ESSAY TOPICS-SOCIOLOGY 3217.06 (Chosen through random selection)
1) Various Media Forms and Its Role in Creating and/or Preserving Our Perceptions of Violent
Crime and Violent Predators.
2) Good Reasons For Criminal Behaviour- An Evaluation of Motives, Justifications, and Excuses
3) Sexual Predators and the Nature - Nurture Controversy.
4) Mass Murderer's - What pulls the(ir) trigger?
5) Deterrence Theory as an Effective Correctional Response to ‘Rational' White Collar Criminals
6) Victim Precipitated Crimes - How Closely Should The Role Of The Victim Be Considered?
7) The Relationship of Immigration to Urban Crime
8) Young Urban Gangs - Canadian Style
9) A Critical Evaluation of the Current Young Offender Legislation in Canada
10) The Role of Technology in Facilitating Criminal Activity -
11) Alternatives To Institutionalization In Dealing With Those Labeled As Criminal.
12) Violence against the Elderly - A Cross-Cultural Perspective.
13) The Home as the Cradle of Violence - Safe Havens Lost.
14) Organized Crime in Canada - Its Role as a ‘Player' Internationally
15) Terrorism- To Some, a Crime - To Others an Act of Heroism
16).The Relationship between Gender and Crime
17) The Canadian Criminal Justice System and Its Treatment of Aboriginal People/Minorities;
Critical Issues In Need Of Solutions
18) Racial Profiling - It's Impact on Group Identity and Its Effectiveness for Social Control.
19) Gun Control or Educational/Community Funding as a Recipe for Lowering the Violent
Gang Crime Rate?
20) The Internet, Social Networking and Crime - A Correlation Exists?
The paper must be no more than 10 typed double- spaced pages(size 12 font).Any full-page tables or supporting documents (if used) can be included in an appendix.
LATE WORK AND MAKE-UPS
All work, tests, assignments, and essays are due when noted on this syllabus. Late work will not be accepted. Makeup tests or extensions will only be given in extraordinary circumstances and must be approved by the instructor.
In the case of a medical or family emergency, email me as soon as possible and be prepared to provide documentation from the appropriate authority- e.g. physician, funeral director, police etc.
Papers that are submitted late without approval will be given a zero.
INFORMATION FOR ESSAY WRITING
Your essay can incorporate either an analytical only format or a combination of presenting empirical data and analysis. The focus should be on Canadian content. Comparative analysis can be included especially for those students familiar with or interested in the crime and deviance picture from other countries. The object is to think critically.
A critical analysis involves more than a repetition of information from a published work. It requires an assessment of the material at a higher level. Think like an investigator and ask yourself the following types of questions when you review the material. For example: What assumptions are the authors making upon which they base their studies and conclusions? Are their arguments logical? Is the evidence appropriate? Is there contradictory evidence? Are they taking into consideration such issues as ethnicity/race, class and gender? If they examine these categories are they being critical in their approach?
Do they look at power and how it manifests itself in various situations related to gender, race and class? Are their arguments complete? Is there anything missing from their study? Is their evidence sufficient to logically support their arguments? Are there methodological weaknesses in how they collected the data? Could the data they present be interpreted in different ways?
The above are some examples of issues you might consider in developing your essay
As well, narrow the topic so that it is manageable, organize the patterns you might use and then develop a thesis statement (a concise statement of your ideas about a topic.) e.g. your topic is -Ethnicity and Crime
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SUBJECT
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TOO BROAD
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TOO LIMITING
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A BETTER START
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An analysis of Ethnic groups in North American Organized Crime
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The history of the Italians and Sicilians
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One reason for Italian and Sicilian involvement in organized crime (too narrow)
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An analysis of Italian and Sicilian migration to North America between1865 and 1922 and its relationship to organized crime.
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TOPIC
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ORGANIZING THE MATERIAL
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THESIS STATEMENT
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An analysis of Italian Sicilian migration to North America between 1865 and
1922 and its relationship to organized crime.
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Reason/argument –identify the factors noting similarities and differences between those groups who migrated earlier and those who came later.
Explain how your research shows they had a different impact on involvement in organized crime in
Organized Crime.
