Political SOCIOLOGY Theory

Outlaw Project

Due date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 by 11:59 pm to TCU Online

In reflecting on contemporary politics, political theorist Agamben (1998) writes that “homo sacer” or “sacred man” is he who “may be killed but not sacrificed” (p.82). Another term for “homo sacer” is an “outlaw,” or someone who is not afforded full political rights of a community and can be punished outside the law. Along with other political theorists, Agamben argues that a quintessential feature of contemporary politics is how states define whose lives are valuable and whose lives can be made exceptions to the law and may be extinguished.

In this project, you will closely investigate and research a type of “outlaw” to understand how a particular state defines and assigns value to human life. You will draw on existing course material as well as new sources that you locate to prepare your paper.

You are invited to study an “outlaw” in one of the following three contexts (or another context with approval):

· Forced disappearance: a type of state violence in which the state (or state-affiliated forces) abduct an individual on suspicion of illegal behavior and hold them in an undisclosed location in the absence of formal charges or conviction; sometimes “the disappeared” are subsequently murdered by the state but their deaths are never confirmed.

· See the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances website for information about how forced disappearance unfolds on an international level.

· Certain types of femicide (or “femicidio” in the Americas) may also be appropriate in this context.

· Extrajudicial punishment: a type of state violence in which an individual faces brutality and acts of violence in the absence of being formally charged and convicted of a particular crime.

· See coverage of global protests against police brutality for inspiration about cases beyond the U.S. or consider drones, as we studied with the Chamayou reading. The study of refugees and the violence they face might also be appropriate to study here.

· Immigrant detention: a type of state violence that that removes an individual from a public life and confines them with or without formal judgment about their legal status in a process called “administrative holding.”

· See Global Detention Project website for information about how detention unfolds on an international level .

GUIDELINES FOR THE PAPER

You will prepare a paper that is approximately 4-5 double-spaced pages, not including references. Your paper should include the following three specific sections I outline below. You must also provide in-text citations and a full reference list with complete bibliographic information in ASA (American Sociological Association) style (a “how-to” for in-text citations and reference lists will be posted on TCU Online and you can visit OWL Purdue here to see how ASA-style reference look).

The paper should be organized into the following sections. Be sure to write an introduction as well . Each section should draw on reliable and accurate sources (including academic research articles, books, newspapers, and/or governmental data).

1. Theoretical Approach

a. In this section, you will identify a theoretical approach from Section I of the course and discuss how this theoretical approach can help explain the “outlaw” issue you are studying. You should explain the theoretical approach (what are the key arguments in this theory?) and then you should make an argument for how this theoretical perspective is a useful way to approach your topic and how it can offer insights about the issue you are studying. You should also present clearly the case that you are examining (the country) and why you have chosen this case to study.

2. Sociological Approaches

a. In this section, you will synthesize existing peer-review studies related to “outlaw” issue that you are researching. You should describe findings from three peer-reviewed research studies (or excerpts from academic books) that shed light on important sociological aspects of the issue. Any study that considers the issue from a sociological perspective (i.e., emphasizes social forces, institutions, and/or addresses issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, religion, etc.) is acceptable. A “How-To Find Peer Review Articles” document will be made available on TCU Online.

3. Ongoing Social Movements & Debates

a. For this section, you must include a discussion of ongoing concerns, challenges, and questions as it relates to the “outlaw” issue you are studying. You should mention any social movements that have been particularly influential in the country you are studying. You are required to include the assessments of activists who are working on these issues; this can include platforms of organizations dedicated to the issue or statements of activists or politicians as they appear in local/national/international newspapers and news outlets.

Outlaw Project Progress Reports

Requirement	Due Date	Points
1. Identify Topic & Case Identify the “outlaw” topic you wish to explore and offer some indication of the case you wish to study (country or, if not yet decided, the particular region of the world)	Tuesday, October 25 by 11:59 pm	5
2. Identify Theoretical Approach Identify theoretical approach (from Section I of the course) from which you will draw to understand your topic. State the connection you see between your topic and the theoretical approach	Thursday, November 3 by 11:59 pm	5
3. Identify Research Articles/Books Identify a preliminary list of 3-5 articles and/or books that you plan to read and discuss in your paper.	Thursday, November 17 by 11:59 pm	5
TOTAL		15

Grading Rubric for Final Paper

Requirement	Points
1. Quality of Theoretical section Information presented is rigorous, substantive, and provides clear historical context for issue under study.	15
2. Quality of Sociological Approaches section Information presented is rigorous, substantive, and describes and summarizes findings from three research studies.	30
3. Quality of Social Movements section Information presented is rigorous, substantive, and addresses contemporary debates and social movements as it relates to the issue under study.	15
4. Quality of Writing and Sources Author writes in a clear, concise manner and the argument of the section follows logically from paragraph to paragraph. Author locates academic and reliable sources and presents the findings of these sources accurately.	10
5. References and In-Text Citations Author provides in-text citations and complete references from work consulted.	10
TOTAL (maximum points possible)	80

GUIDELINES FOR THE PRESENTATION (Date: December 6, 2022)

· You will be organized into groups of 4 to 5 other students who are working on a similar issue and you will be required to synthesize your respective findings into a fifteen minute presentation so that the class can learn about your issue from multiple perspectives. We will then allow 5 to 7 minutes for students in our class to ask questions.

· Everyone will receive one grade for the presentation based on the rubric below and you will complete a peer evaluation to assess the contributions of your group members to the presentation preparation and performance.

Grading Rubric for Presentation

Requirement	Points
1. Quality of Research Information presented is accurate, substantive, and fulfills the requirements of the assignment.	5
2. Quality of Organization Information presented is well-organized, clear, and issues discussed are clearly connected in a successive order.	5
3. Quality of Presentation Delivery Presenter(s) command(s) an understanding of the material and keep(s) the audience engaged. All group members participate in presentation. Presenter(s) respond comprehensively and thoughtfully to audience questions.	5
TOTAL (maximum points possible)	15