Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Prof.: Dr. Julian Hermida
Course number: 2180
Teaching hours: Tuesdays 18.05-20.55
Term: Fall and Winter
Office: Room 2117 (
Tel.: 494-6284
Office hours: Fall:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from
Winter:
Tuesdays from
Email address: julian.hermida@dal.ca
The objectives of the course are
to introduce students to the social scientific study of criminal behavior. The
class will examine the notion of crime as a social phenomenon, the theories of
crime, the development of criminal law, the methods and strategies to control
criminal behavior and the main research findings in
criminology. Additionally, the class will delve into the study of the structure
and impact of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on contemporary
Canadian criminal justice.
The course also aims at helping students
develop critical thinking, research, and writing skills. This class provides a
general understanding of sociology of crime and criminal justice and a sound
basis for further study in the area of social order and human justice.
· Knowledge is a constantly evolving process, which can be constructed personally and collectively.
· From an individual perspective, knowledge is personal, socially and historically contextualized, and dependent on psychological variables.
· From the class perspective, knowledge is a collective construction, where all participants can make their contribution.
· In the process of constructing knowledge, there is a dialectic relationship between action and reflection, where one feeds the other and vice versa.
· Successful learning is based on a personal involvement of students in their own learning.
· The learning environment, including the teaching methods, the teacher’s attitude, and the class atmosphere, among other factors, is determinative of the students’ approach to learning, as well as, the learning outcomes.
· The role of the teacher is that of a facilitator and tutor rather than a lecturer.
· Student peers are a powerful source of learning.
· Evaluation is conceived mainly as formative.
This course is
conceived so that students can:
1. Understand crime as a social phenomenon.
1.1 Understand criminal behavior,
and crime control as social phenomena.
2. Appreciate and view crime from a sociological
perspective.
2.1. Understand the methods used
by criminologists.
3. Critically evaluate the major theories and
fundamental concepts in criminology 3.1. Analyze the basic theories of crime.
3.2 3.2 Be familiar with the major schools of criminology.
3.3 3.3 Be aware of the development of sociological criminology.
3.4 3.4 Understand the basic concepts, topics, issues, and terminology used by
criminologists.
4. Be aware of the influence of race, ethnicity,
gender, immigration status, and social class on the process of defining
criminality and the process of labeling criminals.
5. Critically analyze the structure of the
criminal justice system and the impact of the criminal justice system.
5.1. Understand the different models of
conceiving the justice system.
5.2. Value and appreciate the significance of
rights and guarantees in the Canadian criminal justice system.
5.3. Comprehend the differences between
individual rights and social control perspectives.
5.4. Critically assess the prevailing theory of
offense and crime participation in the Canadian criminal justice system.
6. Apply sociological theories of crime to a
myriad of contemporary criminology and criminal justice problems.
6.1. Use the knowledge on sociological theories
of crime and criminal justice to analyze contemporary problems of Canadian
society.
6.2. Apply the theories on crime and criminal
justice to propose solutions to some of the current crime problems of Canadian
society.
6.3. Critically reflect on media reports and
cultural products concerning crime and criminality.
Deploy a range of advanced transferable skills, such as, oral and
written communication skills, media literacy, the accurate exposition of
complex arguments and sets of research findings, the critical evaluation of
competing explanations or complex arguments relating to some criminology and
criminal justice sensitive topics.
Classroom activities will be designed to encourage students to play an active
role in the construction of their own knowledge and in the design of their own
learning strategies.
We will combine traditional lectures with other active teaching
methodologies, such as group discussions, cooperative group solving problems,
analysis of video segments depicting scenes relevant to criminology and
criminal justice topics, debates, and construction of web sites. Class
participation is a fundamental aspect of this course. Students will be
encouraged to actively take part in all group activities and to give short oral
group presentations throughout the course. Students will be expected to
interact with media resources, such as, web sites, videos, DVDs, and digital
photography, etc. In line with the postulates of Writing Across
the Curriculum, writing will be integrated in all class assignments.
Evaluation is conceived mainly as formative and feedback will be
provided all throughout the course. While strictly respecting University,
Faculty and Department standards and policies, reasonable efforts will be made
to include shared evaluation practices, i.e., a process where students have an
active role in their own evaluation.
The evaluation of the students’ achievement of the objectives of the
course will be based on four main components: an essay, class
participation/portfolio, and two exams. The first midterm exam accounts for 35%
of the final grade. The second midterm exam accounts for 25% of the final
grade. The essay accounts for 20%, and class participation/portfolio accounts
for 20%.
Successful attainment of objectives depends mainly on class attendance
and active class participation.
