California State University Bakersfield
Race, Ethnicity, and the Criminal Justice System
CRJU 330
Fall 2001
Professor: Dr. Doris Hall Class Location: Science 180
Office: DDH-B114 Class Time: MWF 12:30-1:55 p.m.
Phone: 664-3121 Office Hours: MWF 11-12:15 p.m. &
E-mail: dhall@csub.edu MW 2:00-3:00 or by appointment
Required Text:
Hawkins, D.F. (Ed.). (1995). Ethnicity, race and crime: Perspectives across time and place. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Walker, S., Spohn C., & DeLone, M. (2000). The color of justice: Race, ethnicity and crime in America. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Required Readings:
In addition to the required text there are several articles on reserve at the Walter W. Stiern Library. These readings cover a variety of issues regarding gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation found in the literature on criminology. Students will be expected to have completed these articles on the date that they are to be discussed. The following articles are required reading:
Delgado, R. (2001). Words that wound. In D. V. Baker & R.P. Davin (Eds.), Sources: Notable selections in crime, criminology, and criminal justice (pp. 41-47). Guilford, Connecticut: McGraw-Hill/Duskin.
Kozol, J. (1991). Looking backward: 1964-1991. In Savage inequalities: Children in America’s schools (pp. 1-39). New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.
Ogawa, B.K. (1999). Racism and hate violence. In Color of justice: Culturally sensitive treatment of minority crime victims (pp. 82-123). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Roberts, D.E. (2001). Unshackling black motherhood. In D. V. Baker & R.P. Davin (Eds.), Sources: Notable selections in crime, criminology, and criminal justice (pp. 93-110). Guilford, Connecticut: McGraw-Hill/Duskin.
Course Description:
This course examines the criminal justice system’s treatment of members of racial and ethnic groups in contemporary and historical contexts. Primary consideration will be on cultural and societal assumptions about gender, race, class, and ethnicity. Problems of racism, discrimination, and differential treatment experienced by members of racial and ethnic groups as accused persons, convicted offenders, victims of crime, and professionals working within the criminal justice system are addressed. The course considers social, institutional, political, and economic factors that have influenced racial discrimination and bias in the criminal justice system. The course also considers measures that have been or need to be taken within the system to address the problems of past and ongoing racism.
Course Objectives:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the critical role played by gender, class, race, and ethnicity in the definitions, theories, and strategies of dealing with members of racial and ethnic groups as accused persons, convicted offenders, and victims of crime.
2. Demonstrate an ability to critically analyze the court system, including but not limited to jury selection and the various inequalities that can take place in the courts based on the offender’s race, ethnicity, class, or gender.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the roots, social and cultural assumptions and their effect on members of racial and ethnic groups within the criminal justice system.
4. Demonstrate an ability to critically analyze the traditional systems of domination and subordination, including the criminal justice system, and the impact it has on racial and ethnic groups as accused persons, convicted offenders, and victims of crime.
5. Demonstrate an ability to describe the image of racial and ethnic groups within the criminal justice system and how that image has changed throughout recent years.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the use and abuse of statistics in the study of racial and ethnic groups within the criminal justice system.
7. Examine and challenge your own prejudicial attitudes.
8. Classify terminology unique to the criminal justice system.
Teaching Methodology:
A. Lectures
B. Guest speakers
C. Films
D. Class participation
E. Group exercises
Course Requirements and Grading:
Midterm 20%
Final exam 25%
Rosewood paper 5%
Biographical sketch 10%
“Blue Eyes” paper 5%
Class participation & writing assignments & pop quizzes 15%
Community Service Learning or
Research Paper 20%
100%
There will be one midterm and one final exam required for this course. Exams will consist of multiple choice, true-false, fill in, short answer and essay questions. Exams will cover assigned readings (whether or not the professor covers it in class), lectures, film, and presentations by guest-speakers. Midterm is worth 20% of your final grade and the final exam is worth 25%, for a total of 45%.
Biographical sketch: Each student is required to write about an incident from his or her own lives that illustrate racial or ethnic prejudice. The student is then to examine this incident in light of the theories and materials covered in class. More details regarding this paper will be discussed later in the quarter. This paper is to be typed, double-spaced with standard margins on one inch and page numbers on the bottom of the page. The paper should be concise and well organized. Not only is content important, but grammar, clarity, spelling and composition will also be considered in your paper’s grade. Please make sure to proofread your paper thoroughly before turning it in. Papers are due on November 14 at the beginning of class.
