SOCY 5201: Seminar
Professor Alex Vitale
Fall 2014
M, W 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM,
Office hours: M,W 10-11, Tu, Thurs : 2-3 PM, by Appt.
avitale@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Office: 3101 James
Course web page: http://www.alex-vitale.info
Course Goal
· To complete a substantial independent sociological research project about police community relations in a specific neighborhood.
Objectives
· To utilize sociological literature to develop a research question.
· To answer a sociological research question using survey, historical, interview, and secondary data.
· To be able to communicate ideas effectively in writing.
· Participate in a group process of exploring ideas about crime causation, crime control, and the use of sociological theories and methods.
Methods of Assessment
· A completed research paper of 15 pages; worth 45% of the grade.
· Participation in class discussions regarding your project including the analysis of readings, development of research questions, utilization of research methods, and collection of data; worth 20% of the grade.
· Completion of periodic homework assignments regarding your project including literature reviews, reports on data collection, and research question development; worth 35% of your grade.
Course Text
· Herbert, Steve. 2006. Citizens, Cops, and Power: Recognizing the Limits of Community. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Ground Rules
· 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 work with another student, or copying another student’s work 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. http://home.earthlink.net/~alvgc/work
Course Outline
Wed 9/3 Course Introduction.
Mon 9/8 “Introduction” Herbert, Steve. Citizens, Cops, and Power: Recognizing the Limits of Community. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. 2006
Wed 9/10 Ch. 1 Herbert
Bring in two questions about police-community relations.
Mon 9/15 Ch. 2 Herbert
Wed 9/17 Ch. 3 Herbert
Mon 9/22 Ch. 4 Herbert
Mon 9/29 Ch. 5 Herbert
Wed 10/1 Ch. 6 Herbert
Bring in 5 survey questions.
Mon 10/6 Chesluk, Benjamin. “’Visible Signs of a City Out of Control: Community Policing in New York City.” Cultural Anthropology. 19:2 p250-275. 2004.
Wed 10/8 Skogen, Wesley. Ch. 9 “Police and the Public,” Police and Community in Chicago. New York: Oxford. 2006.
Wed 10/15 Broken Windows Theory
Develop Questionnaire in class.
Mon 10/20 Torres, Sasha. “Giuliani Time: Urban Policing and Brooklyn South.” In
Andrea McArdle and Tanya Ezrin eds. Zero Tolerance: Quality of Life and the New Police Brutality in New York City. New York: NYU Press. 2001.
Finalize questionnaire in class.
Wed 10/22 Vitale, Alex “The Transformation of Policing” City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York Politics. New York: NYU Press. 2008.
Mon 10/27 Review the CCRB Web site: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/home.html. and Stone, Christopher. “Tracing Police Accountability in Theory and Practice.” Theoretical Criminology. 11: 2. 2007.
Wed 10/29 Hsiao, Andrew. “Mothers of Invention: The Families of Police Brutality
Victims and the Movement They’ve Built. In Andrea McArdle and Tanya Ezrin eds. Zero Tolerance: Quality of Life and the New Police Brutality in New York City. New York: NYU Press. Film: Every Mother’s Son
Mon 11/3 Review PROP Web page: http://www.policereformorganizingproject.org/
Guest Speaker from the Police Reform Organizing Project
Wed 11/5 Questionnaire results due. Develop Follow up interview questions.
Mon 11/10 Develop follow up interview questions. Discuss Literature Review.
Wed 11/12 Initial Literature Review sources due.
Mon 11/17 Lit Review prep. Interview results prep.
Wed 11/19 Lit Review due. Prep results.
Mon 11/24 Interview Results Due.
Wed 11/26 Draft Results Section Due.
Mon 12/1 Draft Analysis Section Due. Conclusion prep.
Wed 12/3 Analysis Drafts returned and discussed. Conclusion prep.
Mon 12/8 Draft prep.
Wed 12/10 Drafts Due
Mon 12/15 Review of drafts
Mon 12/22 Papers Due by 5 PM in Soc Dept office or my office