EXAMS
Students will discuss and propose good-faith questions for each of the
exams based on the topics dealt with in the course. If the questions have a
general consensus they will be part of a test bank. The exams will only contain
questions that have been included in the test bank.
Passing requirements and scale of
evaluation: The definitive
evaluation criteria for the exams will be given to the students once the test
bank has been completed. In general, however, a positive response must be given
to the following questions in order to obtain full grade for each question in
the exam. The criteria are formulated in the form of questions. The value of
each evaluation criterion will also be given once the test bank for each exam
is completed.
1. Did you answer the question comprehensively? Are all relevant problems discussed? Was the answer readable and well organized? Did you make connections between issues discussed in your answer? Did your answer show an understanding of the topic dealt with?
2. Did your answer discuss problems by reference to theoretical issues learned during the course? Did your answer show an understanding of the appropriate readings or class discussions? Did your answer show an understanding of the discussions and issues arisen in class? Did your answer make reference to class discussions, activities, and readings?
3. Is there a critical personal assessment of the topic discussed? Does the personal assessment show some originality?
CLASS PARTICIPATION-PORTFOLIO
Students are expected to actively participate in every class with a
positive attitude and to treat their classmates and instructor with respect.
Their participation must make a positive impact on the class activities.
Students are expected to be prepared for every class. Class attendance is a
prerequisite to obtain the corresponding percentage of the grade under the class
participation-portfolio category. Students are expected to create a portfolio
to record all class assignments. Each portfolio will include, at least, the
following materials: (i) a title page and a table of
contents; (ii) all class activities, including one minute papers, small group
activities and proposals for the test banks made in class, and (iii) a short
summary essay on two of the activities included in the portfolio. The idea is
to complete these two activities with knowledge acquired in the course after we
originally did those two activities.
Portfolios will be turned in for review and feedback at least once
during the year. A major prerequisite for the creation of a good portfolio is
active participation in every class assignment. The deadline to hand in the
portfolio is
Passing requirements and scale of
evaluation: a positive response must be given to the
following questions in to obtain the maximum grade within this evaluation
component. The criteria are formulated in the form of questions which the
teacher will ask with respect to each student. All these criteria have the same
value.
ESSAY
The topic of the critical research essay must be selected
from the list of topics listed on the course website. Other instructions for
the essay will be given in class and included on the course website. It is expected
that the length of the research paper will not exceed 10 double-spaced pages.
The deadline to hand in the essay is
Passing requirements and scale of evaluation: a positive response must be given to the
following questions in order to approve the research paper. The criteria are
formulated in the form of questions which the teacher will ask with respect to
each paper. All these criteria have the same value.
1. Does the research paper adequately deal with the selected topic? Does the research paper show an understanding of the topic dealt with?
2. Does the research paper show a clear, coherent, and comprehensive treatment of the selected topic?
3. Does the research paper integrate knowledge acquired throughout the course? Does it make specific reference to theories discussed in class?
4. Does the research paper make reference to class discussions and activities?
5. Does the research paper follow the style, language, citation method, and organization analyzed in class?
|
Percentage Grade Value |
Grade Point Value |
Definition |
|
|
|
A+ |
90_100 |
4.3 |
Excellent |
Considerable evidence of
original thinking; demonstrated outstanding capacity to analyze and
synthesize; outstanding grasp of subject matter; evidence of extensive
knowledge base. |
|
A |
85_89 |
4.0 |
||
|
A_ |
80_84 |
3.7 |
||
|
B+ |
77_79 |
3.3 |
Good |
Evidence of grasp of
subject matter, some evidence of critical capacity and analytical ability;
reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the
literature. |
|
B |
73_76 |
3.0 |
||
|
B_ |
70_72 |
2.7 |
||
|
C+ |
67_69 |
2.3 |
Satisfactory |
Evidence of some
understanding of the subject matter; ability to develop solutions to simple
problems; benefiting from his/her university experience. |
|
C |
61_66 |
2.0 |
||
|
C_ |
55_60 |
1.7 |
||
|
D |
50_54 |
1.0 |
|
Evidence of minimally
acceptable familiarity with subject matter, critical and analytical skills
(except in programs where a minimum grade of `C' is required). |
|
F |
|
0 |
Inadequate |
Insufficient evidence of
understanding of the subject matter; weakness in critical and analytical
skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature. |
|
INC |
|
0 |
Incomplete |
|
|
W |
|
Neutral and no credit
obtained |
Withdrew after deadline |
|
|
|
|
Neutral and no credit
obtained |
Compassionate reasons,
illness |
|
The curriculum is flexible and is open to suggestions from students. We can examine criminology and criminal justice issues of interest to most students, even if they are not listed here. The following is a sample of issues which we will most probably be discussing. Note that we may not examine every single topic listed here.
