Analytical Review (criminology theories)

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Syllabus.docx

Na CJ – 643-50-4228 THEORIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY FALL 2022

University of Louisville - Department of Criminal Justice

Dr. Viviana Andreescu

Office: 212B Brigman Hall; Email:[email protected]

Office hours: By appointment (to schedule an online meeting or a phone conversation, please contact me via email)

Course Description

This is a core graduate-level course in Criminal Justice. The course examines the major theories of crime and delinquency, the psychological and sociological factors related to criminal behavior, and the role of theory in preventing and controlling crime. The relationship between social institutions and antisocial behavior will be also discussed in this class.

Course Objectives & Educational Goals

· To help students gain an advanced understanding of the major crime and delinquency theories, critical aspects included

· To discuss the policy implications of different criminological theories

· To increase the students’ level of proficiency in written and verbal communication when applying major theories of crime and delinquency to real life situations

· To provide students with a set of skills that would enable them to examine, analyze, and explain different aspects of criminal behavior

· To increase the students’ ability to critically assess published materials focusing on crime and delinquency

· To encourage students to think comprehensively about the solution of social problems, crime and delinquency included

· To provide knowledge that students can use in other courses in the curriculum and in their professional practice

Required Readings:

Books:

Miller, J.M., Schreck, C., Tewksbury, R. & Barnes, J.C. (2015). Criminological Theory: A Brief Introduction. Fourth Edition.

Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

Journal articles and book chapters*:

Andreescu, V. (2019a). Gender differences and patterns of arrest across two generations of Cuban immigrants in United States. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 17(2), pp. 133-168. DOI: 10.1080/15377938.2019.1593910.

Andreescu, V. (2019b). Family, school, and peer influences on alcohol abstinence and use among American Indian and white female adolescents. Deviant Behavior, 40(1), 56-73. DOI:10.1080/01639625.2017.1411032

Andreescu, V. & Vito, G. F. (2021) Strain, negative emotions and turnover intentions among American police managers. Policing: An International Journal (online first ), pp. 1-15. DOI: 10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2021-0014

Barnes, J. C., Boutwell, B. B., & Beaver, K. M. (2016). Contemporary biosocial criminology: A systematic review of the

literature, 2000-2012. In A. R. Piquero (Ed.), The handbook of criminological theory (pp. 75-99). Oxford, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kaminski, R.J. (2008). Assessing the county-level covariates of police homicides. Homicide Studies, 12(4),,350-380.

Kubrin, C. E. & Wo, J. C. (2016). Social disorganization theory’s greatest challenge: Linking structural characteristics to

crime in socially disorganized communities. In A. R. Piquero (Ed.), The handbook of criminological theory (pp. 121-136), Oxford, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Leukfeldt, E. R. & Yar , M. (2016) Applying Routine Activity Theory to Cybercrime: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, Deviant Behavior, 37(3), 263-280, DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2015.1012409

Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100(4), 674-701.

Vazsonyi, A. T., Mikuska, J., & Kelley, E. L. (2017). It’s time: A meta-analysis on the self-control deviance link. Journal of Criminal Justice, 48, 48-63.

* For your convenience, copies of these articles/book chapters have been posted on Blackboard at Course Documents.

Class Format & Course Requirements:

This is an online course (see http://blackboard.louisville.edu/). Announcements, lecture summaries, additional course materials, and class performance results will be posted on Blackboard. You will be enrolled in this class on the U of L Blackboard platform. When accessing Bb from home, the recommended browser is Internet Explorer 6.0 – 8.0. Once you log on based on your U of L user ID and password, you will select this course and will be able to open any section listed on the menu bar on the left side of your screen. You should contact the instructor if you need assistance.

Students will work through the assigned reading materials, will take two exams and will write an analytic review of one of the assigned journal articles ( approx. 1500-2000 words). The exams will include multiple choice and false/true questions. You may retake once both exams and the highest grade will be recorded. The exams will be available until the last day of class. The questions you need to address in your critical review are listed on page 5 of the syllabus. In addition to your name, course number, and semester, this short paper has to include the complete reference for the work you are reviewing and additional references, if used within the text. The paper will be graded on the basis of organization and completeness, use of proper grammar, spelling, and syntax; and proper citation of the literature. Useful references are: Turabian’s A Manual for Writers, or the most recent Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (a summary file is included at Course Content). It is essential for the successful outcome of this course that readings and homework assignments be completed in a timely manner.

