuggen.com
course page: www.soc.umn.edu/~uggen/8111.htm
DESCRIPTION
This seminar offers an overview of theoretical
developments and empirical research in criminology. Our focus will be definitive statements from important
theoretical traditions and critical
empirical tests of these theories. In addition, we will also consider critiques of the theories or the
research generated by them and attempts to translate theories into policy.
OBJECTIVES
1.
The course will help you develop a more nuanced understanding of the
dominant theoretical traditions in criminology. This knowledge is absolutely fundamental
to teaching criminology at the college level and to conducting original
research in the area.
2.
I will help you work through selected empirical pieces by some of the
very best criminological researchers. As you develop your own research
style, it is beneficial to see how others have translated propositions into
testable hypotheses, devised appropriate methodologies to test them, and
presented the results to diverse audiences.
3.
The course will stimulate your thinking about questions at the intersection
of social science and public policy. These include how we produce our
knowledge, its relevance to lives outside the academy (and penitentiary), and
the utility of crime theories and criminologists themselves. Such big-picture
considerations may help you to choose the level of abstraction at which you
wish to work and the contribution that you can make as teachers and researchers
studying the sociology of crime.
4.
Finally, a graduate seminar should encourage your professional
socialization as you make the transition from student to independent social
scientist. I will share anonymous reviews, letters from funding agencies and
journal editors, and other materials that may show you another side of the
research and publication process.
Laub,
John H. and Robert J. Sampson. 2003. Shared
Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70
Kornhauser,
Ruth R. 1977. Social Sources of
Delinquency: An Appraisal of Analytic Models.
The Laub and Sampson book is
available at the bookstore. Other readings will be made available prior to
course meetings. As for Kornhauser, one prominent sociology department’s
preliminary examination in the law, crime, and deviance area asked students to
name and discuss the most important book in 20th century
criminology. The correct answer (and there was
a correct answer) was Kornhauser’s Social
Sources. Since the book remains (shamefully!) out of print, I can make
photocopies available to you without violating copyright law. We will arrange
to compile and distribute the article materials at the first class meeting.
$131.85
WORTH OF OTHER BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR SHELF
We will
dip into the following books this term, but will not devote a great deal of
time to them. Anyone interested in teaching criminology or developing expertise
in the area is encouraged to purchase them via amazon.com (link via the course
page) or another source.
Becker,
Howard S. 1963. Outsiders.
Katz, Jack. 1988. Seductions of
Crime: Moral and Sensual Attractions in Doing Evil.
Gottfredson, Michael R., and
Travis Hirschi. 1990. A General Theory of Crime. Stanford:
Hirschi,
Travis. 1969. Causes of Delinquency.
Maruna, Shadd. 2001. Making
Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives.
Warr, Mark. 2002. Companions in
Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct.
REQUIREMENTS
1.
Each
student will share responsibility for helping
to lead at least one of the course meetings.
This includes summarizing and emailing/distributing a precis of the core readings, being accountable for the recommended
(starred) readings and a list of open-ended questions
about the materials two days prior to each class session. The precis is a
detailed two page single-spaced summary of the theory, data, methods, and
argument of the reading.
2. An original seminar project
is required of all students. This may be in the form of a research proposal, a
synthesis and critical evaluation of a particular line of research, or an
empirical paper addressing a substantive problem in criminology. Do not waste your time on a paper that will
only be used to meet course requirements. The seminar project should advance
your own research agenda.
3. Seminars are constructed in
interaction. I will provide a brief setup at each course meeting and try to
provide an environment in which everyone feels comfortable participating, but
responsibility for the seminar is borne collectively. This means that you must
come to class prepared to discuss the readings (preferably with written
comments and at least one question of your own) and to have considered
how the course materials will affect your work. I deliberately kept the reading
requirements minimal so that you will have more time to seriously engage the
articles.
Ø
Your
course grade will be determined by your written work and seminar participation.
