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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - CCJ6669
Tracking Number - 2742

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Current Status: Approved by SCNS - 2014-11-01
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: For Criminology MA Changes. Approved 3/28/14. to Sys 4/23/14. To SCNS 5/1/14. #6662 appd as 6669 eff 11/1/14


Detail Information

  1. Date & Time Submitted: 2012-02-07
  2. Department: Criminology
  3. College: BC
  4. Budget Account Number: 122100000
  5. Contact Person: Michael Lieber
  6. Phone: 8139749704
  7. Email: mjleiber@usf.edu
  8. Prefix: CCJ
  9. Number: 6669
  10. Full Title: Seminar in Social Inequality and Crime
  11. Credit Hours: 3
  12. Section Type: D - Discussion (Primarily)
  13. Is the course title variable?: N
  14. Is a permit required for registration?: N
  15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
  16. Is this course repeatable?: Y
  17. If repeatable, how many times?: 3
  18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Seminar in Social Inequality a
  19. Course Online?: C - Face-to-face (0% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 100
  21. Grading Option: R - Regular
  22. Prerequisites: None
  23. Corequisites: None
  24. Course Description: In this course, students will examine one of the most persistent and divisive issues in criminal justice—racial, and to a lesser extent ethnic, disproportionality in the U.S. criminal justice system (CJS).

  25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed to compete with national trends
  26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? This course is being added in the context of a complete revision of the Department of Criminology graduate curriculum. The purposes of the revision are to ensure that the curriculum (a) is updated to reflect current themes/emphases in the discipline, (b) provides students with a more well-rounded graduate education, (c) reflects the identity of the USF Department of Criminology and thereby the strengths/expertise of the faculty, and (d) improves outcomes on doctorate comprehensive exams. Adding this course will help us achieve these objectives. Examining/understanding the variations in the nature and response to crimes based on identities, such as race, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status is a key area of study within our field and reflects a key emphasis of the graduate education provided by our department. This course will provide graduate students with a more in depth education on this important aspect of our field.
  27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? Yes, 1 time
  28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Earned doctorate/terminal degree in Criminology or a related discipline.
  29. Objectives: The objectives of this course are to examine:

    • the extent to which minorities are disproportionately involved in crime and the CJS;

    • the reasons minorities, particularly African-Americans, are disproportionately involved in crime and the CJS (i.e., explanations for disproportionality);

    • the historical evidence for racial bias in the CJS;

    • the extent to which contemporary CJS is biased against minorities, particularly African-Americans;

    • the reasons disproportionality in the CJS has increased in the past several decades; and

    • the social/political consequences of disproportionate minority involvement in the CJS.

  30. Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course, each student will be able to:

    • Describe the extent to which minorities are disproportionately involved in crime and the CJS.

    • Identify the historical evidence of racial bias in the CJS.

    • Explain reasons for the disproportionality of minorities in the CJS.

    • Illustrate ways in which the CJS is biased against minorities, particularly African-Americans.

    • Explain whether disproportionality in the CJS has increased in the past several decades.

    • Analyze and synthesize the social/political consequences of disproportionate minority involvement in the CJS.

  31. Major Topics: What is “race?”

    Race differences in offending and racial inequality

    Marco-level explanations of racial differences in offending

    Micro-level explanations of racial differences in offending

    Multi-level explanations of racial differences in offending

    History of racial bias in the CJS

    African-American over-representation in the criminal justice system and the evolution of racism

    Bias in law-making

    Bias in law enforcement

    Bias in case processing and sentencing

    Bias in capital punishment

    Consequences of mass minority incarceration

    Remedies

  32. Textbooks: 2) Anderson, Elijah. 1999. Code of the Street. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 9780393320787

    3) Cole, David. 1999. No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System. New York: The New Press. ISBN: 9781565845664

    4) Kennedy, Randall. 1997. Race, Crime, and the Law. New York: Pantheon. ISBN:

    9780375701849

    5) Massey, Douglas S. and Nancy A. Denton. 1993. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674018211

    6) Western, Bruce. 2006. Punishment and Inequality in America. New York: Rus

  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Oshinksy, David M. 1997. Worse than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice. New York: Free Press Paperbacks. ISBN: 9780684830957

    Tonry, Michael. 1995. Malign Neglect: Race, Crime, and Punishment in America. New York: Oxford. ISBN: 9780195104691

  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Assignments

    I will conduct this course as a seminar, which means that I expect you to actively participate in class discussion. To participate effectively you must understand the readings. Therefore, a primary assignment for this course is to complete the readings before each class.

