Deviance and Crime

YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES!!!!
Discussion
Required Readings: Ritzer, Chapter 7. Deviance and Crime
Supplementary Materials. None
In every society, human behavior falls along the familiar bell curve.
Societies are defined by the shared values they hold, and those common values determine acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The vast majority of
members of society will embrace those values without thinking about them. A delightful example of this is found in George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara,
minutes 131-156, in which a father is discussing his son’s plans for a career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_vaAz0SplY (Links to an external site.)
However, there are always the deviant extremes. Some will deviate by an unusual devotion to societal norms and behavior. These are often called heroes,
saints – or intolerant prudes, depending upon whether they agree with social norms. (Remember the old conjugation. “I am firm. You are stubborn. He is a pigheaded fool”). Others will be extreme in their rejection of societal norms and behavior. These are known as trend-setters, revolutionaries, radicals, anarchists,
or criminals, depending upon sympathy with their views.
It is often from these extremes that social change begins.
Your assignment for Chapter 7 will require you to study the chapter carefully. Remember that these are short answers and not essays.
Cut and paste the following assignment to a word processor and insert your responses. This assignment will be graded using the discussion participation
rubric.
Select and define one value held by most Americans fifty years ago but which is now held only by a small minority.
Select and define one value held by a small minority of Americans fifty years ago but now held by a majority of Americans.
Select and define one value held by most Americans fifty years ago is still held by most Americans today.
Select one behavior resulting from each of these values and discuss how this value was sustained by folk-ways, informal sanctions, and formal sanctions –
including law.
A.
B.
C.
For each behavior in 4, use explanatory and constructionist approaches to discuss how each of the three behaviors changed or remained constant over the
last 50 years.
Explanatory
Constructionist
Explanatory
Constructionist
Explanatory
Constructionist
Discuss the relationship between deviance and crime using the example of:
A formerly acceptable behavior which has become criminal.
A formerly criminal behavior which has become acceptable.
In the world today, there are many examples of formerly “criminal” elements which have become “legitimate” governments. In Mexico, criminal cartels have
established territories in which they have either infiltrated or replaced local governments. In several cases, Mexican citizens have formed “self-defense”
groups that attack both the cartels and local governments. In other cases, these “self-defense” groups have been used by one cartel to attack a rival cartel.
7a. Define “legitimate” government and compare your definition with that given by Max Weber,
7b. Name one legitimate and one illegitimate government in power today and explain why they are legitimate or illegitimate according to the definitions given
in 7a.
The United States has one of the largest prison populations per capita in the world. Compare the United States with any other country or the world as a
whole.
http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total
Use differential association theory, specific deterrence, general deterrence, and modern criminology findings to explain the difference in prison population per
capita in the United States and the country you have chosen.
The United States was shaken by violent riots, culminating in the Capitol building’s storming. These events have been treated differently in the media.
CNN Describes “Mostly Peaceful” Riots as Kenosha Burns – Summit News (Links to an external site.)
Opinion | Assault on the Capitol: America’s ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ – The New York Times (nytimes.com) (Links to an external site.)
Various explanations have been given for the riots.
Why Did Trump Supporters Storm the Capitol? | Psychology Today (Links to an external site.)
Briefly discuss these riots from the viewpoint of Structural-Funcionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interaction.
A.
B.
C.
A riot is a clear violation of the law. However, riots may be supported by values. Do you believe that riots have become a norm? Use your conclusions to
previous answers and your research to support your opinion.
What did you learn from this lesson that was useful or interesting?
How could this lesson be improved?
USE THE BOOK SOCIOLOGY 5 BY GEORGE RITZER CHAPTER 5 DEVIANCE AND CRIME