criminology term paper

Format

Papers @ 1,250-1,500 words, or approximately 5-6 pages (not including cover page and references cited page). Papers should follow APA format.

Topic
The following topic is based upon the textbook-reader, Sociological Explanations of

Crime and Deviance, and upon two electronic journal readings:
Social problems, moral panics, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Read pp. 283-302 and pp. 299-312 in the textbook-reader Sociological Explanations of Crime and Deviance. The in-text referencing and references cited section at the end of your paper should include references to the general introduction to the section on the sociology of deviance, labeling theory and critical constructionism (pp. 283-286), the specific introduction to the Erikson reading on “the sociology of deviance” (pp. 287-289), the actual Erikson reading on “Notes on the Sociology of Deviance” (pp. 302-312), the specific introduction to the Becker reading on “moral entrepreneurs” (pp. 299-302), and the actual Becker reading on “Moral Entrepreneurs” (pp. 302-312).

This assignment also requires you to read two journal articles:

Brezina, T. and Phipps, H. E. (2010). False news reports, folk devils, and the role of public officials: Notes on the social construction of law and order in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Deviant Behavior, 31(1), 97-134

Cohen, S. (2011). Whose side are we on? The undeclared politics of moral panics theory. Crime, Culture and Media, 7(23), 237-243

The in-text references and references cited section at the end of your paper should therefore include five individual references to five different reading selections from the textbook-reader, Sociological Explanations of Crime and Deviance, plus references to the Brezina and Phipps article on the social reaction (moral panic) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Stanley Cohen’s article on moral panic theory. You may also wish to make reference to/cite/incorporate materials from tutorial 8 and lecture 10, both on the topics of labelling theory, moral panics, and critical constructionism.

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Demonstrate your knowledge/understanding of moral entrepreneurship, moral panics and social problems. Satisfactory “demonstration of knowledge and understanding” includes demonstrated knowledge of and familiarity with the four original (required) readings by Kai Erikson, Howard Becker, Brezina and Phipps and Stanley Cohen. Please note that term papers relying exclusively or primarily upon the three brief introductions from the course reader and one tutorial and one lecture—and that do not incorporate substantial information from the three (required) original readings—will receive an automatic penalty of 25% of the value of the paper (i.e., a deduction of 5 out of 20 possible points).

You should be able to trace the development of theories regarding moral entrepreneurship, labelling, moral panics and social problems from Kai Erikson and Howard Becker to Stanley Cohen to Brezina and Phipps. Try to identify (describe) the main elements and/or similarities that tie these readings together. Does the social reaction toward the economically disadvantaged victims of Hurricane Katrina rise to the level of moral entrepreneurship and moral panic described by Becker and Cohen? Try to provide a solid, evidence-based rationale to back up your arguments in favour of (or opposed to) the application of the moral panics/social problems approach to the social reaction in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

What Makes a Good Term Paper?

1. Good spelling, good grammar, and good overall structure. Without these features, a paper is difficult to read and difficult to understand. Poor spelling and poor grammar detract from the persuasiveness of your argument, and diminish any sense of originality or purpose that your paper might have. Use the spell-checker on your computer, and proof-read your paper for errors. 


2. Originality, or some sense of purpose/direction. If you’re writing the paper because you have to, and you have no interest in it beyond fulfilling a grading component of the course, it comes across as dull and uninspired. 


3. Good organization and research, with good referencing. This includes proper referencing in the text of the paper, and a proper “references cited” section at the end of the paper. 


What Makes a Bad Term Paper?

1. Excessive use of direct quotations. This should not be used as a means to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the reference materials. Excessive use of direct quotations amounts to using the words of others as a substitute for thinking original thoughts and/or for doing your own writing. Limited use of direct quotations is acceptable when and where appropriate—e.g., to make a point, or to demonstrate what others are thinking or saying. 


2. Over-reliance on one or two sources, and in particular, internet sources—esp. papers that are almost direct knock-offs from something that has been posted on the internet. 