As members of the University community and as future members of the criminal justice profession, you need to set and to maintain the highest standards of conduct. Please note that all University policies regarding cheating and plagiarism will be strictly followed. Papers/exams/written assignments must be your original work . You may not use reproductions, work completed by someone else, or purchased work. Students are expected to take the exams, to complete the reading and written assignments (i.e., critical review) as scheduled. Only medically certifiable illness or other equally serious, provable emergencies constitute acceptable grounds for failure to complete appropriate course requirements on time.

Feel free to contact me via email with any questions or concerns. I will do my best to answer your emails as soon as possible. However, if you don’t hear back from me within 24 hours (Monday – Friday), it means I did not receive your note or your email did not follow the basic email etiquette rules. For your information, see: https://www.wikihow.com/Email-a-Professor . If this is the case, please resubmit your message.

Extra credit opportunities

0. Students willing to improve their grades may participate in one or two discussion forums, which will become available during the first week of class. For participating in any of them you may receive up to 5 bonus points [ up to 10 bonus points for participating in both forums] that will be added to the exam/exams with the lowest grade(s). You may post your comments until October 13th , 2022 In order to access the discussion forums, you may select from Discussion Forum, which is located below Course Documents on the course menu. A general discussion forum will be available as well; it will allow you to introduce yourself to your classmates and exchange information related to the course materials. Although you will not receive credit for participating in this forum, your participation is encouraged.

0. Students will find at Assignments a short Student Questionnaire. Upon completion during the first two weeks of class, they will receive 3 bonus points to be added to one of the exams.

0. Completion of course evaluations. Students may receive 3 bonus points to be added to one of the exams or to the written assignment [if the exam grades are higher than 100] for completing the course evaluation in a timely manner. In order to receive the bonus points, students will have to take a snap shot [with a cell phone] of the U of L page confirming they completed the student evaluation for this course. The course number and your name should appear on that page. Students will attach a page saved on their computer to the corresponding file that can be found at Assignments on Blackboard.

Grading:

40% Analytic review (AR); 30% Exam 1 (E1); 30% Exam 2 (E2); GRADE = .40AR + .30E1 + .30E2

A+ [98-100] A [94-97]; A- [90-93]; B+ [87-89]; B [84-86]; B- [80-83]; C+ [77-79]; C [74-76]; C- [70-73]; D+ [67-69]; D [64-66]; D- [60-63]; F [< 60]. Letter grades assigned to exams and papers will be converted to points (e.g., A+ [100], A [95], A-[92], B+[88], B[85], B-[82], C+[78], C[75], C-[72], D+[68], D[65], D-[62], F[0].

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

HONOR CODE

As members of the University community and as future members of the criminal justice profession, we recognize the need to set and to maintain the highest standards of conduct. The University of Louisville has set minimum standards of conduct in various policy statements including, but not limited to, the Code of Student Conduct and the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. The standards of academic conduct established by the University of Louisville, as well as those established by this document, shall constitute the Honor Code and shall be applicable to all students in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisville.

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

 A student who violates any standard of academic conduct established by the University of Louisville policy may be disciplined under this Honor Code. The Department of Criminal Justice will take action against students who violate any standard of academic conduct. This shall include a determination of whether the student is fit to continue as a Criminal Justice Administration major and to receive a recommendation for future criminal justice employment, University policies governing non-academic conduct normally are administered by the Vice President for Student Affairs. However, the Department of Criminal Justice also retains the right to determine whether a student who has violated non-academic conduct standards is fit to continue as a Justice Administration major and to receive a recommendation for future criminal justice employment.

Any student who commits or attempts to commit any of the following violations of academic honesty will be disciplined under this code using the conditions set forth in the Student Handbook Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which sets a maximum sanction of expulsion from the University. ( NOTE: The term ‘academic exercise' in the following definition includes all forms of work submitted for academic credit hours.)

· Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in an academic exercise.

· Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsifications or invention of any information or citation in any information or citation in an academic exercise.

· Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another violate a provision of the University or school code of academic integrity or failure to report a violation of the Honor Code.

· Plagiarism: The deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas or words or statements of another person as one’s own without acknowledgement.

· Vandalism and Theft: Intentionally mutilating, defacing, destroying, removing, or unlawfully taking University property to include library materials, computer hardware or software.

· Students knowing of a violation of this Honor Code shall:

· Report the violation to the instructor if the violation is limited to acts within a specific course.

· Report the violation to the Chair of the department if the violation(s) involve(s) multiple courses, or the vandalism of University property, or activities that have implications and consequences beyond the scope of a single course.

DISABILITIES STATEMENT

The University of Louisville is committed to providing access to programs and services for qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities, who need reasonable modifications to successfully complete assignments and otherwise satisfy course criteria, are encouraged to meet with the instructor as early in the course as possible to identify and plan specific accommodations. If you are a student with a disability and believe you require accommodation to participate in and complete requirements for this class, contact the Disability Resource Center (Robbins Hall, 852-6938) for verification of eligibility and determination of specific accommodations. Students may be asked to supply a letter from the Disability Resource Center or other documentation, which will assist in modification planning.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

Title IX/Clery Act Notification

Sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and any other nonconsensual behavior of a sexual nature) and sex discrimination violate University policies.  Students experiencing such behavior may obtain confidential support  from the PEACC Program (852-2663), Counseling Center (852-6585), and Campus Health Services (852-6479). To report sexual misconduct or sex discrimination, contact the Dean of Students (852-5787) or University of Louisville Police (852-6111). 

Disclosure to University faculty or instructors of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence, or sex discrimination occurring on campus, in a University-sponsored program, or involving a campus visitor or University student or employee (whether current or former) is not confidential under Title IX. Faculty and instructors must forward such reports, including names and circumstances, to the University’s Title IX officer.

For more information, see the Sexual Misconduct Resource Guide

( http://louisville.edu/hr/employeerelations/sexual-misconduct-brochure ).

CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT – U of L / NON-ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

The Code of Student Conduct ("The Code") is U of L’s policy regarding non-academic misconduct of students and student organizations. Academic dishonesty is not covered by this Code, but rather falls within the authority of the individual academic units of the University. Students have the responsibility to follow all regulations outlined in this policy. Effective 8/8/2017 http://louisville.edu/dos/students/codeofconduct

Analytic review of a journal article

Your task is to conduct a critical evaluation of one of the peer-reviewed journal articles assigned for this class (the list is provided below and, for your convenience, pdf copies of these 5 articles (see the list below) are posted on Bb at Course Documents]. You may not select a different article to review.

This exercise will help you learn how to extract the most important information from a scholarly manuscript, an activity that you should conduct before you start working on a literature review for your MS thesis or professional paper. Your review should not be written in an essay format. Copy and paste into your word document the questions listed below and answer each of them carefully. Your review should have approximately 1,500 – 2,000 words (or more, if necessary), should be single-spaced, and should include a title page with your name, course number, and semester. A list of references should be added after you answer the last question. A complete reference for the article you are reviewing should be included; if additional works are used, you should include them in your list as well. References should be listed using the 7th edition of the APA style. The paper should be saved in Word [e.g., AR_Misha Miller.doc or AR_Misha Miller.docx]. The paper should be posted at Assignments on Bb by the end of the day Sunday, 10/02/2021.

1. What are the authors’ main research question(s) (what is the paper about?

2. What theory/theories has/have been tested? Briefly describe the theory/theories; make sure you identify and define the main concepts of the theory/theories tested in the study. Indicate who formulated the theory and when; proper references should be included in the list of references.

3. Give details regarding the methodology used to test empirically a particular theory, such as sample selection, type of sample, date of data collection, main variables used in the analysis, appropriateness of measures, and statistical procedures used to analyze the data.

