L A K E H E A D   U N I V E R S I T Y
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology 2221 AA
Criminology
Summer 2009
Sociology web-page http://sociology.lakeheadu.ca

Instructor: Walid Chahal				         
Office: UC 0037						         Time: Monday-Thursday 1:30-4:00p.m. Tel: 343-8426 						         Place: AT 2020

Required Texts:

There are three required textbooks for this course.  They are:

O’Grady, William. 2007. Crime in Canadian context: Debates and Controversies. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Comack, Elizabeth, and Gillian Balfour. 2004. The Power to Criminalize: Violence, Inequality and the Law. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.

Schissel, Bernard. 2006. Still Blaming Children: Youth Crime, Moral Panics and the   
Politics of Hate. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.

Course Focus:

In this course, we will critically examine the social construction of criminal law and its application, and the social causes of crime and delinquency by relying on several analytical perspectives. The explanations that these perspectives provide take into consideration the gender, class and ethnic relations of power and resistance and their socio-economic, political and historical links.  

Learning Outcomes

Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

(1)	assess a multiplicity of perspectives on the social causes and nature of “crime”;
(2)	evaluate theoretical explanations of crime causation;
(3)	critically appraise the role of law, and other institutional arrangements in society;
(4)	grasp the nature and distribution of crime and deviance;
(5)	analyze specific types of crime in Canada, including conventional crime, corporate and political crime, and organized crime;
(6)	appraise the policies and programs that are aimed at combating crime and deviance in society. 

Course Topics:			 Required Readings from our Texts

1. Introduction 				        	         
  	     Definitions of Crime & 			       				          
	     Crime Perspectives		                    O’Grady, chapter 1

2. The Crime Picture in Canada	
     The Problems with the Crime Statistics--O’Grady, chapter 2					
	 
3. The Origins & Role of Law in Society
    Biological & Psychological Theories of Crime--O’Grady, chapter 3

         4. Sociological Explanations of Crime           O’Grady, chapter 4

5. Recent Sociological Explanations of Crime--O’Grady, chapter 5

6. Crime, Social Exclusion & Victimization    O’Grady, chapter 6

             7. Youth Crime, & the Evolution of Juvenile Justice	                     
     Crime, Justice & the Treatment of Children—Schissel, chapter 1   		  
     Understanding Child-Hating	                     Schissel, 2
     The Social Construction of Crime              Schissel, 3

8. Blaming Children: Media, Discourse & Representation—Schissel, 4
    Criminalizing Marginality—Race, Class & Gender: Creating Folk Devils—Schissel, 5
    The Reality of Youth Crime and Misconduct—Schissel, 6
    A Civil Rights Agenda for Young People—Schissel, 7
  
9. Crime & Race, Class, & Gender                Comack & Balfour, chapter 1

10. Theorizing Law & Race, Class, & Gender—Comack & Balfour, chapter 2
      Gendering Violent Crime                         Comack & Balfour, chapter 3
                                                                        Recommended: L. Comack, Women in Trouble        
       Racializing Violent Crime                       Comack & Balfour, chapter 4
       Case Study: the Donald Marshall Inquiry—Recommended: Joy Mannette, Elusive Justice  

11. Law & Sexual Assault                              Comack & Balfour, chapter 5
      Zero Tolerance & Domestic Violence      Comack & Balfour, chapter 6
      Engaging with the Law: The Struggle for Justice—Comack & Balfour, chapter 7

12. Corporate Crime, Police & Religious Wrongdoing--O’Grady, chapter 7			        
                                                                         Recommended: L. Snider. Bad Business                                                                
      The Extent & Scope of Corporate Crime   	        
      Defining and Conceptualizing Corporate Crime        
      Prevalence & Measurement of Corporate Crime		              
      Theoretical Perspectives—Explanation of Corporate Crime

13.  Political Crime                                     Recommended: N. Chomsky, Power & Terror
       International Violence & Terrorism—Recommended: Kenton Worcester et al, 
                                                                    Violence & Politics; T. Ali, Bush in Babylon     
                                                                     
