Course Syllabus
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Dr. Robert Agnew
Fall 2004
Sociology/Emory
Email: bagnew@emory.edu
Office: Tarbutton 211
Office Hours: MWF 10:30-12 or by appointment (727-7502)
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Sociology 220
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Course Description
The course is divided into four sections, with each section being organized
around one or more major questions about delinquency.
I. The Nature and Extent of Delinquency. The first
section will deal with some basic "facts" about delinquency. We
will answer four questions: 1) What is delinquency and, in particular,
how does it differ from adult crime? 2) How much delinquency is there?
3) Is delinquency Increasing?, and 4) What types of people tend to commit
delinquent acts?
II. Theories of Delinquency. After answering the
above questions, we will focus on what is probably the most frequently
asked question about delinquency: "What causes juveniles to break the law?"
We will examine the four major sociological theories or explanations of
delinquency: strain, social learning, control, and labeling theories.
III. Research on the Causes of Delinquency.
We will then examine research inspired by or at least compatible with the
above theories. This research examines the extent to which delinquency
is caused by individual traits (e.g., low intelligence, negative emotionality),
family factors (e.g., "broken homes," poor discipline), school factors,
delinquent peer groups and gangs, and other factors.
IV. The Control and Prevention of Delinquency.
In the final section of the course, we will ask "How can we control or
prevent delinquency?" We will spend the first part of this section
examining what the juvenile justice system (police, juvenile court, juvenile
correctional agencies) does to control delinquency. Three questions
will guide our analysis: 1) How do these agencies operate -- what do they
do to control delinquency? 2) To what extent do these agencies violate the
rights of individuals and groups in their efforts to control delinquency?
and 3) How effective are these agencies and what can they do to be more effective?
We will then examine four general strategies to control delinquency: the
"get tough" strategies of deterrence and incapacitation and the "liberal"
strategies of rehabilitation and prevention.
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Course Website
The course web site contains a copy of the syllabus, links to a range
of sites related to juvenile delinquency and careers in criminology/criminal
justice, and copies of old exams. To get onto the course web site,
first go to http://classes.emory.edu.
You then need to log in. Your username is the same as your university
net id/username (ex., bagnew). Your password is your 7-digit Emory
Personal ID (ex., 0078902). You can change your password after logging
in. Once you have logged in, click on "courses." The web site
for this course is SOC220_Agnew.
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Course Goals
There are four major course goals.
1. Introduce you to the major research on juvenile delinquency, as
outlined above. This goal will be achieved primarily through the
readings and class lectures and discussions.
2. Introduce you to the methods that criminologists use to study delinquency.
How do criminologists determine how much delinquency there is, whether
some factor like "broken homes" causes delinquency, or whether some policy
like imposing a curfew reduces delinquency? We will examine some
of the methods that criminologists use to answer questions about delinquency.
In particular, we will examine how criminologists estimate the extent of
delinquency and trends in delinquency, how they determine whether various
factors cause delinquency, and how they determine whether certain policies
or programs reduce delinquency. A basic knowledge of these methods
will prove invaluable to you, since they will help you evaluate the accuracy
of many of the claims you hear about delinquency and other topics (claims
from friends and family, politicians, the media, etc.).
3. Get you to apply course materials. It is not enough to simply
memorize certain facts and theories about delinquency. Such facts
and theories are useless unless you can apply them to your own lives and
the larger community. In particular, the materials in this course
can help you better understand your own behavior and that of the people
around you; better raise your children if you decide to have children; better
evaluate the claims you hear about delinquency from others; and better work
toward the control of delinquency in your community. We will achieve
this goal through a number of class exercises and demonstrations, and it
will be emphasized on the exams.
4. Increase your commitment to work toward the reduction of delinquency.
Almost everyone in the field of juvenile justice feels that we can do
much more to control delinquency. This course will help you better
formulate your own views on controlling delinquency and will encourage
you to act on your views. This goal will be achieved through reading
and discussing the literature on delinquency, through presentations by
individuals from the juvenile justice field, and through optional field
trips.
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Grading
There will be four exams, one for each section of the course.
Exams will consist of short answer/essay questions. Old exams are
on the course web site (click on assignments). I strongly recommend
that you review them to guide you in your studying and prepare for the exams.