1. A brief history of criminology
2. Gender and crimes
3. Victims and victimization
4. Theories of victimization
5. Criminal Law and its Process
6. Theory of offense
7. Restorative justice
8. Choice Theory
9. Trait theories: biological and psychological trait theories
10. Social structure theories
11. The
12. Violent crimes
13. Violence against women
14. Strain theory
15. Merton and Durkheim
16. Theory of anomie
17. Cultural deviance theory
18. Terrorism
19. International crimes
20. Property crimes
21. Social Process theories
22. Social learning theory
23. Labeling theory
24. Primary and secondary deviance
25. Substance abuse and crime
26. Social conflict theory
27. Marxist criminology
28. Radical feminist theory
29. Marxist feminism
30. Peacemaking criminology
31. Culpable and non culpable homicides
32. Public order crimes
33. Corporate crime
34. Canadian criminal justice system
35. Sentencing
36. Crime participation
37. The police
38. Correctional institutions
39. Release and re-entry
40. The courts
This is a tentative calendar of readings and class activities. If class discussions or class activities take longer than originally estimated because everybody gets involved, they will not be cut short to follow this schedule of readings. They will simply be put off for the following class or rescheduled. Additionally, the teacher may substitute new topics for some of the ones included in this schedule, particularly if most students show an interest for some topics not planned to be covered. Changes to this schedule, including changes of midterm dates, will be announced in class and posted on the course website.
|
Date |
Topic |
|
Sep. 12 |
Introduction and
orientation |
|
September 19 |
Introduction to
Criminology and Criminal Justice Criminology views and theories |
|
September 26, October 10, 31. |
Theory
of offense |
|
October 3 |
Victims Sexual assault: Criminal Justice problems for victims |
|
October 17 |
Sexual assault: Common law rape vs. sexual
assault |
|
October 24 |
Restorative Justice |
|
November 7
|
Classical Criminology Methods of data collection |
|
November 14 |
The Strain theory. Social learning theory. Labeling theory. |
|
November 21 |
FIRST MID TERM |
|
January 9 |
Homicides |
|
January 16 and 23 |
Feminist criminology. Radical feminist theory. Marxist feminism. Stalking |
|
January 30 |
Sentencing |
|
February 6 |
Participation |
|
February 13 |
Parole and probation |
|
February 27 |
Kidnappings and abductions |
|
March
6 |
Sex offenders’ registration Peacemaking criminology. |
|
March
13 |
Marxist criminology. Property crimes Corporate crimes. |
|
March 20 |
The police. |
|
March 27 |
SECOND MIDTERM |
|
April 3 |
Feedback |
·
Canadian Criminal Justice Today: A Primer, by
Curt T. Griffiths and Alison Hatch Cunningham (
A web site for the course is available at http://www.julianhermida.com Students will be able to consult the course outline, test banks, class notes, and other useful information.
All important announcements, such as exam dates, presentation dates,
reading assignments, and deadlines are given in class and will not appear on
the web site.
ETHICS
None of the activities imply interviewing or interacting with human beings outside the classroom. However, if students want to interview or interact with people for any of these activities please contact the teacher well in advance to comply with ethics requirements.
In these large classes, it is sometimes difficult to get
to know each and every one of my students. So, I would like to meet personally
with as many of you as possible during the term. Please come see me during my
office hours. I am available not only for class help but also for other
academic-related issues, such as writing letters of reference or helping with
prospective graduate studies. I want to be available to answer questions for
all students. So, in addition to regular office hours and seeing me by
appointment, I will every so often end class early, and invite students who
have questions to meet with me right then and there. Also note that if access
to the second floor is barred after
Students with Disabilities
There are various university polices and procedures regarding university student disability issues. Student Accessibility Services handles the process of identifying students with disabilities, the types of accommodations appropriate for each student, and helps provide those accommodations. For example, if you have a student in your class who needs special equipment, space or time for an exam, SAS supervises the exam at their office in the Killam. Either the SAS office or the student will contact you and provide the information you need. For more information consult the SAS website at http://www.dal.ca/~services/ssd.html#learnproc.
Student Accessibility Services asks faculty to include the following statement in their course outlines:
"Students with disabilities should register as quickly as possible at Student Accessibility Services if they want to receive academic accommodations. To do so please phone 494_2836, e_mail <disabilities@da.ca>, or drop in at the Killam, G28."
Plagiarism
Plagiarism has become a serious problem at all universities. Essay assignments that allow for easy online purchase or online copying pose a particular problem. Faculty are encouraged to design their written essay assignments in a way that limits plagiarism possibilities. (See the very helpful website http://plagiarism.dal.ca for information, advice and policy on plagiarism.)