Treat each of the factors under logical sub topics and chronological order in which they developed.
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The differences between the history, cultural traditions and immigration patterns to North America between the Northern Italians and The Southern Italians and Sicilians strongly influenced their subsequent adaptations to the dramatic social changes taking place in ‘America’. This differential played a major role in the latter’s disproportionate involvement with organized crime in America during the first half of the 20th century.
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SUBJECT TOO BROAD TOO LIMITING A BETTER START
An analysis of Ethnic groups in North American Organized Crime
The history of the Italians and Sicilians
One reason for Italian and Sicilian involvement in organized crime (too narrow)
An analysis of Italian and Sicilian migration to North America between1865 and 1922 and its relationship to organized crime.
TOPIC ORGANIZING THE MATERIAL THESIS STATEMENT
An analysis of Italian Sicilian migration to North America between 1865 and
1922 and its relationship to organized crime. Reason/argument -identify the factors noting similarities and differences between those groups who migrated earlier and those who came later.
Explain how your research shows they had a different impact on involvement in organized crime in
Organized Crime.
Treat each of the factors under logical sub topics and chronological order in which they developed.
The differences between the history, cultural traditions and immigration patterns to North America between the Northern Italians and The Southern Italians and Sicilians strongly influenced their subsequent adaptations to the dramatic social changes taking place in ‘America'. This differential played a major role in the latter's disproportionate involvement with organized crime in America during the first half of the 20th century.
Try to avoid biased language.
E.g. Sociology has contributed to our understanding of mankind- substitute with human
beings, humanity, humankind etc.
Policeman- substitute with police officer; freshmen- first year student.
Your essay should always include a cover page containing the following information:
• Title of the paper
• Your name
• Course Title
• Professor's name/ tutorial leader's name
• Date submitted.
N.B. - All essays are to be submitted stapled and without binders or folders (no matter how colourful they may be). It will save you money and your graders, aggravation.
ESSAY OUTLINE
Ignore the 3 paragraph rule. Your outline will include an introduction to inform the reader of your topic, written in a way that also grab's their attention. It will include your thesis statement .This statement should explicitly state your argument (position on the topic), why you feel it is important, note that differences of opinion exist in the literature and include the nature of the relationships between the variables you selected and the theories/positions to be applied to your argument. Finally describe the structure of your assignment.
The body of the essay will include the development of the main premise you wish to communicate in asmany paragraphs as required to cover your main ideas. Each paragraph should investigate a single theme or concept and as a general rule be about 5 sentences long.
The conclusion will restate your thesis, accurately summarize your arguments, present your conclusions and point to future issues or questions related to the topic.
Once this is done you can make any revisions (based on my feedback) you deem appropriate so that everything ties together in a cohesive and logical fashion.
Finally, proofread your work before handing it in. Use a dictionary or spell check to avoid spelling errors. However spell check programs do not catch all errors e.g. the rebels are less successful than the vultures in earning strategies of gang warfare. A thesaurus is also a useful tool to search for alternative (better) wording.
TIPS FOR BETTER ESSAYS
♦ Is your essay on topic? Does it answer/interpret the questions raised in the assignment?
♦ Does your essay have a clear and explicitly stated thesis; that is, a clearly stated central idea that the rest of the essay develops and support?
♦ Is there a broad enough base of information? Is there evidence in the essay that you have included appropriate and sufficient research?
♦ Is your essay analytical! / is there a body of argument/appraisal that supports your thesis? Have you provided strong reasons for your thesis?
♦ Are you arguments supported by appropriate and sufficient evidence?
♦ Does your writing indicate a reasonable sense of paragraph structure? Is the topic of each paragraph clear and is that topic clearly related to proving your thesis?
♦ Is it clear how the evidence supports the argument/ Are quotations presented in a way that makes their function in the argument clear? Do you offer comment on quotations in a way that shows their relevance to your argument (as opposed to just including them)?
♦ Is the sentence level grammar correct/? E.g., do verbs agree with their subjects, are tense sequences correct?
♦ Is there coherence from sentence to sentence and a reasonable transition from paragraph to paragraph?