Each exam is graded from 0 to 100 (93+=A, 90-92=A-, 88-89=B+, 83-87=B,
etc.) and counts for 25% of your grade. Your final grade is
the average of your four exam grades.
Class attendance can raise your final grade. Class attendance
is very important. Much of the class material will appear on the exams.
Further, poor attendance will reduce the value of class discussions and
interfere with certain class exercises. I WILL PASS AROUND AN ATTENDANCE
SHEET AT THE START OF EVERY CLASS (if you ARRIVE LATE , you will be counted
as absent). IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE SHEET.
I consider it an honor code violation to sign in for someone else, since
attendance may affect your final grade. Attendance will be graded as
follows:
Miss THREE OR FEWER CLASSES: 2 points ADDED to course average
Miss FOUR OR FIVE CLASSES: 1 point ADDED to course average
Miss SIX OR MORE CLASSES: no points added to course average
Extra-credit: Individuals who want to raise their Exam 1, 2, or 3 grades
can complete the following extra-credit assignment: write a five-page
paper, typed, double-spaced, on a topic of my choice. The paper
is due no later than three weeks after the exam in question. I will
grade the paper on a scale from 0 to 100, and the paper grade will be averaged
with the exam grade to determine your new grade for that exam (e.g., if
you got a 70 on the exam and an 80 on the extra-credit paper, your new
exam grade will be 75). I only recommend this option for people with
low exam scores--it is not likely to be of much benefit for those who score
80 or above on an exam.
Make-Up Exam Policy. My permission is needed to take the make-up
for Exams #1 -- #3 (NOTE: having another exam on the same day as our exam
will not get you my permission). Individuals taking the make-up
for Exams #1 – #3 should come to the first class after the regularly scheduled
exam. We will try to work out a mutually convenient date for the
make-up at this class (if we cannot, the date for the make-up will be determined
by a vote of those present). The make-up will consist of several
essay questions. If you are unable to take the make-up on the date
we decide, your make-up will consist of a seven-age paper on a topic of
my choice. Exam #4 will be given on the final exam date, December
14, and make-ups for this exam will only be given to individuals who have
obtained permission from the Dean.
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Textbooks
Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control, SECOND EDITION (2005),
by Robert Agnew. Available at the Emory Bookstore and at Roxbury.net.
Code of the Street, by Elijah Anderson. Available at Emory
Bookstore.
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How to Do Well in This Course
1. Come to class on a regular basis. I will describe the essential
things you should get from the readings, elaborate on the readings, and
present new materials. I will also "pull things together," describing
how the different topics we're studying are connected. At least half
of all exam materials will come from class. If you miss more than
a few classes you will experience serious difficulties, even if you borrow
someone's notes. In particular, you will have trouble following the
course organization and doing well on exams.
2. Come to class on time. If you come late, you may have trouble
following the lecture. Also, other students and I find it distracting.
3. Do the readings on time and take notes on each reading. In
particular, read each chapter, highlighting key points. Then go back
and write an outline of the chapter in your own words. This will dramatically
increase your recall and comprehension of the chapter.
It is not necessary to take detailed notes on the "Code of the Street"
book. Focus on the major points being made, especially as they relate
to the impact of the social environment on delinquent/criminal behavior.
Related to this, try to apply course materials the book -- like the theories
of delinquency and the research on the causes of delinquency.
4. If something is unclear, ask me during or after class, during my
office hours, or email me at bagnew@emory.edu.
Also feel free to consult with the TA. I encourage you to ask questions
or make comments at any time.
5. Review the old exams on the course web site. Study with others
for each exam -- asking each other questions and evaluating each other's
answers.
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Class Schedule
I. Nature and Extent of Delinquency
Aug. 27 Introduction and Survey
Aug. 30-Sept. 1 What is Delinquency?
Agnew, Chapter 1
Sept. 3 How
Explain the Invention of Delinquency?
Sept. 6 NO
CLASS--Labor Day
Sept. 8
How is Delinquency Measured?
Agnew, Chapter 2
Sept. 10 How Much Delinquency
is There?
Is Delinquency Increasing?
Agnew, Chapter 3
Sept. 13-22 Who is Most Likely
to Engage in Delinquency?
