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