Blacks in the Criminal Justice System
SOCY 2502, AFST 3331
Professor Alex S. Vitale
Spring 2016
Office: 3101 James
Mon, Wed. 2:15- 3:30 PM
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed.: 10:00-11:00 AM, & by Appt.
avitale@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Course web page: http://www.alex-vitale.infoObjectives
Books
All books can be purchased from on-line bookstores. Used copies are fine. They should also be on reserve in the library.
Requirements
Course Schedule
Mon 2/1 Coates. Introduction
Wed 2/3 Coates. Continued
Mon 2/8 Coates and Baldwin (Handout)
Wed 2/10 Loïc Wacquant, “Deadly Symbiosis: Rethinking Race and Imprisonment in
Twenty-first Century America.” Boston Review. April/May 2002. (Handout)
Wed 2/17 Oshinsky Ch. 1-2 “Emancipation” and “The Mississippi Plan.”
Mon 2/22 Oshinsky Ch. 3 “American Siberia.”
Wed 2/24 Oshinsky Ch. 5 “The Birth and Birthplace.”
Mon 2/29 Oshinsky Ch. 6 “Parchman Farm”
Wed 3/2 Oshinsky Ch. 7 “The Other Parchman: White Men, Black Women.”
Mon 3/7 Oshinsky Ch. 8 “Going Home.”
Wed 3/9 Oshinsky Ch. 9 “Executioners Song.”
Mon 3/14 Oshinsky Ch. 10 “A Farm with Slaves.”
Wed 3/16 Ida B. Wells, “A Red Record.” (1895) handout
Mon 3/21 Guest Speaker, Midterm Paper Due
Mon 3/28 Mauer and Jones p. 1-47
Wed 3/30 Mauer and Jones p. 48-108
Mon 4/4 Riche Ch. 4 “Black Women, Male Violence, and the Buildup of Prison Nation.
Wed 4/6 Rios Ch. 2 “The Flatlands of Oakland and the Youth Control Complex.”
Mon 4/11 Rios Ch. 3 “The Labeling Hype: Coming of Age in the Era of Mass
Incarceration.”
Wed 4/13 Rios Ch. 4 “”The Coupling of Criminal Justice and Community Institutions.”
Mon 4/18 Rios Ch. 5 “’Dummy Smart’: Misrecognition, Acting Out, and ‘Going
Dumb.’”
Wed 4/20 Rios Ch. 6 “Proving Manhood: Masculinity as a Rehabilitative Tool.”
Mon 5/2 Rios Ch. 7 “Guilt by Association: Acting White or Acting Lawful?”
Wed 5/4 Alexander Ch. 1 “The Rebirth of Caste.”
Mon 5/9 Alexander Ch. 3 “The Color of Justice.”
Wed 5/11 Alexander Ch. 4 ”The Cruel Hand.”
Mon 5/16 Alexander Ch. 5 “The New Jim Crow.”
Wed 5/18 Alexander Ch. 6 “The Fire this Time.”
Mon 5/23 Final Paper Due by 5PM
SOCY 2502, AFST 3331
Professor Alex S. Vitale
Spring 2016
Office: 3101 James
Mon, Wed. 2:15- 3:30 PM
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed.: 10:00-11:00 AM, & by Appt.
avitale@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Course web page: http://www.alex-vitale.infoObjectives
- To understand the importance of the legacy of slavery in the construction of the modern criminal justice system.
- To learn different theoretical approaches to understanding the intersection of race and justice.
- To explore the portrayal of blacks in the Criminal Justice system in the popular media.
- To learn the myths underlying mass incarceration and possible alternatives.
- To communicate ideas effectively in class and in writing.
- To explore the role of collective action in creating change in the criminal justice system.
Books
- Coates, Ta-Nehisi. 2015. Between Me and the World. Spiegel & Grau.
- Oshinsky, David. 1997. Worse than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow. Justice. Free Press.
- Mauer, Marc and Sabrina Jones. 2013. Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling. New Press.
- Rios, Victor. 2011. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. NYU Press.
- Alexander, Michelle. 2012. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press.
All books can be purchased from on-line bookstores. Used copies are fine. They should also be on reserve in the library.
Requirements
- Class Participation 20%: Students are expected to be in class on time and well prepared. This means reading the assignment and participating in classroom discussions. You should be prepared to be called upon to answer questions at any time.
- Midterm Paper 30%: There will be a midterm paper of 4-5 pages that uses materials from the first half of class to analyze a film or television series.
- Final Paper 50%: The final paper will be 9-10 page research paper. Students must investigate an example of a social movement or reform movement that tried to improve the treatment of Blacks in the criminal justice system and integrate concepts developed during the class into the paper.
- If you miss class, contact the instructor by email before the next class to receive any missed assignments, handouts, etc.
- Please do not disturb class with cell phones, side conversations, or excessive eating in class
- Plagiarism (writing someone else’s words as your own), sharing your exam or paper with another student, or copying another student’s paper or exam will result in an F in the course.
- If you feel you are not doing as well as you would like in the course you should come and see me in my office or after class. Grades can not be adjusted after an assignment is completed or once the semester is over.
Course Schedule
Mon 2/1 Coates. Introduction
Wed 2/3 Coates. Continued
Mon 2/8 Coates and Baldwin (Handout)
Wed 2/10 Loïc Wacquant, “Deadly Symbiosis: Rethinking Race and Imprisonment in
Twenty-first Century America.” Boston Review. April/May 2002. (Handout)
Wed 2/17 Oshinsky Ch. 1-2 “Emancipation” and “The Mississippi Plan.”
Mon 2/22 Oshinsky Ch. 3 “American Siberia.”
Wed 2/24 Oshinsky Ch. 5 “The Birth and Birthplace.”
Mon 2/29 Oshinsky Ch. 6 “Parchman Farm”
Wed 3/2 Oshinsky Ch. 7 “The Other Parchman: White Men, Black Women.”
Mon 3/7 Oshinsky Ch. 8 “Going Home.”
Wed 3/9 Oshinsky Ch. 9 “Executioners Song.”
Mon 3/14 Oshinsky Ch. 10 “A Farm with Slaves.”
Wed 3/16 Ida B. Wells, “A Red Record.” (1895) handout
Mon 3/21 Guest Speaker, Midterm Paper Due
Mon 3/28 Mauer and Jones p. 1-47
Wed 3/30 Mauer and Jones p. 48-108
Mon 4/4 Riche Ch. 4 “Black Women, Male Violence, and the Buildup of Prison Nation.
Wed 4/6 Rios Ch. 2 “The Flatlands of Oakland and the Youth Control Complex.”
Mon 4/11 Rios Ch. 3 “The Labeling Hype: Coming of Age in the Era of Mass
Incarceration.”
Wed 4/13 Rios Ch. 4 “”The Coupling of Criminal Justice and Community Institutions.”
Mon 4/18 Rios Ch. 5 “’Dummy Smart’: Misrecognition, Acting Out, and ‘Going
Dumb.’”
Wed 4/20 Rios Ch. 6 “Proving Manhood: Masculinity as a Rehabilitative Tool.”
Mon 5/2 Rios Ch. 7 “Guilt by Association: Acting White or Acting Lawful?”
Wed 5/4 Alexander Ch. 1 “The Rebirth of Caste.”
Mon 5/9 Alexander Ch. 3 “The Color of Justice.”
Wed 5/11 Alexander Ch. 4 ”The Cruel Hand.”
Mon 5/16 Alexander Ch. 5 “The New Jim Crow.”
Wed 5/18 Alexander Ch. 6 “The Fire this Time.”
Mon 5/23 Final Paper Due by 5PM