I intend to weight precis and discussion leadership at 20%, seminar projects at
50%, project proposal 10% and participation at 20%. Active seminar participation is a necessary (but not sufficient)
condition to earning an “A” grade.
Ø You really don’t want an
incomplete hanging over your head. In almost every case, it is better to turn
in “work in progress” than to delay said progress by taking an incomplete.
Ø Teaching Philosophy (attached)
Ø Department Policies (attached)
This course is not comprehensive. There
are several definitive statements and myriad critiques and tests for many of
these topics. To maximize the amount we can cover in a single semester, I have
selected work that I consider exemplary, representative, or fresh.
Nevertheless, there are many important areas in criminology that we will not
touch. For this reason, the content of the second half of the course will be
determined by student demand.
TENTATIVE OUTLINE
1. 1/19
WELCOME
Introduction
Goals
Orientation
2. 1/26 BIG PICTURE ISSUES
Kornhauser, Chapter 2 (*Chapter 1
recommended).
Wilson,
James Q. 1975. Thinking about Crime. Chapter
3: “Criminologists.”
Sampson, Robert J. 2000. “Whither
the Sociological Study of Crime?” Annual
Review of Sociology 26:711-14.
Sherman, Lawrence L., Denise C.
Gottfredson, Doris L. MacKenzie, John Eck, Peter Reuter, and Shawn D. Bushway.
1998. Preventing Crime: What Works, What
Doesn’t, What’s Promising.” National
3. 2/2
RATIONAL CHOICE
Clarke, Ronald V. and Derek B. Cornish.
1985. “Modeling Offenders’ Decisions: A Framework for Research and Policy.” Pp.
147-85 in Crime and Justice: An Annual
Review of Research, Volume 6, edited by Norval Morris and Michael Tonry.
McCarthy,
Bill. 2002. “New Economics of Sociological Criminology.” Annual Review of Sociology 28:417-42.
Piliavin, Irving, Rosemary Gartner,
Craig Thornton, and Ross L. Matsueda. 1986. “Crime, Deterrence, and Rational Choice.”
American Sociological Review
51:101-19.
Sherman, Lawrence W. and Douglas A.
Smith. 1992. “Crime, Punishment, and Stake in Conformity: Legal and Informal
Control of Domestic Violence.” American
Sociological Review 57:680-90.
*Nagin
Daniel S, and Greg Pogarsky. 2001. “Integrating
Celerity, Impulsivity, And Extra-Legal Sanction Threats Into A Model Of General
Deterrence: Theory And Evidence.” Criminology 39:865-91.
*Becker,
4. 2/9 SOCIAL (DIS)ORGANIZATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT
Shaw, Clifford, and Henry H.
McKay. 1931. Juvenile Delinquency in
Urban Areas. Chapters 6-8.
Kornhauser chapter 3 (esp. 51-82)
Sampson, Robert J., Stephen W.
Raudenbush, and Felton Earls. 1997. “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A
Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy.” Science
277:918-24.
Pattillo Mary E. 1998.
“Sweet Mothers and
Gangbangers: Managing Crime in a Black Middle-Class Neighborhood.” Social
Forces 76: 747-74.
Clear Todd R., Rose Dina
R, Waring Elin, and Kristen Scully. 2003. “Coercive Mobility
And Crime: A Preliminary Examination Of Concentrated Incarceration And Social
Disorganization.” Justice Quarterly 20:33-64.
*Sampson, Robert J.
and Steve Raudenbush. 1999. “Systematic Social
Observation of Public Spaces: A New Look at Disorder in Urban Neighborhoods.”
American Journal of Sociology
105: 603-651.
5. 2/16 DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION & SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Sutherland, Edwin H. 1973.
“Development of the Theory.” Pp. 13-29 and “Critique of the Theory” Pp. 30-41
in Edwin H. Sutherland on Analyzing Crime,
edited by Karl Schuessler.
Kornhauser chapter 5 (esp.
181-204).