♦ Do you follow appropriate styles of documentation, footnoting and bibliography?
(Source [with modifications]-Essay Tutoring Centre, York University)
SOURCING MATERIAL
University or college libraries are the best locations to find a wide range of material in the crime and deviance area. Larger public libraries can also prove helpful especially if they have reference section with periodicals, newspapers etc.
Search Engines (use Google Scholar vs. Wikipedia) as the former site is more accurate and reliable.
A variety of relevant sources are available. These include:
a) Librarians, especially those in charge of specialized areas- e.g. government documents.
b) Statistics Canada publishes a number of special reports on related topics. For crime data consult the publications put out by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Each major Metropolitan Police Force in Canada publishes annual reports detailing the level of criminality in their jurisdiction as do the provinces.
c) The computer terminals which catalogue all the library holdings (listings by subject and author).
d) Encyclopedias- The Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences;
e) Periodicals- A number of general indexes such as the social sciences and humanities Index, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (magazines of a general nature), newspaper indexes including the major Canadian dailies as well as certain United States papers e.g. New York Times and indexes for scholarly journals.
f) Journals- some of the following are especially suited to topic-Some are more readily accessible at York than others.
-American Journal of Criminal Justice
-British Journal of Criminology
-Canadian Journal of Criminology-Canadian Journal of Women and the Law
-The Canadian Journal of Sociology
-Canadian Journal of BehaviouraI Science
-Canadian Journal of Law and Society
-American Journal of Sociology
-American Sociological Review
-Crime and Delinquency
-Criminology
-Crime, Law and Social Change
-Law and Society Review
-Journal of Social Issues
-Journal of Marriage and the Family
-Journal of Family Violence
-Sociology of Criminal Law
-Victimology
g) Abstracting Journals e.g. Sociological Abstracts- similar to indexing journals but containabstracts (short summaries) of the articles indexed.
h) The references cited in the course texts are a good place to start, once you have selected the particular topic for your essay.
i) Audiovisual material- microfiche, videos-movies/television documentaries
j) The Internet:
Canadian Web links
- https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ - RCMP home page
-https://www.statcan.ca/start.html search by subject- crime and justice- recent data
available on crimes, victims, suspects, criminals, police and the courts
-www.canada.justice.gc.ca/-Department of Justice Canada
-www.gov.on.ca/opp/-Ontario Provincial Police
-www.johnhoward.ca/-John Howard Society of Canada
-www.csc-scc.gc.ca/- Correctional Service of Canada
-www.yorku.ca/nathanson/search.htm- Homepage for Nathanson Research Institute on
organized crime
U.S. Government / International Sites
-https://www.fbi.gov/- Federal Bureau of Investigation
-www.c-s-i.org/ The Official Crime Stoppers International Website -
www.unicri.it/ - UN homepage on Crime
NB BONUS POINT - STUDENTS WHO CONTRIBUTE RELEVANT WEB SITES IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE WILL RECEIVE ONE BONUS MARK ON THEIR ESSAY
FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Consistency of style is required for footnotes and bibliography. You may use any accepted format. The ones most commonly used are the Modem Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA) documentation formats. Examples of each follow:
FOOTNOTES.
In Text documentation.
If you cite the author in the text,
MLA style -indicate only the page number in parentheses:
According to B. Simpson, a student's academic performance will not be enhanced by "hanging out at Moe's" (22).
APA style-list author(s) date and include page number in parentheses at end of quote. According to B. Simpson (2006), a student's academic performance will not enhanced by "hanging out at Moe's" (p. 22)
If you do not cite the author in the text,
APA style -list author(s), date and page in parenthesis at the end of the citation:
In a recent report, students' rated going to Moe's as an excellent opportunity to study adult social behaviour. (Simpson, 1992, p. 22)
You may place footnotes in the text of your essay at the bottom of the page where the information cited appears, or in a list arranged in order of use in a 'notes' section at the end of the paper. The latter method is easiest for the writer and less confusing for the reader. Whichever you choose, be consistent and use the same form throughout the paper.
BOOKS. ARTICLES. Etc. MLA STYLE.MLA Style: The sources used will be listed as either 'works cited" or "Selected Bibliography."