Note: Please make sure to keep separate copies of all your papers that have been turned in for a grade.
Rosewood and “Blue Eyed” papers: Each student is required to write a two to three page paper on Rosewood and Essential Blue Eye. These assignments will be discussed in detail in class.
Research Paper
There is also a research paper required for this class. However, students have the option to forego the research paper (worth 20% of your final grade) and participate in Community Service Learning. More information regarding this option is provided below. While there is no stated required length it is recommended that the paper is long enough to sufficiently discuss the topic at length. . (Helpful hints: It is nearly impossible to write a good research paper in under five pages. Please attempt to keep research papers fewer than ten pages). This paper is to be typed, double-spaced with standard margins of one inch and page numbers on the bottom of the page. Papers must have a title page and a complete bibliography.
Papers are to focus on an issue concerning racial or ethnicity of offenders, victims or employees within the criminal justice system. In addition, this paper should be concise and well organized. Each paper must state a thesis statement within the first two paragraphs. Reminder: be sure to cite your sources within the body of the paper, using the APA style.
Research
topics must be approved by the professor on or before October 1. It is highly recommended that you meet with
the professor during office hours prior to that date to briefly discuss your
research topic. Papers are due
November 21 at the beginning of class. This paper is worth 20% of your final grade.
Research Technique:
This
is a research paper; therefore five
of these must be from academic sources. If a student has less than the
required number of academic sources they will penalized five points per missing
source. Corrections Today is not considered to be an academic source. Extensive use of this magazine and others
like it must be pre-approved by the professor.
Students must also cite their sources within the body of the paper. Failure to do so will result in points taken
off. Further, no more than two of your five academic sources can be from the
Internet.
The most efficient way to conduct research for this paper is to use the NCJRS CD-ROM (available at the reference desk) or through the two criminal justice paper indexes located in the library. The two paper indexes are titled Criminal Justice Abstracts and Criminal Justice Periodical Index. Use these two indexes and the CD-ROM to locate the bibliographic information for articles you may want to use. These are arranged by subject. For example, if you look up "rape" in the Criminal Justice Periodical Index there will be dozens of articles listed that are written on that topic. This research technique will guide you to countless articles, however, our library will not have all of them. Therefore, you must begin your research early, since you might have to use the inter-library loan to obtain the articles you need. (Note: Inter-library loan can take up to two weeks, sometimes longer if you wait until the end of the quarter -- plan ahead.)
Another idea is to peruse the journals in Stiern Library. While the library’s holdings are somewhat limited there are many journals that may be useful in your research. Examples include Criminal Justice & Behavior, Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, Sex Roles and Violence and Victims.
Format:
For
your citations and reference page please use the American Psychological
Association (APA). If you are
unfamiliar with this format, please visit the Academic Advancement Center (SA
130) for advice, also English tutors are available in CB 101, its free and on a
drop in basis.
Policy on Plagiarism
We at CSUB do not accept or tolerate instances of academic fraud or plagiarism among students or faculty. Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense. Using published or unpublished material without citing the source is plagiarism. You may use someone else’s material if you enclose it in quotation marks and reference precisely its source. Such material, however, should be used sparingly. Simply paraphrasing someone else’s material by minimal re-arrangement of the wording is also plagiarism. It is an equally serious offense if you write a paper for someone else, or copy someone else’s work, or allow someone to copy your work. In all cases, this is cheating. Plagiarism and cheating result automatically in a grade of F for this course. College regulations also require that a letter is entered into a student’s file regarding the infraction, and any second offense will lead to permanent dismissal from the university.
Community Service Learning
Students in CRJU 330 have the option to participate in community service learning in lieu of completing the research paper. This option is worth 20% of your final grade. Once the student decides to participate in community service learning (CSL) they must keep that commitment to the program and will not be able to switch mid-stream to the research paper. Each student who chooses the CSL option must sign an agreement that will be provided by the Professor. Participation in CSL includes volunteering their time at organization that aids women and children. A list of organizations to choose from will be provided for all students interested in participating in this option. Please note that students are not limited to organizations listed, however, if you choose to volunteer at an organization that is not listed you must have the professor's permission to do so.