       Terrorism & the Palestinian /Israeli Conflict--Recommended: E. Said, From Oslo to Iraq; 
                                                                    Chahal: http://edocs.lib.sfu.ca/ccrc/
                                  
14.  Global Violence, & the Corporate Media--Recommended: H. Friel & R. Falk, The Record of  		                                                                                        the Paper
       Crime, Terrorism & Islam 	                Recommended: K. H.  Karim, Islamic Peril (Intro., &              
                                                                                               chap. 4)	     
	15. Peace and Social Justice Perspectives on Crime—Recommended: R. Quinney, The Problem 
                                                                                of Crime  (chapter 6—Peace & Social Justice) 
       Restorative Justice & Social Inequality—Recommended: Schissel & Brooks, Marginality &
                                                                   Condemnation—Chapter 18; Chahal:
                                      http://www.multiculturaldays.ca/downloads/perspbookcomp.pdf
  
	16.  Thunder Bay Police, & Race & Equity  
                      “Diversity in Policing” Report               See Diversity Thunder Bay:       http://www.diversitythunderbay.ca/diversity-in-policing.html

Course Requirements:

There are four (4) requirements for this course.

1.  One Written Assignment. Due Date: August 6th .......................................20%
Every student is expected to select (3) articles on the topics of crime from specific social science journals or books, or select internet sites and sum up and critique these articles by making use of the discussions and analyses/explanations covered in class and in the reading. The student is expected to use at least one of the sociological perspectives for the analytical part of the paper. The assignment should be no more than 10 pages (double-spaced) in length and be submitted (along with the articles) no later than August 6th.

The assignment must be formatted according to the ASA (American Sociological Association) Style Guide for referencing and citations. For more information, see the following website:
http://www.queensu.ca/sociology/files/styleguiderevised%20NOV06.pdf

Make sure you keep a backup copy of the assignment.

2.  One Presentation...........................................................................................20%
 Students need to work together in groups and divide the work evenly among the
 members of their group for this assignment.  Every group will consist of two students,
 and every group is required to do the following: 

	(A)  In-Class Article-Presentation
Every group will be provided with (an) article(s) on the topic of crime from specific social science journals or books. The group is expected to present at least one article. The presenters should not only sum up the main argument(s)/viewpoint or idea(s) of the article, but also provide a critique of the article by making use of the concepts, theories and other material covered in class. It is important that the presenters understand their article well and effectively communicate its content to the rest of the students. The presenters should be prepared to lead the discussion and answer questions regarding their topic. They may use overheads or any other prop that will improve their presentation. 
(B) Short Film--In addition to the article, students may chose to include a short film, or parts of a film (up to 5 minutes) in order to facilitate understanding of a particular part of their topic. 
(C) Community Involvement/Observation (to be incorporated in the presentation) 
	Further details will be provided in class.

3.  Two in-class Tests (25% each): July 27th & August 17th ……………………50%
The tests consist of short-answer and essay questions and may include multiple-choice questions.  The tests cover all class work, lecture, student presentations, and reading material to date.

4.  Class Participation, Quizzes, and critical-reflection…...............................10% 
 Class attendance is expected: In order to do well in this course, you must attend 
 class on a regular basis. There will be substantial in-class discussions and much of the     
 material covered in lectures will not be found in the reading. In order to participate in   
 class discussions, it is important that you do the readings before coming to class. You   
 must come to class ready to contribute to discussion in a thoughtful way, to ask 
 questions, as well as reflect on the assigned readings. Students are strongly
 encouraged not to engage in private conversations during class lectures.  

Note: There will be a penalty if assignments are submitted late.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the University regulations. For more information, see University Regulations section “IX Academic Dishonesty,” Lakehead University Calendar 08/09:
http://calendar.lakeheadu.ca/current/contents/regulations/univregsIXacdishon.html

Further, the student will be given additional information concerning course topics, course requirements, evaluation procedures and any other relevant material on the first day of class.