Professor
Allison Pease
Literature 327
Office: 1239 North Hall
Hours: Tue. 2:30-3:30 pm
& by appointment
Phone: (212) 237-8565
e-mail:apease@jjay.cuny.edu
Criminal Justice Information Links:
Mega Links in Criminal Justice
Cecil Greek's Criminal Justice Links
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
This course explores the twinned themes of crime and punishment as seen through 19th and 20th-century novels and film. Through these texts you will learn how crime and punishment have been dealt with by various cultures, both institutionally and aesthetically. As we read these texts, questions that you should be thinking about are: What are the causes of crime? What motivates an individual to commit a crime? Who is responsible for criminal activity? Why is a criminal confession so important? What are the rationales for punishment? What is justice? How does punishment measure against the need for human dignity? What roles do culture, class, and gender play in crime and punishment? What biases does an author have about these questions, and how does he/she present his or her views? What are the motivations to make art out of these subjects?
This course seeks to help you:
- read literary texts
carefully and analytically
- question cultural
assumptions, your assumptions
- gain a solid understanding
of basic criminal justice ideas as they apply to the literature we read
- improve the analytical focus and efficiency of your writin
- communicate complex
ideas clearly
- enjoy reading
Please be sure to purchase these editions as our class discussions will be based on them.
Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (Vintage Books, 1993)
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment (Bantam Books, 1987)
Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit (Vintage International, 1989)
Ariel Dorfman, Death and the Maiden (Penguin Plays, 1994)
Malcolm Braly, On the Yard ( New York Review Book, 2002)
For your class presentation and papers, you will need to be familiar with basic criminal justice theories, and in some cases you will need to think about the philosophical or psychological implications of issues related to crime and punishment. It will therefore be useful for you to have a criminal justice textbook on hand. I have put a copy of Crime and Justice in America, ed. Territo, Halstead & Bromley (West Publishing Co, 1992; third edition) on reserve at the Lloyd Sealy Library. If you use it, be sure to use the following call number: HV9950 T47 1992. Another useful text on reserve at the library is Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application, call # HV6018.A38 2000. If you have taken a criminal justice or criminology course and have a different text that also contains the basic theories, you may use that instead. No one text is a complete resource and many of you will need to look in other texts for background information on your assigned topic. A dictionary of philosophy will be useful for looking up the philosophies of law and justice, for instance, and a corrections textbook may be useful when we read On the Yard. Keep in mind that American criminal justice theories and practices will differ from those in most of the texts we study. You will be expected to research these ideas in depth, and to use any serious source that seems appropriate to you. The course website contains links to several criminal justice sites that may also be useful.
A) Regular attendance and thoughtful, active participation in class discussions. Your grade in the course will drop by 1/3 (e.g., B- to C+) with four absences. After five absences you will fail the course. While I do not assign a grade for class participation, demonstration of your commitment to the goals of the course can and will affect your grade if you are in-between grades when it comes time to tally your final grade. If you have made a positive contribution to class discussion, and made an effort with the course assignments, you will receive the higher grade. If you have been disruptive or made no visible effort, you will receive the lower grade.
B) One ten minute presentation to the class relating a passage or passages from the week's assigned reading to criminal justice theory.
C) One five page paper on the text discussed in your presentation and its relation to the theories you presented. This paper is due one week after the last day the text is discussed in class. Your grade will drop by one full letter grade for each class period after the due date the paper is turned in. In fairness to all students, there are no exceptions to this rule.
D) One take-home, mid-term examination essay.
E) One final examination essay based on the reading after the mid-term.
F) Five brief essay or factual quizzes, given at random. Quizzes are always given in the first minutes of class and there are no make up opportunities, so come to class on time. If you know you will miss class on a given day you should call me in advance and if we’re having a quiz I will give you an opportunity to take the quiz on the phone.