Agnew, Chapter 4
Anderson, Intro & Chapter 1
Sept. 24 EXAM #1
II. Theories of Delinquency
Sept. 27-29 How Do We Know If
Something Causes
Something Else?
Agnew, Chapter 5
Read Anderson, Chapters 2-6 by Exam #2
Oct. 1-4 Strain Theory
Agnew, Chapter 6
Oct. 6 Social
Learning Theory
Agnew, Chapter 7
Oct. 8 Control
Theory
Agnew, Chapter 8
Oct. 11 NO
CLASS--Fall Break
Oct. 13 Labeling
Theory
Agnew, Chapter 9
Oct. 15 Situational
Theories
Agnew, Chapter 11
Oct. 18-20 Applying the
Theories
Oct. 22 EXAM
#2
III. Research on the Causes of Delinquency
Oct. 25 Individual
Traits
Agnew, Chapter 13
Oct. 27-29 The Family
Agnew, Chapter 14
Nov. 1 The
School
Agnew, Chapter 15
Nov. 3 Delinquent
Peer Groups and Gangs
Agnew, Chapter 16
Nov. 5-8 Religion, Work, Mass
Media, Drugs, Guns
Agnew, Chapter 17
Nov. 10 The Larger Social Environment
Agnew, Chapter 12
Nov. 12 Pulling It All Together
Agnew, Chapter 18
Nov. 15 EXAM #3
IV. The Control and Prevention of Delinquency
Nov. 17-19 How Do We Determine
if Some Policy is
Effective in Controlling/Preventing Delinquency?
Agnew, Chapter 19
Read Anderson, Chapters 7-8 by Exam #4
Nov. 22 The Police
Agnew, Chapter 20
Nov. 24 Juvenile Court and Corrections
Agnew, Chapter 21
Nov. 26 NO CLASS--Thanksgiving
Break
Nov. 29 Does the Juvenile Justice
System Discriminate?
Agnew, Chapter 22
Dec. 1 Deterrence
and Incapacitation
Agnew, Chapter 23
Dec. 3 Prevention
and Rehabilitation
Agnew, Chapter 24
Dec. 6
So What Should We Do to Control Delinquency?
Agnew, Chapter
25
December 14 EXAM #4, 9:35-10:25
in our classroom
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"ACTIVE LEARNING EXERCISES" -- An
option I sometimes use in my juvenile delinquency courses, depending on
the number of students.
The remaining 20% of your grade is determined by your completion of
several Active Learning Exercises. These exercises are listed below,
with additional details to be provided in class. Each exercise is worth
a certain number of points, indicated in parentheses. You can pick
and choose among the exercises (although no more than 50 active learning
points can be earned for the same type of activity -- like field trips,
film reviews, reviews of outside speakers, exam questions, or reviews of
my text). At the end of the semester, I will sum the point values
for the exercises you successfully completed to determine your grade.
Your grade may range from 0 to 100 (same grading scale as above).
The completion of each exercise will be graded on a pass/fail basis (if
you pass, you get the full point value; if you fail, you do not get any
points). You may redo failed exercises for a passing grade. ALL
EXERCISES MUST BE TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED. Pay special attention to due
dates. Two points will be deducted for each weekday that an assignment
is past due and NO ACTIVE LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER APRIL
30.
Active Learning Exercises:
1. Participate at least five times in a discussion
on crime/delinquency on our course web site -- click on "communication,"
then click on "discussion board" (20 points). Participate at least
ten times in our web discussion (30 points). Each instance of participation
must involve a "meaningful" comment -- that is your comment must reflect
a thoughtful consideration of the topic under discussion and draw on course
materials where relevant. Your participation might assume anyone
of several different forms: a brief description of and comment on a news
item related to delinquency, an incident on campus, a personal experience,
a field trip, etc.; thoughts on how to better control delinquency in general
or a particular type of delinquency; reactions positive and/or negative
to the readings and class lectures/discussions; etc. The TA and I
will sometimes post questions or case studies for discussion. You
should feel free to do the same (they will count as participation).
Note: We will only count web comments occurring before the last day of class,
and no more than three web comments occurring after April 16 will be counted.