Sutherland, Edwin H. and Donald R.
Cressey. “A Sociological Theory of Criminal Behavior.” Pp. 77-83 in Criminology 10th Edition.
Warr, Mark. 2002. Companions in
Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct.
Ludwig, Jens, Greg J. Duncan, and
Paul Hirschfield. 2001. “Urban Poverty And Juvenile
Crime: Evidence from a Randomized Housing-Mobility Experiment.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 116:
655-79.
6. 2/23 ANOMIE THEORY AND “STRAIN” VARIANTS
Merton, Robert K. 1938. “Social
Structure and Anomie.” American
Sociological Review 3:672-82.
Kornhauser, Chapter 4, esp. pages
139-150.
Messner, Steven F. and Richard
Rosenfeld. 1997. “Political Restraint of the Market and Levels of Criminal
Homicide: A Cross-National Application of Institutional-Anomie Theory” Social Forces 75: 1393-1416.
Agnew, Robert,
Timoty Brezina,
John Paul Wright,
and Francis T. Cullen.
2002. “Strain, Personality Traits, and Delinquency: Extending General Strain
Theory” Criminology 40:43-72.
*Blau, Peter, and
Judith Blau. 1982. “The Cost of Inequality: Metropolitan Structure and Violent
Crime.” American Sociological Review 47:114-29.
7. 3/2 SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY AND LIFE-COURSE
VARIANTS
Hirschi, Travis. 1969. Causes of Delinquency.
Sampson, Robert J. and John H. Laub.
1990. “Crime and
Deviance over the Life Course: The Salience of Adult Social Bonds.” American
Sociological Review 55:609-627.
Edin, Kathryn, Timothy J. Nelson, and
Rechelle Paranal. 2004. “Fatherhood and Incarceration as Potential Turning
Points in the Criminal Careers of Unskilled Men.” Pp. 46-75 in Imprisoning
America: The Social Effects of Mass Incarceration, edited by Mary Pattillo,
David Weiman, and Bruce Western.
*Costello, Barbara, and Paul Vowell.
“Testing Control Theory and Differential Association: A Reanalysis of the
*Heimer, Karen, and Ross L. Matsueda.
1994. “Role-Taking, Role Commitment, and Delinquency: A Theory of Differential
Social Control.” American Sociological Review 59:365-390
8. 3/9 SELF-CONTROL
Gottfredson,
Michael R., and Travis Hirschi. 1990. A General Theory of Crime.
Stanford:
Wright, Bradley R. et al. 1999. “Low
Self Control, Social Bonds, and Crime: Social Causation, Social Selection, or
Both?” Criminology 37:479-514.
Pratt, Travis
C. and Francis T. Cullen. “The Empirical Status of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s
General Theory of Crime: A Meta-Analysis.” Criminology 38:931-964.
*Uggen,
Christopher. 2000. “Work as a Turning Point in the Life Course of Criminals: A
Duration Model of Age, Employment, and Recidivism.” American Sociological
Review 65:529-46.
*Geis,
Gilbert. 2000. “On the Absence of Self-Control as the Basis for a General
Theory of Crime: A Critique.” Theoretical Criminology 4: 55-69.
*Grasmick,
Harold G., Charles R. Tittle, Robert J. Bursik, Jr., and Bruce J. Arneklev.
1993. “Testing the Core Empirical Implications of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s
General Theory of Crime.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency
30:5-29.
3/16 – no class – spring break
9. 3/23
LABELING AND SOCIETAL REACTION
Becker, Howard S. 1963. Outsiders.
Lemert, Edwin. 1967. Human Deviance,
Social Problems, and Social Control.
Bernburg
Jon Gunnar, and Marvin D. Krohn. 2003. “Labeling, Life
Chances, and Adult Crime: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Official
Intervention in Adolescence on Crime in Early Adulthood.” Criminology
41:1287-1318.