30% of your grade will be based on your paper and presentation
25% of your grade will be based on the five quizzes
23% of your grade will be based on the mid-term examination
22% of your grade will be based on the final examination
DATE / READING / TOPIC
9/2 course introduction
9/4 In Cold Blood, pp. 3-49 / victims
9/9 In Cold Blood, pp. 50-110 / police investigation, masculinity and power
9/11 In Cold Blood, pp.110-165 / Why do people commit crime? Choice Theory vs. Psychological Theory
9/16 In Cold Blood, pp. 165-230 / poverty and crime (Social Structure Theory)
9/18 In Cold Blood, pp. 230-285 / arrest and confession, the trial process
9/23 In Cold Blood, pp. 285-343 / biological theories of crime, criminal responsibility, capital punishment, racial bias and the death penalty
9/25 Crime and Punishment, pp.1-50 / poverty and crime, alcohol and crime, legal prostitution
9/30 Crime and Punishment, pp. 50-134 / conscience and guilt
10/2 Crime and Punishment, pp. 134-196 / Marxist theory of crime, confession
10/7 no Tuesday classes
10/9 Crime and Punishment, pp.196-325 / detection and confession, conscience and guilt, the purpose/philosophy of law
10/14 Crime and Punishment, pp. 325-404 / social conflict theory, detection, confession, masculinity & power
10/16 Crime and Punishment, pp. 404-446 / masculinity & power, suffering and redemption
10/21 Crime and Punishment, pp. 446-505 / punishment, suffering and redemption
10/23 Dead Man Walking / see film in class
10/28 Dead Man Walking / see film in class
10/30 Mid-term essay due / No Exit, pp. 3-20 justice, relative vs. absolute
11/4 No Exit, pp. 20-46 / philosophy of punishment
11/6 Death and the Maiden, pp. 3-26 / truth and reconciliation commissions
11/11 Death and the Maiden, pp. 29-68 / formal justice and substantive justice
11/13 On the Yard, pp. 3-40 / prison-industrial complex, recidivism
11/18 On the Yard, pp. 40-100 / Bentham’s panopticon, purpose of punishment
11/20 On the Yard, pp. 100-150 / sex offenders in U.S. prisons, hierarchies among inmates, prisonization
11/25 On the Yard, pp. 150-225 / gangs in prison, mental health programs in prison
11/27 Thanksgiving
12/2 On the Yard, pp. 225-300 / relative vs. absolute justice, discipline in prison
12/4 On the Yard, pp. 300-348 / sex in prisons, substance abuse in prisons, institutionalization
12/9 The Experiment / see film in class
12/11 The Experiment / see film in class
FINAL EXAM
12/23 PERIOD 3, 10:15-12:15
12/18 PERIOD 7, 5:30-7:30
The in-class presentation is a ten-minute, directed discussion by you about a specific passage, or passages, in a text for which you have prepared a series of observations and questions related to the stated theme of the day as listed in the schedule of classes. For instance, if you have signed up to present on September 11, you will have read the assigned pages from In Cold Blood, researched the concepts of choice theory and psychological theory as reasons for committing crime, and you will have chosen a passage or passages from the book that seem to you to be reflecting on those theories, whether consciously or unconsciously on the part of the author. The presentation should help the class engage in a lively discussion about the texts and ideas we are studying. To make your presentation clear to the class, you should introduce yourself, your topic and then:
A) Begin with a brief explanation of the concept/topic of the day. While the theories and schools of thought may be extensive, your job will be to decide what part of the theory is relevant to the book we are reading and to outline it for the class.
B) You will then share the passage(s) from the text you think tells us something interesting about the book's relationship to the concept(s). Keep in mind that literature and films are rarely mouthpieces for one simple point of view, but instead aim to complicate ideas. How does your text complicate the theories you have researched? Does it have a clear bias toward one way of thinking? What motivation does the author/director have for presenting characters and situations as he does? This requires you to pay careful attention to the language of the text.
C) Explain what we learn about the chosen criminal justice concept(s) from this passage, and, more importantly, about the text we’re studying.
In addition to providing a platform for class discussion, your presentation provides a separate outlet from your formal paper in which to develop your close-reading skills and construct literary arguments. Think of your presentation as a time to test your ideas before handing in a more complete, polished paper. Your responses to the texts are valid, but you need to make sure 1) that your opinions are not just observations, but arguments based on ideas; and 2) that your response is backed up with persuasive textual evidence. Consider this like solving a problem: describe the passage, point to instances where the language is particularly revealing or interesting, and suggest theories for what it means. In your effort to engage the class in a discussion, you must prepare one or two questions that the text(s) raise for you. Broad-based questions about specific complexities in the text(s) are more likely to facilitate discussion than, say, questions with definite answers (please no questions along the lines of "do you think capital punishment is a good thing?").