    Grading

    Points will be distributed as follows:

    Participation 10 points

    Presentation 10 points

    Essays 30 points (15 each)

    Exams 50 points (25 each)

    Total 100 points

    Grading Scale

    A = 95-100

    A- = 90-94.9

    B+ = 87-89.9

    B = 84-86.9

    B- = 80-83.9

    C+ = 77-79.9

    C = 74-76.9

    C - = 70-73.9

    D = 60-69.9

    F = below 60.9

  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: Participation (10%)

    I expect students to actively participate in the discussion. To encourage participation, 10% of your grade will be determined by your degree of involvement in the class discussion. Specifically, after lectures with a discussion component, I will evaluate each student’s participation in the discussion; students who were engaged and contributed to the classroom discussion will receive 1 point. Students can accumulate up to 10 participation points. A rubric detailing how grading will be determined will be provided the first day of class.

    Presentation (10%)

    Students in this course will be assigned an article to present to the class. In the presentation, students are expected to describe the research question, hypotheses, methodology, and key findings. These presentations will be given throughout the course. The specifics of the presentations depend on the number of students in the class. I will provide more detail about this component of the course after the class roster has been firmly established. The presentation component of the course is worth 10 points. A student who is absent on the scheduled date of the presentation will receive a score of zero unless s/he has suitable documentation to justify the absence and a postponement.

    Essays (30%)

    Students are required to write two essays in this course. These essays require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key issues in the race and crime literature. These essays also require students to demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate in written form. In other words, essays will be graded based on both content and form. Each essay is worth 15 points. A rubric detailing how grading will be determined will be provided the first day of class.Any essays turned in after the due date will have 10% of the score deducted for each day it is late.

    Exams (50%)

    There are two in-class essay exams (mid-term and final exam) in this course. These exams will require that you demonstrate knowledge of the material, critical thinking, and the ability to effectively communicate your ideas. Each exam is worth 25 points.

    Week Date Topics

    1 08/23 What is “race?”

    2 08/30 Race differences in offending and racial inequality

    3 09/06 NO CLASS (Labor Day)

    4 09/13 Marco-level explanations of racial differences in offending Essay #1 Due

    5 09/20 Micro-level explanations of racial differences in offending

    6 09/27 Multi-level explanations of racial differences in offending

    7 10/04 Midterm Exam

    8 10/11 History of racial bias in the CJS

    9 10/18 African-American over-representation in the criminal justice system and the evolution of racism

    10 10/25 Bias in law-making Essay #2 Due

    11 11/01 Bias in law enforcement

    12 11/08 Bias in case processing and sentencing

    13 11/15 Bias in capital punishment

    14 11/22 Consequences of mass minority incarceration

    15 11/29 Remedies

    12/06 FINAL Exam

  36. Attendance Policy: Student interaction is a vital component of this course. You cannot interact with your classmates, if you do not attend class. Therefore, I expect students to attend every lecture. If you cannot attend a lecture, you should inform me. Absences negatively influence participation points.

    Course Attendance at First Class Meeting is required.

    Students are responsible for dropping undesired by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,

    http://generalcounsel.usf.edu/regulations/pdfs/regulation-usf4.0101.pdf

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    Students are expected to notify their instructors within two week of the start of each academic term if they intend to be absent for a class or announced examination.

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Canvas, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Canvas site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

  37. Policy on Make-up Work: Policy on Make-up Work

    Make-up work will be allowed due to medical reasons if you notify me prior to class and provide documentation.

    Incomplete (I) grades are strongly discouraged and will be given if, and only if, (1) the student has completed a majority of the course requirements and is otherwise earning a passing grade, and (2) the student shows significant proof of hardship that disallows him or her to complete the coursework.

    Academic Dishonesty Policy

    Any form of cheating on examinations or plagiarism on assigned papers constitutes unacceptable deceit and dishonesty. Disruption of the classroom or teaching environment is unacceptable. Selected examples from the USF policies and procedures regarding academic dishonesty or disruption of academic process are included in this syllabus. Students are responsible for adherence to all USF policies and procedures even if they are not specifically printed in this syllabus. The complete set of policies and procedures may be found at:

    • Procedures for Alleged Academic Integrity: http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/1213/pdf/AcademicIntegrityOfStudents.pdf

    • Procedures for Disruption of the Academic Process: http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/1213/pdf/DisruptionOfAcademicProcess.pdf

    • Student Academic Grievance Procedures -- http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/1213/pdf/StudentAcademicGrievanceProcedures.pdf

  38. Program This Course Supports: Criminology
  39. Course Concurrence Information:


- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.