Matsueda, Ross L. 1992. “Reflected
Appraisals, Parental Labeling, and Delinquency: Specifying a Symbolic
Interactionist Theory.” American Journal
of Sociology 97: 1577-1611.
*Erikson, Kai T. 1962. “Notes on
the Sociology of Deviance.” Social Problems 9: 307-14.
*Hagan, John, and Alberto Palloni.
1990. “The Social Reproduction of a Criminal Class in Working-Class
10. 3/30 PHENOMENOLOGY, IDENTITY, AND DESISTANCE
Katz, Jack. 1988. Seductions of
Crime: Moral and Sensual Attractions in Doing Evil.
Maruna, Shadd. 2001. Making Good: How
Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives.
Giordano, Peggy C, Stephen A.
Cernkovich, and Jennifer L. Rudolph. 2002. “Gender, Crime, and Desistance:
Toward a Theory of Cognitive Transformation.” American Journal of Sociology
107:990-1064.
*Hagan, John, and Holly Foster. 2003. “S/He's a Rebel: Toward
a Sequential Stress Theory of Delinquency and Gendered Pathways to Disadvantage
in Emerging Adulthood.” Social Forces 82: 53-86.
11. 4/6 CRIMINAL CAREERS AND THE LIFE COURSE
Blumstein, Alfred. 1987.
“Characterizing Criminal Careers.” Science
237:985-91.
Moffitt,
Terrie E. 1993. “Adolescent-Limited and Life-Course-Persistent Antisocial
Behavior: A Developmental Taxonomy.” Psychological Review 100: 674-701.
Laub, John H., and Robert J. Sampson.
2003. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70.
12. 4/13 CRIMINAL CAREERS AND THE LIFE COURSE
Laub, John H., and Robert J. Sampson.
2003. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70.
*Piquero Alex
R., David P. Farrington, and Alfred Blumstein. 2003. “The Criminal Career
Paradigm.” Crime and Justice-A Review of Research 30:359-506
13. 4/20 RACE, CONFLICT, AND PUNISHMENT
Wacquant, Loic. 2002. “The New 'Peculiar Institution': On the Prison as Surrogate Ghetto.” Theoretical
Criminology 4:377-89.
Angela Behrens, Christopher
Uggen, and Jeff Manza.
2003. “Ballot Manipulation and the ‘Menace of Negro Domination’: Racial Threat and
Felon Disenfranchisement in the
Pettit, Becky and
Bruce Western. 2004. “Mass Imprisonment and the Life Course: Race and Class
Inequality in U.S.
Incarceration.” American Sociological
Review 69:151-69.
*Beckett, Katherine. Race and Drug Law
Enforcement in Seattle [unpublished manuscript]
*Quinney, Richard. 1977. Class,
State, and Crime.
*Colvin, Mark and John Pauly. 1983. “A
Critique of Criminology: Toward an Integrated Structural-Marxist Theory of
Delinquency Production.” American Journal of Sociology 89:513-52.
*Messerschmidt, James. 1993. Masculinities
and Crime: Critique and Reconceptualization of Theory.
14. 4/27 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT AS INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
Hagan,
John. 1994. “Destiny and Drift: Subcultural Preferences, Status Attainments,
and the Risks and Rewards of Youth.” American Sociological Review
56:567-82.
Uggen,
Christopher and Jeff Manza.
2002. "Democratic Contraction? The Political Consequences of Felon
Disenfranchisement in the
Western,
Bruce. 2002. “The Impact of Incarceration on Wage Mobility and Inequality.” American
Sociological Review 67:477-98.
Pager, Devah.
2003. “The Mark of a
Criminal Record.” American Journal of Sociology 108: 937-975.
*Mauer, Marc,
and Meda Chesney-Lind. 2003. Invisible
Punishment: The Collateral Consequences of Mass Imprisonment.
15. 5/4 CLASS
WRAP-UP AND DISCUSSION
Uggen's Teaching Goals and Philosophy
1.
Respect for Students.