2. Participate in a field trip and write a 2-3 page
report (typed, double-spaced) describing the trip and your reactions to
it (e.g., was it what you expected, do you think the program/agency you
visited is doing a good job, what changes would you make in it). To
the extent possible, relate the trip to course materials. The report
should be turned in no later than Monday, April 30. (30-50 points, depending
on the field trip)
3. Write a 3 page report on at least three Internet/World
Wide Web sites related to juvenile delinquency (20 points).
Indicate a) who runs the site, b) the type of information on the site,
c) where the information comes from, d) how the site is related to course
materials, and e) your impressions of the site. If you are unsure
where to start, I would suggest beginning with the site run by Cecil Greek
for the Florida State University Criminal Justice Program -- it contains
links to numerous other sites (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/cj.html
-- a link is available on our course web site, click on "external links,"
then click on "guides to delinquency links"). This report is due
no later than Monday, April 30.
4. Participate in an APPROVED volunteer activity
related to crime/delinquency. Write a 2-3 page report (typed, double-spaced)
describing the activity, the dates and times you worked, and your reaction
to the work. To the extent possible, relate the activity to course
materials. Several possible activities will be described in class.
My approval is required if you would like to do volunteer work in an organization
not described in class. ANYONE WANTING ACTIVE LEARNING POINTS FOR
VOLUNTEER WORK SHOULD GIVE ME A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF WHERE YOU WILL BE
WORKING, THE WORK YOU'LL BE DOING, AND THE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU'LL BE WORKING
BY MARCH 2. The report itself is due no later than Monday, April 30.
(20 points if you work at least 3 hours during the semester, 30 points for
6+ hours, 40 points for 12+ hours, 50 points for 24+ hours)
5. Take a juvenile justice professional to lunch.
(25 points.) Invite a police officer who works with juveniles, a
juvenile probation officer, an attorney who represents or prosecutes juvenile
offenders, a counselor working with juvenile offenders, etc. to lunch (you
treat). I can supply you with the names of interested people (mostly
workers at the DeKalb County Juvenile Court), if you like. Talk with
the person about their job. Do some background reading to prepare
(e.g., read the course materials on juvenile court if you're taking a probation
officer to lunch). Also, try to schedule the lunch after we have talked
about your lunch guest's agency in class. Finally, prepare some questions
in advance (e.g., what do you do during a typical day, what impact do you
think you have on the juvenile offenders you work with, how has your job
changed over the past 10 or 20 years, how would you change your job, what
do you think are the causes of delinquency, what do you think we should do
to control delinquency, etc.?). Write a 2-3 page report summarizing
the interview and your reactions to what was said. To the extent possible,
relate your guest's comments to class materials. The report should
be turned in no later than Monday, April 30.
6. Turn in five multiple-choice questions for an
exam. (10 points per exam, you can turn in questions for each exam
if you like). The questions should be turned in at least five days
prior to the exam in question. I especially like questions that call
for the application of course materials, rather than those that simply test
on memorization. You will receive 3 additional "active-learning" points
for each of your questions that I use on an exam.
7. Critique a chapter in my textbook. (25
points) Write a 2-3 page report that discusses a) what you like and dislike
about the chapter and/or b) provides suggestions for improvement.
You may do things like point to sections that are unclear or boring or
too difficult, discuss topics that you think receive too little or too
much coverage, suggest examples that will better illustrate materials in
the chapter, etc.
This is more than an academic exercise; I may actually use your comments
to improve the book (and the authors of especially useful comments will
receive recognition in the acknowledgments section of the book. Due
by Monday, April 30.
8. Attend an outside lecture or presentation related
to delinquency (I must approve the lecture/presentation in advance).
Write a 2-3 page report that briefly describes the lecture/presentation and
relates it to course materials. (20 points). Due by Monday,
April 30.
9. Review a fictional on nonfictional film related
to delinquency. (20 points) Write a 3 page report, the first page
of which should briefly describe the film and the remaining two pages should
relate the film to course materials. In particular, describe how
the film illustrates course materials--like material on the characteristics
of delinquents, theories of delinquency, research on the causes of delinquency,
juvenile justice system (police, courts, corrections), or strategies for
controlling delinquency (deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, prevention).
Note areas where the film seems to contradict course materials. Due
by Monday, April 30.
10. Some activity of your own design. See
me for approval and determination of point value (the activity might involve
a brief class presentation, a report on some article or book, a film review,
work in a campus organization, etc.)
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