The usual order or information is as follows: Include only the information that is applicable. Author's last name, first name, Title of article or part of book, or Title of Book. Ed. or Trans. Name. Edition. Number of Volumes. Place of Publication: Name of publisher, Date of publication. Book titles or journals can either be underlined or italicized.
A book by one author
Jeffrey, C. Ray, Prevention Through Environmental Design. rev. ed. Beverly Hills, CA:
Sage, 1977.
Other books by same author
_______________ . Biology and Crime. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1979.
A book with two or three authors
McCord, William, and Joan McCord. Psychopathy and Delinquency. New York: Wiley, 1956.
More than three authors
Jones, Robert F., et at. A Dictionary of Slang. New York: Free Press, 1994
Editor(s) of a reader
Silverman, Robert, A., Teevan. James. J., and Sacco, Vincent, F. (eds.). Crime in Canadian Society Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 2000.
Government document
Rogers, Kathy. Wife Assault: The Findings of a National Survey. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 1994.
Government document unknown author
British Home Office. Practical Ways to Crack Crime. London, U.K., 1989.
Article in a professional journal- title of article is in quotations, followed by journal title, volume number and issue number (e.g. 1, 2, 3 if given) followed by year in parentheses and page number.
Gastil, R. "Homicide and a Regional Culture of Violence." American Sociological Review 36 (1971): 412-427.
Article in a newspaper unsigned
"New Anti- Stalking Law Used for the First Time." Ottawa Citizen 26 Aug. 1993: 8.
Personal interview
Capone, Alphonse. Personal interview. 26 Sept. 1946.
Television program
American Justice. A & E "The New York Mobs" 28 April 1999.
BOOKS. ARTICLES. etc. APA STYLE
Your list of materials used is usually titled "References". List the sources cited in your essay alphabetically, by author's last name, then date of publication. Use only initials for author's first and middle names. In the title of a book or article etc., capitalize only the first word, proper names, and the first word following a colon. If the entry has more than one line, indent all subsequent lines.
A book by one author
Jeffrey, C. R., (1977). Crime prevention through environmental design. rev. ed. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Other books by same author
________________. Biology and Crime. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1979.
A book with two or three authors
McCord, W, and J McCord (1956). Psychopathy and Delinquency. New York: Wiley.
More than three authors
Jones, R. F., et al. (1994). A dictionary of slang. New York: Free Press.
Editor(s) of a reader
Silverman, R. A., Teevan. J. J., and Sacco, V. F. (eds.). (2000). Crime in Canadian Society. Toronto: Harcourt Brace.
Government document
Rogers, K. (1971). Wife assault: The findings of a national survey. Ottawa: Canadian
Centre for Justice Statistics.
Government document -unknown author
British Home Office. Practical ways to crack crime. London, U.K., 2010.
Article in a professional journal- Author, date of publication in parentheses, title of article without quotations, followed by journal title underlined, volume number and issue number (e.g.1,2, 3 if given) and page number. Gastil, R. (1971). Homicide and a regional culture of violence. American Sociological Review 36: pp. 412-427.
Article in a newspaper unsigned
Ottawa Citizen (1993). New anti- stalking law used for the first time. Ottawa Citizen
August 26: p.8.
Personal Interview
In the APA system interviews do not appear in a References list. This data source would be included in the text of the essay.
Television program
American Justice. A & E "The New York mobs" 28 April 2010.
For additional examples of either style, see MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (latest edition) or the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. These references are available in university or public libraries.
Acceptable bibliographic format for electronic sources-
Website
Smith, John A.; "A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in Gambling and Addictions" Ver 4.1 March 22, 1998, https://www. Abc.com/ac-web/loser/guide.htm. (May 5, 1999).
CD-ROM
Sociological Abstracts On disc. 1922-1999. CD-ROM: UCLA/Abstracts On disc. (December 22, 1998)
e-mail
Gravano, Steven, sbg@,aol.com 17 march 2001. RE; Longevity of informers (Email to
Gotti, Joseph, jgotti@gov/levenworth.org.>). A Problem - if you email him- He's dead. But you might want to try Whitey Bulger instead.