The other points are really a
subset of this one. Education is a service industry, but you cannot simply purchase
a unit of education the way you would buy other commodities. Instead, you must
devote time and energy to learning. I respect those students who must make
work, family, or other commitments their top priority. Nevertheless, to benefit
from the class and to be rewarded with a high grade, you must find time to do
the work.
2. Procedural Justice or Fairness.
In my non-statistics classes, I
typically grade exams and papers anonymously (by identification numbers rather
than names) to avoid favoritism or other biases. Universal standards and strict
deadlines are the best way I know to provide equal opportunities for all
students.
3. High Standards for Excellence.
I reserve grades of A for
outstanding work that engages course materials with original thought and
creativity or a mastery of technical skills. You can receive a B by doing all
of the work well and a C by meeting all
course requirements.
4. Opportunities for Independent Work.
All must meet the basic
requirements. For those wishing to engage the material at the highest level, I
allow flexibility for more ambitious projects.
5. Responsiveness and Accountability.
You will have the opportunity to
evaluate me and to critique the course in time for me to make changes that will
benefit you. If you think I have
failed to live up to the principles or philosophies here listed, please let me
know about it.
6. Accessibility.
I will be available to you during
office hours and flexible in scheduling appointments outside these hours (including nights and weekends).
7. Openness to Diverse Perspectives.
Sharing your experiences and
understandings (publicly or privately) enriches the course for your fellow
students, especially when you disagree with me.
8. Enthusiasm for the Subjects I Teach and for Teaching as a Vocation.
I cannot expect you to really
engage the course materials if I am bored with them. Therefore, I will make
every effort to make the texts, lectures, and assignments current, relevant,
and intellectually engaging.
9. Skills, Knowledge, and Attitudes.
I teach: (1)
technical and life skills that will benefit you inside and outside of the
classroom; (2) abstract and concrete knowledge about the social world; and, (3)
attitudes promoting the free and good-humored exchange of ideas.
GRADES:
University academic achievement is graded under two systems: A-F (with pluses
and minuses) and S-N. Choice of grading system and course level
(1xxx/3xxx/5xxx) is indicated on registration forms; changes may not be made after
the FRIDAY of the second week of the semester. Some courses may be taken under
only one system; limitations are identified in the course listings. The
Department of Sociology requires A-F registration in required courses for the
major. University regulations prescribe the grades that will be reported on
your transcript.
A Represents achievement that is outstanding
relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements (4.00 grade points)
A-
3.67 grade points
B+ 3.33 grade points
B Achievement significantly above the level
necessary to meet course requirements (3.00 grade points)
B-
2.67 grade points
C+ 2.33 grade points
C Achievement that meets the basic course
requirements in every respect (2.00 grade points)
C-
1.67 grade points
D+ 1.33 grade points
D Achievement
worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements
(1.00 grade point)
F Performance that fails to meet the basic
course requirements (0 grade points)
S Represents
achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better.
N No credit. Its use is now restricted to
students not earning an S on the S-N grade base
I Incomplete, a temporary symbol assigned
when the instructor has a "reasonable expectation" that you can
successfully complete unfinished work in a course before the end of the next
semester. You and your instructor should arrive at a clear understanding, in
advance, about whether you will receive an I and what the make-up work
conditions will be. The instructor may set date conditions for make-up work. If
a course is not completed as prescribed or not made up as agreed within the
next semester of registration, the I will lapse to an F if registered on the
A-F grade base or an N if registered on the S-N grade base.
W Official withdrawal from a course after
the end of the second week of the semester. You must file a course cancellation
request before the end of the sixth week of the semester to ensure that the W,
rather than the F, will be formerly entered on your record.