Please keep in mind that all students in the class must listen to your presentation and that, like you, they are here to learn. It is your responsibility to ensure that your presentation has real content and real thought. Though I encourage a casual class atmosphere, and hope that spontaneous discussion will result from your presentation, your presentation should not itself be casual.
Papers are extended versions of your presentations, approximately five pages of double-spaced, 12 pt. type in length. Before writing your paper, you must discuss your paper topic with me, either during my office hours, over the phone, or by e-mail. Discussing your paper with me is an important step -- my goal is to help you attain a higher grade on your paper by helping you develop a manageable, thesis-driven argument. My intention is to be a friendly, helpful resource in this process and to prevent plagiarism.
Any successful paper will include the following:
A) A thesis paragraph that defines the terms of your argument, or sets up the problems/questions you want to explore.
B) A carefully and thoroughly developed argument that is sustained throughout the essay. The central idea or idea-set presented in the essay is thoroughly explained, and the connections and relationships between ideas and textual analysis are made clear. Each paragraph of the essay explores one idea and in doing so moves the argument forward.
C) An argument that is supported by careful textual analysis. Quoted passages from texts are explained thoroughly and connected to the larger argument. In working closely with the text, attention is paid to the CENTRAL role language plays in making meaning. The relationship between textual examples and the argument is made clear. Observations and evidence are balanced with ideas.
D) An attempt on the part of the author to educate his or her reader about the ideas of the essay. No information is taken for granted.
E) Careful attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Papers are proofread not just for grammatical problems, but also for sentence style and clarity.
F) Primary and secondary sources are properly cited using APA style.
Using Quotations in your Papers
Why use quotations?
Quotations are the evidence you use to make your point. Without evidence, an argument is a windy, flimsy statement of one person’s opinion. With evidence, an argument is grounded in facts and given shape. Evidence is the critical link that helps you prove your points.
When do I use quotations?
Use quotations when you want to make a point about the text/individual you are writing about, and what that text or person says is helpful in showing your reader what you mean.
How do I use quotations?
A quotation must always form part of your own sentence. It cannot stand alone. You therefore must (a) introduce the quotation, telling the reader what it is he/she is about to read, (b) include only that part of the quote that is vital to your argument, and (c) follow the quoted material with a sentence or two explaining what is significant about the language you have chosen in terms of your main point, or argument.
For example, if I want to argue that Ghandi thought modern (Western) civilization was bad specifically because of its promotion of material greed, I might do the following:
Ghandi sees modern civilization as a threat to the Indian people because it promotes an endless cycle of selfish want. He says, “The railways, machineries and the corresponding increase of indulgent habits are the true badges of slavery of the Indian people” (p. 118). He sees such modern technologies as the railway and machines as enslaving because they require money
and labor to build, solely so that such things might exist. In Ghandi’s mind, such things are not only unnecessary, they are unhelpful to a people. Happiness, he asserts, is “largely a mental condition” (p. 123). As such, it is unnecessary to acquire material goods.
(Note that in the sentences with quoted material I use an introductory phrase like “He says,” or “he asserts” to introduce the quote. The quote is therefore part of my own sentence. Note also that after the quotation I place the citation outside of the quotation marks and place the period following the citation.)
What if there’s more than one text?
If you quote from more than one text, be sure to include the title and date published of each text so that it is clear to your reader which text is being cited.
For example: Though Darwin argued that “as more individuals are produced than can possibly survive, there must be a struggle for existence” (Darwin, 1975, p. 40), his ideas have been adapted to the marketplace, as Galbraith has noted, and in the United States, social Darwinism has been one reason conservatives warn against “anything which, in the name of welfare
or compassion, might interfere with the free play of market forces” (Galbraith, 1998, p.53).
References
Darwin, C. (1975). The Origin of the Species. New York: W. W. Norton.
Galbraith, J. K. (1998). The Affluent Society. New York: Houghton Mifflin.