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6/11/11 4:43 AM

Syllabus

CRJU/SOCI/WOMS 417: Sex Crimes and Punishments Summer 2011 Chrysanthi Leon Revised 6/6/2011
Email : Office: santhi@udel.edu 312 Smith Hall

The course readings will be available to download from the course website. If you choose to read them electronically rather than print them out, you will need to bring your computer with you to class so you can refer to the readings.

Course Description:
This seminar focuses on the controversial topic of sex crime and punishment in order to develop students abilities to think critically about the connections between three areas: how we as a society respond to crime through our law enforcement and correctional systems (e.g. what we do); what we believe about crime and punishment (e.g. what our values tell us we should do, and, reciprocally, what our punishment choices tells us about our values); and what empirical research tells us (e.g. what science tells us we should do). This seminar uses several sources of data about including contemporary sociological and criminological research, firstperson narratives, and media representations. Exploration of the material is intended to help students not only increase their knowledge of the subject area, but improve their skills in critical analysis. Each source of data will be queried with regard to its potential contributions to scholarship and to policy making. To help us determine the value of such contributions, we will focus on identifying biases and methodological strengths and weaknesses. Students will be able to use skills and insights from this course in future academic or professional endeavors, and also for evaluating contemporary public policies (something every citizen should be able to do). Specific learning goals include critical thinking and legislative/policy analysis, as well as the set of skills involved in the facilitation of seminar discussion as described below. Grading will be based on critical reading, class participation, three short papers and an open-book, final exam. Do not let these intimidate you! There will be extensive discussion in class of how to prepare these successfully and we will hold regular writing workshops. Critical reading means that students will be especially well-prepared: in addition to completing the readings, students will also prepare (and bring to class) notes with at least one question for clarification and one quote to discuss for each assigned reading, These questions and quotes will sometimes form the basis of class discussion. Students will be prepared to be called on in class and to speak briefly about their questions or quotes, and to address the main ideas of the assigned reading (eg what was the authors argument? How does this relate to the last class discussion? Were you convinced by their analysis?). Specifically, the grade will be composed of: Evidence of Critical Reading/Class Discussion Short essays Final Exam 20% 60% 20%

Extra Credit: An ec research assignment will be discussed during the first week of classI recommend that everyone begin this research project, since this is your ONLY option for up to five extra credit points towards the course grade (in class I may occasionally offer small things that can count towards participation). Attendance Participation accounts for a great deal of your course grade and if you are absent you cannot participate (there are no make-ups). Thus, a student who misses more than three classes is unlikely to receive full credit. Note that films will be shown frequently and guest speakers may join the classthis does not exempt students from their regular participation
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responsibilities, either as presenters or as participants in the class discussion Per the Universitys policy on scheduling conflicts, you must notify me in writing by the second week of class of any conflicts relating to athletics, professional interviews, or other events which will require your absence. Absences due to illness need not be substantiated with a doctors note or deans excuse unless you will be requesting an incomplete. You must simply accept from the outset that no matter how justified, any absences may impact your grade. Course Web Page, Discussion and Forum Postings I will rely on our Sakai webpage to communicate with you about both substance and procedure. I may use the forum for discussion postings for online office hours and to answer your questions about the substance of the course, though you should also feel free to address questions and comments to each other (e.g.: what was the prof getting at when she said X in class today? or how many people really believe). Should we have to cancel class for weather or other reasons, a one-page assignment (typically a reading response or short online research project) will be posted on the webpage for you to complete and bring to the next class. In class we will establish ground rules for courteous and considerate discussion--something which is especially important for emotionally-charged subjects like sex crime and punishment. In addition to the ground rules we establish, keep in mind the difference between offering an opinion grounded in relevant experience (which is often extremely useful) to sharing personal stories which may be uncomfortable or distracting. These rules shall apply to both in-class and virtual discussions. Assignments Any student who may need accommodations based upon the impact of a disability should contact me. You will be referred to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Office for students with physical or emotional disabilities and/or the Academic Enrichment Center (AEC) for students with learning disabilities or ADHD. If you require extra time or other accommodations for the assignments/exams, it is your responsibility to work with the ADA or AEC and to provide documentation to me in a timely fashion, ideally within the first two weeks of the semester. See http://www.udel.edu/ADA/downloads/SR-AEA.pdf I have high expectations of your ability to keep up with the readingsgenerally we will cover material in class from the readings listed for that day on the schedule (e.g. you should have read the assignment for Jun 7 before class that day). Some of you may not realize the importance of class discussions for doing well on the papers and exams. The topics I focus on and the questions I pose for discussion are key for knowing how to write the short essays. If you have not made notes on the class discussions, you'll have missed a crucial resource. As a result, I have created a topic on the discussion postings: class notes. I encourage you to show some solidarity with each other, and post any notes you have for past classes. If you would like to arrange to assign someone to be the note-taker for each class from here on, notify me and I'll give you time in class to arrange that. Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty

All students must be honest and forthright in their academic studies. To falsify the results of ones research, to steal the words or ideas of another, to cheat on an assignment, or to allow or assist another to commit these acts corrupts the educational process. Students are expected to do their own work and neither give nor receive unauthorized assistance. Any violation of this standard must be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs. (http://www.udel.edu/stuguide)
Getting in touch with me Although I will eventually respond to every email message you send me, this is not the fastest way to reach me: inperson communication is best. I will try to be available after class, so please feel free to come up and chat and to stop by my office hours. You dont need to have a particular question; I would be glad just to hear more about your interests.

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