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This course will contrast popular
images of gangs in the mass media with
perspectives from social science.It will consist of lectures Mondays
and Wednesdays
and discussion groups one additional day per week. The text is the book authored by
the instructor, People & Folks: Gangs, Crime , and the Underclass
in a
Rustbelt City, available at the bookstore. There are also materials
on
http://courseinfo.uic.edu. as well as on
Gang Research On-Line
(GROL).
The discussion sections will present opportunities for
students to discuss and
deepen their understanding of the lectures and to do collective
research and to
present their information to the entire class.
Projects
Students will do collective or individual projects in
the discussion section.
The purposeof the projects is to highlight the differences between
media
images, social science, andgang life. The projects will be presented to the
entire class and will be graded on both substance (Did the presentation
educate
on gangs?) and technique (Was the presentation done in an interesting
and creative
way?). The TA will give proportionate grades to allmembers of the
project based
on their relative contribution.
Students are encouraged to use multi-media performances.
Projects that include
new web pages which can contribute to the education of the public
on
gangs in Gang ResearchOn-Line are the top priority. Debates on controversial
topics are also recommended: for example pro and con on the gang
loitering
ordinance, on thelegalization of drugs, or whether Chicago has gangs
or
"street organizations" would make good topics. Other students
have done talk
shows, but often these degenerate into parody.
Panels of students discussing
the valueand significance of "gangsta rap" or other street-oriented
gang
genres would also be welcome. Music must beincluded. Remember! The
purpose of the project iseducational, and ifI can use your work
in
"Gang Research On-Line," there will be extra-credit.
Students doing historical projects, either within a group
or individually, will be
allowedto continue the project into CrJ 491 the second semester,
"The
History
of Gangs in Chicago," or as independent study. The School
of Letters and Science
also sponsors undergraduateresearch forums in spring.
I encourage students to
present papers at the forum.
I encourage you to have fun doing the projects. In lieu of participation
in the researchproject, some students may be allowed to write a
paper on gangs
and the media on a topic determined inconjunction with the instructor.
Exams
and Grades
There will be two midterm exams (each worth 20% of your
grade) and a
final (30%), plus a research presentation on gangs and/or the media
(25%).
Participation in class and at discussion is worth 5%.
A one page movie review is due September 20th. The
review must address the
question of the impact of theimages of the film on the public. Does
the film
reinforce racism or not? How does the film stereotype gangs or yield
valuable
insights? Does the
film sensationalize the gang problems or bring it down to earth?
The review will be graded as “+” or “–“ and be used to push
your final grade
up or down.If you didn’t attend discussion or class regularly
or don’t talk in
class, and write a slopp ymovie review, don’t complain if
you area half of point
short of an A — or a C ! In otherwords,
if you are close to an A or B (or C or D)
we can push you up with class participation and a good review.
Attendance at lectures is not required, but those not
attending class are unlikely to
pass the exams, since lectures contain material not found in the
texts. I will feel
free
to test on any subject I discuss in class. Brief outlines of lecture notes will be published
on Courseinfo, but lectures contain more extensive
and extemporaneous materials.
Gang Research On Line
contains digital resources on gangs in Chicago and around the
world and will be helpful in the course. The final will contain
at least one question from
the class presentations.
Some discussion sections are optional, particularly during
the research phase
of the class.The syllabus will beposted and updated on my web site.
The web
version of the syllabus will always be official.
Have fun!. I plan
to.
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