In addition to volunteering, the student must keep a journal that will detail their experiences and will address certain issues to be presented to the student by the professor during the quarter. The student should have an entry in the journal for every day that they volunteered. The last entry in the journal should summarize their experience with CSL. CSL journals are due the last class, November 26.
Students are encouraged to discuss this option with the professor prior to making the commitment. All students who would like to perform Community Service Learning must inform the professor, in writing, on October 1. Students are required to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours, which must be completed by November 25. All students must turn in a time sheet signed by their supervisor at the organization where they volunteered in order to get credit for Community Service Learning.
Late Papers
If your paper is not turned in on or before the due date, it will be marked down. Additionally, when you turn in a late paper you must turn it in to the Criminal Justice Department Secretary (DDH D107) or hand it to the professor personally (before class begins), so that the date and time can be noted on the paper. Please note: I will not accept any papers that are left under my office door.
Missing Exams and Make-ups
There are no make-ups for in-class writing assignments and pop-quizzes in this course. However, should a student be forced to miss an exam they must contact the professor within 24 hours of the scheduled exam. If the absence is for another reason other than extreme illness or family emergency it is up to the professor's discretion to allow a make-up exam. All students are required to complete the final exam for a passing grade in this course.
Academic Honesty
CSUB is a community of scholars where the pursuit of truth and honesty are fundamental. The professor expects the students to uphold these pursuits. Any and all students found to be cheating (which includes dishonesty on exams and plagiarism on research papers) will face severe penalties. Cheating results in an automatic grade of F for this course. College regulations also require that a letter is entered into a student’s file regarding the infraction, and any second offense will lead to permanent dismissal from the university.
Classroom Conduct
The classroom is essential for the achievement of academic freedom, the pursuit of truth, and the development of students. Because of its importance, students as they enter the classroom must exhibit respect for the views of others, the professionalism of the instructor, and the goals of academic freedom. Faculty is obligated to recognize and respect student diversity and opinion. Yet they have a fundamental responsibility to uphold the integrity of the learning environment. When confronted by unreasonable disruption of the classroom, faculty is expected to initiate actions to correct such conditions. Such actions can result in disciplinary action including removal from the classroom.
Disruptive behavior would include, but is not limited to talking during lectures, videos and/or guest speakers or cell phones and pagers going off in class. Students will be given two warnings and no more. If, after two warnings, the behavior continues the professor will initiate the process to remove the student from the class.
Evacuation Collection Points and Staging
Areas
In order to insure safety of students during times of critical incidents or disasters and to evacuate campus facilities in the safest and most expeditious manner possible all students should be aware of the designated collection point for the Science Building. All students should gather on the lawn between the Student Union and Science II in case of emergency.
Precautionary Disclaimer
The schedule for this course is subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If changes must be made, you will be notified. Notice given during class is considered proper notice.
COURSE SCHEDULE
DATE TOPIC READINGS
09/17/01 Introduction
09/19/01 Race, ethnicity and crime: The present crisis Walker, Ch. 1
09/21/01 Victims and offenders: Myths and realities Walker, Ch. 2
09/24/01 Race, ethnicity and social structure Walker, Ch. 3 &
09/26/01 Historical perspective Hawkins, Ch. 1
09/28/01 Historical perspective (continued) Kozol article
10/01/01 Rosewood Hawkins, Ch. 3 CSL agreement or research paper topics due
10/03/01 Rosewood Hawkins, Ch. 4
10/05/01 Racial hoaxes Hawkins, Ch. 5
10/08/01 Hate crimes Ogawa article
101/10/01 Hate crimes (continued) Hawkins, Ch. 6
Rosewood papers due
10/12/01 Review
10/15/01 Midterm
10/17/01 Teach CSU (This is strictly on a volunteer basis. Students not wishing to
attend will be given an alternative assigment.)
10/19/01 Essential Blue Eyes Delgado article
1022/01 Justice of the streets Walker, Ch. 4
10/24/01 Justice on the streets (continued) Hawkins, Ch. 10
10/26/01 Racism and females Roberts article
10/29/01 The Courts: Quest for justice Walker, Ch. 5
Blue
Eye paper due
Final Exam: Friday, November 30th at 8:00-10:30 a.m.