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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CCJS 651 Seminar in Criminology
Spring 2013
Professor John H. Laub
Course Synopsis:
This course provides a general introduction to the study of the
causes of crime from an
interdisciplinary perspective. The central focus centers on the
major theories of crime causation
developed over the past two hundred years. Significant issues in
criminology -- for example, the
role of age, race, gender, and social class in crime causation
as well as explanations of specific
forms of crime such as violence and white collar crime -- are
highlighted and discussed. In
addition, special attention is devoted to the measurement of
crime and what is known from theavailable empirical data on the
nature and extent of crime in the United States.
Required Readings:
(1) Thomas J. Bernard, Jeffrey B. Snipes, and Alexander L.
Gerould. Volds Theoretical
Criminology, Sixth Edition. Oxford University Press, 2010.
(2) Francis T. Cullen and Robert Agnew. Criminological Theory:
Past to Present Essential
Readings, Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press, 2011.
(3) Clayton J. Mosher, Terance D. Miethe, and Timothy C. Hart.
The Mismeasure of Crime,Second Edition. Sage Publications,
2011.
(4) David C. Rowe. Biology and Crime. Oxford University Press,
2007.
Course Requirements:
(1) An in-class midterm examination will be given on March 26,
2013. This exam will
account for 30% of your final grade. More information on this
exam will be provided in
class.
(2) A paper of 10-15 typed pages is due at the start of class on
April 23, 2013. This paperwill account for 30% of your final grade.
More information on this assignment will be
provided in class.
(3) An in-class final examination will be given on May 14, 2013.
This exam will account for
30% of your final grade. More information on this assignment
will be provided in class.
(4) Class participation will count for the remaining 10% of your
grade. Class participation is
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measured by class attendance, class preparation (e.g.,
completing the assigned readings
prior to class), and active participation during class
discussions (e.g., asking questions,
answering my questions, and not sleeping, reading a newspaper,
surfing the web, etc.).
Office Hours and Class Meeting Times:
My office is located in 2135 LeFrak Hall. Office hours are
Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to
3:30. All other days and times are by appointment only. Contact
info phone: 301-405-8070
and email: [email protected].
This class meets Tuesdays, 4:00 to 6:45, in Tydings 1118.
Academic Dishonesty and Honor Pledge:
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally
recognized Code of Academic
Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code
sets standards for academic
integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate
students. As a student you areresponsible for upholding these
standards for this course. It is very important for you to be
aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication,
facilitation, and plagiarism. For more
information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student
Honor Council, please visit
http://www.shc.umd.edu. Academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated. Any student suspected of
academic dishonesty will be referred to the Honor Council.
To further exhibit your commitment to academic integrity,
remember to sign the Honor Pledge
on all examinations and assignments: I pledge on my honor that I
have not given or received
any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.
Students with Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability who wishes to discuss
academic accommodations,
please contact one of us by February 12, 2013.
Course Outline:
Jan. 29 Introduction and Overview of the Course: The Idea of
Theory in Criminology
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 1
Cullen and Agnew, Introduction and Part I
Feb. 5, 12 Sources of Criminological Data and the Correlates of
CrimeReadings: Mosher, Miethe, and Hart, whole book
Cullen and Agnew, Part XIII
Feb. 19 Classical and Neo-Classical School Perspectives
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 2
Cullen and Agnew, Parts X and XI
Feb. 26 Biological and Psychological Theories
Readings: Rowe, whole book
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Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 3 & 4
Cullen and Agnew, Part II
Mar. 5 Social Disorganization Theories and Contemporary Theories
of Community
Processes
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 7Cullen and Agnew,
Part III
Mar. 12 Strain Theories
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 5, 6 & 8
Cullen and Agnew, Part V
Mar. 19 SPRING BREAK
Mar. 26 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Apr. 2, 9 Cultural Deviance, Differential Association, and
Social Learning TheoriesReadings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch.
9
Cullen and Agnew, Part IV
Apr. 16 Control Theories
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 10
Cullen and Agnew, Part VI
Apr. 23*, 30 Labeling, Conflict, Critical, and Feminist
Theories
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 11-14
Cullen and Agnew, Parts VII-IX
May 7 Current Issues in Theory and Research: A Focus on
Developmental/Life-Course
Theories of Crime, Integrated Theories of Crime, and the Future
of
Criminological Theory and Research
Readings: Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, Ch. 15-17
Cullen and Agnew, Parts XII and XIV
May 14 FINAL EXAMINATION
* Reminder: All papers are due at the start of class.
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SUPPLEMENTAL READING LIST
CCJS 651 Seminar in Criminology
Sources of Criminological Data and the Correlates of Crime
Gove, Walter R., Michael Hughes, and Michael Geerken. 1985. "Are
the Uniform Crime Reports a Valid
Indicator of Index Crimes?" Criminology 23:451-501.
Maxfield, Michael G. 1999. The National Incident-Based Reporting
System: Research and Policy
Applications. Journal of Quantitative Criminology
15:119-149.
Huizinga, David and Delbert S. Elliott. 1986. "Reassessing the
Reliability and Validity of Self-Report
Delinquency Measures." Journal of Quantitative Criminology
2:293-327.
Thornberry, Terence P. and Marvin D. Krohn. 2000. The
Self-Report Method for Measuring
Delinquency and Crime. In CJ 2000: Innovations in Measurement
and Analysis, edited by David Duffee,
Robert D. Crutchfield, Steven Mastrofski, Lorraine Mazerolle,
David McDowall, and Brian Ostrom.
Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J., Emilie Andersen Allan, Miles D.
Harer, and Cathy Streifel. 1989. "Age and the
Distribution of Crime." American Journal of Sociology
94:803-831.
Steffensmeier, Darrell J. 1993. "National Trends in Female
Arrests, 1960-1990: Assessment and
Recommendations for Research." Journal of Quantitative
Criminology 9:411-441.
Hindelang, Michael J., Travis Hirschi, and Joseph G. Weis. 1979.
"Correlates of Delinquency: The
Illusion of Discrepancy Between Self-Report and Official
Measures." American Sociological Review
44:995-1014.
Elliott, Delbert S. and Suzanne S. Ageton. 1980. "Reconciling
Race and Class Differences in Self-
Reported and Official Estimates of Delinquency." American
Sociological Review 45:95-110.
Laub, John H. 1987. "Data for Positive Criminology." Pp. 56-70
in Positive Criminology. Michael
Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi (editors). Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Publications.
Hawkins, Darnell F., John H. Laub, and Janet L. Lauritsen. 1998.
"Race, Ethnicity, and Serious Juvenile
Offending." Pp. 30-46 in Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders.
Rolf Loeber and David P. Farrington
(editors). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Blumstein, Alfred, Jacqueline Cohen, Jeffrey Roth, and Christy
Visher. 1986. "Introduction: Studying
Criminal Careers." Pp. 12-30 in Criminal Careers and "Career
Criminals, Volume I. Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press.
Weis, Joseph G. 1986. "Issues in the Measurement of Criminal
Careers." Pp. 1-51 in Criminal Careers
and "Career Criminals, Volume II. Alfred Blumstein, Jacqueline
Cohen, Jeffrey Roth, and Christy
Visher (editors). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Gottfredson, Michael and Travis Hirschi. 1986. The True Value of
Lambda Would Appear to Be Zero:
An Essay on Career Criminals, Criminal Careers, Selective
Incapacitation, Cohort Studies, and Related
Topics. Criminology 24:213-234.
Elliott, Delbert S. 1994. "Serious Violent Offenders: Onset,
Developmental Course, and Termination."
Criminology 32:1-21.
