Lectures on: Concepts of Deviance, Crime, and “Trouble.”

Curtis Jackson-Jacobs (cc-nc-sa/some rights reserved) [see http://curtisjacksonjacobscourses.wordpress.com front page

or http://creativecommons.org]

Working document, draft 1.2.Updated: April 14, 2011

Lectures 1-5 (or more, depending on splicing)

Check back for updated drafts and/or contact author: jjacobsc@hotmail.com

Next: 6-7 slides of “front matter,” then lecture 1. Note: This course is not fully updated, but individual modules can be

used standalone.

Basic lectures on the sociology of deviance, trouble, crime, social control, &/or social problems

This series of lectures moves from the most abstract and theoretical readings (e.g., Durkheim, Foucault, Bentham, Weber) to the most concrete topics (e.g., the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, National Crime Victimization Survey) in deviance, crime, and social control.

Created by Curtis Jackson-Jacobs (some rights reserved – see above). Optional citation (small font on slide 1): “Concepts of Deviance, Crime, and ‘Trouble.” Curtis Jackson-Jacobs. [Date Accessed and URL.] NOTIFICATION BY EMAIL IS APPRECIATED (jjacobsc@hotmail.com)

I also acknowledge the contributions of: Linda van Leuven, Robert Emerson, Melvin Pollner, & Jack Katz, from whose classes and syllabi at UCLA many ideas and readings were drawn.

The slides require modification before use. Presentation is minimalist to be compatible with versions of PowerPoint & other software.

These modules are compiled from series of lectures given in various courses by Curtis Jackson-Jacobs at Northern Illinois University and Chapman University. As mentioned on slide 1, these were, in turn, based in part on L. van Leuven’s “Deviance” course at UCLA. See Slide 1 for detail.

ORDER OF THE MODULES/LECTURES CAN BE REARRANGED WITH SIMPLE REVISIONS TO SUIT INSTRUCTOR’S NEEDS

Note: Some segments are no more than discussion prompts for the instructor to lead the class in, or into which to substitute relevant examples

Politics of course material

• At some point, as instructor, I have always found it useful to emphasize that these materials are sociological – they are not about the politics, ethics, or morality of the phenomena we discuss. Those are our topics, yes, but not our concerns.

• Our concern is theoretical and empirical• I use the following example

Politics of course material

• I have found it useful to emphasize that these materials are sociological… I return to the apolitical nature of the course repeatedly

• Early on I use the following simple example (a bit dated) to illustrate the difference between normative and empirical approaches

• Normative (opinion) or empirical (factual):– Broccoli tastes bad.– George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the

USA.– GHW Bush thought broccoli tastes bad. (Continued…)

Normative (opinion) or empirical (factual)?

• Broccoli tastes bad. • George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st

president of the USA.• GHW Bush thought broccoli tastes bad.

– The final statement is the foundation of social science methodology: the empirical study of norms. It is true or not true that this person holds this opinion. It is a “social fact.”