4. Identify the main research findings and indicate if the theory/theories is/are supported by empirical evidence. How do these results compared to those obtained in other studies that examined similar issues? [Are results consistent with other studies or not?] Note: your answers to question #4 represent the most important part of your review and you should provide sufficient details, so a person not familiar with the study would be able to understand not only what the paper is about, but also what the researchers found]

5. Do you find the authors’ arguments persuasive (did the arguments fit the evidence)? Why or why not?

6. Can you think of any counterarguments that would contradict/weaken the authors’ main argument? You may refer to other readings covered in this class or in other classes.

7. What were the main limitations of the study? [usually, authors discuss the study limitations in the final section of their paper]

8. What did the article add to your knowledge of the subject? Did you enjoy the reading? Why or why not?

9. In your opinion, what was the main contribution of this article to the literature on crime and deviance?

10. What are the implications for criminal justice policy that can be derived from this article?

11. References

· Review critically only one of the following peer-reviewed journal articles*:

1. Andreescu, V. (2019a). Gender differences and patterns of arrest across two generations of Cuban immigrants in United States. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 17(2), pp. 133-168. DOI: 10.1080/15377938.2019.1593910.

2. Andreescu, V. (2019b). Family, school, and peer influences on alcohol abstinence and use among American Indian and white female adolescents. Deviant Behavior, 40(1), 56-73. DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2017.1411032.

3. Andreescu, V. & Vito, G. F. (2021) Strain, negative emotions and turnover intentions among American police managers. Policing: An International Journal (online first ), pp. 1-15. DOI: 10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2021-0014

4. Kaminski, R.J. (2008). Assessing the county-level covariates of police homicides. Homicide Studies, 12(4),,350-380.

5. Leukfeldt, E. R. & Yar , M. (2016) Applying Routine Activity Theory to Cybercrime: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, Deviant Behavior, 37:3, 263-280, DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2015.1012409

Tentative Course Schedule Fall 2021[footnoteRef:1] [08/22/2022 – 10/12/2022] [1: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus and course schedule when necessary to meet learning objectives.]

Topics & Reading Assignments

Suggested timeline & important dates[footnoteRef:2] [2: Although you may work at your own pace, suggested dates for the completion of readings are also included. ]

Theoretical Criminology: An Introductory Overview [Miller et al., 1-12] + ppt summary lecture

8/22/2022

Classical & Neoclassical Theory in Criminology [Miller et al., 13-26] + ppt summary lecture

8/25/2022

Biosocial Theories of Crime [Miller et al., 27-48; Barnes et al., 2016] + ppt summary lecture

8/30/2022

Psychological Theories of CrimeDevelopmental/Life Course Theories [Miller et al., 52-75; Andreescu, 2019a; Moffitt, 1993] + ppt summary lecture

9/2/2022

The Social Ecology of Crime. Social Disorganization Theory and Routine Activities Theory [Miller et al., 78-97; Kaminski, 2008; Kubrin & Wo, 2016; Leukfeldt & Yar, 2016] + ppt summary lecture

9/6/2022

Exam 1 (will cover book chapters 1-5 (see Miller et al.) and the assigned readings). The exam is posted at Course documents.

You may retake this exam once, later, until the end of the course. The highest grade will be recorded.

You may take the exam (1st attempt) at any time until 09/11/2022, end of the day

Learning and Cultural Transmission Theories of Crime [Miller et al., 99-117; Andreescu, 2019b] + ppt summary lecture

9/16/2022

Strain Theories of Crime [Miller et al., 120-138; Andreescu & Vito, 2021] + ppt summary lecture

9/20/2022

Control Theories of Crime [Miller et al., 140-160; Andreescu, 2019b; Vazsonyi, 2017] + ppt summary lecture

9/24/2022

Theories of Social Conflict [Miller et al., 163-183] + ppt summary lecture

9/28//2022

Analytic review of a journal article due date

You may post your assignment earlier if you wish.

October 2, 2022 by midnight

Exam 2 (will cover book chapters 6-9 (see Miller et al.) and the assigned readings). The exam is posted at Course documents.

You may retake this exam once, later, until the end of the course. The highest grade will be recorded.

You may take the exam (1st attempt) at any time until 10/09/2022

Discussion board forums – you may post your answers for extra credit at any time before the end of the class. Exams (2nd attempt) by the end of the course.

10/12/2022

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