FINAL
EXAMINATIONS (see CLA Bulletin): You are required to take final
examinations at the scheduled times (see the Class Schedule). Under certain
circumstances, however, you may request final examination schedule adjustment
in your college office. Instructors are obligated to schedule make-up
examinations within the final examination period for students who have three
final examinations within a 16-hour period. Instructors also are encouraged to
reschedule examinations for students with religious objections to taking an examination
on a given day. You must submit your request for an adjustment in your schedule
at least two weeks before the examination period begins. For assistance in
resolving conflicts, call the CLA Student Information Office at 625-2020. If
you miss a final, an F or N is recorded. You must obtain the instructor's
permission to make up the examination. Final examinations may be rescheduled by
the instructor only through the official procedure for that purpose (see the
Class Schedule). Final examinations may not be scheduled for the last day of
class or earlier or for Study Day. If an examination is rescheduled at the
instructor's request, and you have an examination conflict because of it, you
are entitled to be given the final examination at an alternative time within
the regularly scheduled examination period for that semester.
CLASS
ATTENDANCE (see CLA Bulletin): As a CLA student, you are
responsible for attending class and for ascertaining the particular attendance requirements
for each class or department. You should also learn each instructor's policies
concerning make-up of work for absences. Instructors and students may consult
the CLA Classroom, Grading, and Examination Procedures Handbook for more
information on these policies.
COURSE
PERFORMANCE AND GRADING (see CLA Bulletin): Instructors establish
ground rules for their courses in conformity with their department policies and
are expected to explain them at the first course meeting. This includes
announcement of office hours and location, the kind of help to be expected from
the instructor and teaching assistants, and tutorial services, if available.
The instructor also describes the general nature of the course, the work
expected, dates for examinations and paper submissions, and expectations for
classroom participation and attendance. Instructors determine the standards for
grading in their classes and will describe expectations, methods of evaluation,
and factors that enter into grade determination. The special conditions under
which an incomplete (I) might be awarded also should be established. The
college does not permit you to submit extra work to raise your grade unless all
students in the class are afforded the same opportunity.
CLASSROOM
BEHAVIOR (see CLA Bulletin): You are entitled to a good learning environment in
the classroom. Students whose behavior is disruptive either to the instructor
or to other students will be asked to leave.
SCHOLASTIC CONDUCT (see CLA Bulletin): The college
has broadly defined scholastic dishonesty as any act violating the rights of
another student in academic work or involving misrepresentation of your own
work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not necessarily limited to,
cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, misrepresenting as your
own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same work, or
substantially similar works, to meet the requirements of more than one course
without the approval and consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another
student of necessary course materials; or interfering with another student's
work. The Student Scholastic Conduct Committee, composed of students and
faculty members, investigates charges of academic dishonesty referred to it by
CLA faculty members. When charges are upheld, the student may be placed on
disciplinary probation, failed in a course, or suspended from the college. CLA
faculty members may act on cases involving CLA students in their classes; such
actions may not exceed modification of a course grade. Instructors must report
any action to the conduct committee, and the student will be informed of the
right to ask for a committee hearing. Specific information on report and appeal
procedures may be obtained by calling Student Academic Support Services
(625-3846). Disciplinary or conduct cases that are nonacademic in nature or
that involve two or more colleges are referred to the Campus Committee on
Student Behavior.
A REMINDER OF RELEVANT POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES
*
SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT POLICIES *
GRADE INFORMATION: Grades
are due in the Office the Registrar within 72 hours after the final
examination. No information regarding grades will be released by the department
office staff to anyone except designated personnel in Records and college offices.
Students may access their own grades through their computer account. They may
do this by following the directions in the semester class schedule.
INCOMPLETES: It is
the instructor's responsibility to specify conditions under which an Incomplete
(I) grade is assigned. Students should refer to the course syllabus and talk
with the instructor if they anticipate not completing the course work.
Coursework submitted after the final examination will generally be evaluated
down unless prior arrangements are made in writing by the
instructor. University policy states that a student must reregister to attend
the same course the following semester in order to make up incomplete work.
Incompletes are appropriate only if the student can make up the coursework independently
with the same professor.