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3. Attempting to adapt a paper from another course.

Plagiarism

1. Term papers that are plagiarized (or term papers in which extensive parts are plagiarized) will result in an automatic grade of "F" for the paper, and may result in a final grade of "F" for the entire course. Serious incidents of plagiarism may result in suspension or expulsion from the university. 


2. Plagiarism is the use of direct, word-for-word quotations from books, articles, internet sources, and other forms of media such as newspapers, without putting them in quotation marks or referencing them properly. 


3. Plagiarism also consists of using someone else’s ideas as your own, or engaging in paraphrasing of someone else’s work without acknowledging the source. 


Term Paper Checklist

1. Is your paper double-spaced, with (at least) one-inch margins on all four sides? 


2. Are your pages numbered? Your numbering should start on the first page (page 1), not on the cover page. 


3. Are you pages single-sided? Do not submit papers with double sided pages. 


4. Is the font you are using clear and easy to read (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri), and is the lettering large enough to read easily (e.g., 12 pitch)? 


5. Does your paper have a cover page, with your name, your student number, the course name and number, the name of the course instructor, and a brief title (describing the topic you have chosen to write about)? 


6. Does your paper have a references cited page at the end? Are you following the correct APA format for citing references (see examples below)? 


Agnew, R. (2011). A revised strain theory of delinquency. In B. Cartwright (Ed.), Sociological Explanations of Crime and Deviance (pp. 35-50). Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Cartwright, B. (2011). Social disorganization theory. In B. Cartwright (Ed.), Sociological Explanations of Crime and Deviance (pp. 35-50). Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Cartwright, B. (2011). Anomie-Strain Theory Part I. Retrieved from online tutorial site: http://media,pearsoncmg.com

Cartwright, B. (2013). “Emile Durkheim/Robert Merton/Introduction to Anomie-Strain Theory.” Criminology 104 lecture, retrieved from Simon Fraser University on-line lecture site.

Sampson, R. and Groves, W. B. (2011). Community structure and crime: testing social- disorganization theory. In B. Cartwright (Ed.), Sociological Explanations of Crime and Deviance (pp. 107-132). Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Sims, B. A. (1997). Crime, punishment and the American Dream: Toward a Marxist integration. Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency, 34(1), 5-24.

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7. Does your in-text referencing follow the correct APA format? E.g., inside of brackets, with the name of the author or authors first, the date the article or book was published second, and the page number(s) last (see below)?

(Brezina and Phipps, 2010, p. 100); (Cheng, 2012, P. 256); (Merton, 2011, p. 21); (Messner & Rosenfeld, 2011, p. 67); (Cartwright, 2011, p. 2); (Cartwright, 2013).

8. Did you conduct a spell check on your paper? Did you properly correct any words that were misspelled?

9. If there are any words in your paper that you don't know the meaning of, are you sure that you are using them properly? Have you checked these words in a dictionary or a thesaurus?

10. Have you proof-read your paper to ensure that it makes sense and flows logically? Have you made sure that you don't have any sudden changes in font or letter size, and that you haven't left any blank spaces?

11. Does your paper have an introductory paragraph (in which you describe the topic and give some idea of how you are going to approach it) and a concluding paragraph (in which you summarize and tie your arguments together)?

12. Have you counted the number of paragraphs? A 5-6 page paper of this nature should normally have about 7-8 paragraphs, including an introductory paragraph, a concluding paragraph, and 4-5 paragraphs in the middle (where you develop your arguments or engage in your analysis).

13. Do you have any paragraphs that are more than one page in length? If so, have you examined them to see if they deal with more than one topic, and considered the possibility of breaking them down into two or more paragraphs?

14. Do you have any sentences that go on for several lines, or that contain words like "because", "therefore" or "in addition" more than once in the same sentence? If so, have you examined them to see if they are run-on sentences, and considered the possibility of breaking them down into two or more sentences?

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