Course Syllabus
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Sociology 144[1]
Forms of Social Control: Policing
Spring 2021
Prof. Michel Estefan
Class Format: Synchronous lectures via Zoom on T/Th 11am-12:20pm
Student Hours: via Zoom on:
- Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm and by appointment
- Sign up for student hours here: https://calendly.com/mestefan/undergrad
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to SOCI 144, forms of social control: policing! This course is focused on one specific form of social control: policing. Where do modern police forces come from? What purpose does policing serve? We’re going to explore these questions from a wide range of critical angles, looking specifically at the relationship between policing and the class order of capitalism, the racial order of white supremacy and the gendered and heteronormative order of patriarchy. We’re also going to analyze resistance movements against policing, including current efforts and debates focused on abolishing the police. What might a world without police forces look like? Is such a world feasible? What lessons can we learn from previous efforts to achieve major institutional reform in other areas that could help efforts to reform or abolish the police?
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:
- Define the concept of policing from a critical sociological standpoint.
- Explain how policing has contributed to enforcing racial, class, and gender hierarchies in the United States.
- Articulate critiques of mainstream discourses about the police and its social function.
- Identify and evaluate alternatives to the police as a sociopolitical institution.
Format of Class Activities
This class will take place through remote synchronous Zoom lectures.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
|
Grade Distribution |
Due Date |
Percentage |
|
Weekly Reading Notes |
Every Tuesday starting April 6 |
20% |
|
Weekly Quizzes |
Every Thursday starting April 8 |
20% |
|
Participation |
|
10% |
|
Midterm |
Sunday, May 2 by 8pm |
25% |
|
Final |
Thursday, June 10 by 3pm |
25% |
Grading Scale
|
A |
93-100 |
B+ |
86-89 |
C+ |
76-79 |
D |
60-69 |
|
|
|
A- |
90-92 |
B |
83-85 |
C |
73-75 |
F |
0-59 |
|
|
|
|
|
B- |
80-82 |
C- |
70-72 |
|
|
|
|
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Weekly Reading Notes (20%)
You have to hand in reading notes every Tuesday by 9am starting April 6. You should upload your reading notes in the corresponding discussion tab on Canvas. More details on what is expected from your reading notes will be distributed soon.
Weekly Quizzes (20%)
There will be short quizzes at the beginning of class every Thursday (only when class meets) starting April 8.
Participation (10%)
Your participation will be graded on the basis of the following six criteria:
- Filling out the welcome survey.
- Posting to the “Introduce Yourself” discussion board.
- Attending either my office hours or your TA’s office hours at least once during the quarter.
- Filling out participation self-assessment surveys that I will distribute periodically during the course.
- Filling out the mid-quarter evaluation form.
- Filling out the end-of-quarter evaluation form.
*Please note I may decide to introduce additional surveys during the quarter that may count toward your participation grade.
Midterm Project (25%)
You will have the option to choose between a visual essay, a research paper or a mini-Ted Talk for your midterm project. The midterm project is due on Sunday, May 2nd by 8pm. More details about the midterm project will be provided soon.
Final Project (25%)
You will have the option to choose between a visual essay, a research paper or a mini-Ted Talk for your final project. The final project is due on Thursday, June 10 by 3pm. More details about the final project will be provided soon.
COURSE MATERIALS
All readings for this course are available electronically on Canvas. Each reading will be linked under the day they are due.
COURSE POLICIES
Learning in a Time of Crisis
We are living in a period of tremendous pain and uncertainty. Many of us are facing or may face unexpected intense challenges in the course of this quarter. Please recognize that you, your classmates, and even I or your TA may need to adapt in ways we can’t predict at this point. If you need extra support, we understand. You are welcome to talk to us about what you are going through. That said, you do not need to share personal information about your health or anything else unless you want to. If you do need extra help or time to complete the requirements for this course or any other type of accommodation, please ask. We are here to support you.
Diversity and Inclusion in this Classroom
I am personally committed to making sure this classroom is a safe space where everyone
feels welcome and comfortable expressing their views. Many of you may have deeply
personal experiences regarding the topics we are covering in this class. While I expect us
to have rigorous discussions and even disagreements, I ask that you engage each other
with care and empathy. I also urge you to critically examine and assess your most basic
assumptions and values and contribute your views to our conversation. In exchange for
your courage, I will work to ensure a classroom environment that supports you and the
intellectual and emotional risks your participation may entail.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It consists in representing the work of others as your own. This includes using Internet resources or copying the ideas, sentences, paragraphs of another without proper acknowledgement. If you are caught plagiarizing you will receive a failing grade on the assignment and further disciplinary action could be taken. For more information on plagiarism and the steps you can take to avoid it, consult this site: https://academicintegrity.ucsd.edu/
The following guidelines are useful for avoiding plagiarism in your written work:[2]
- Try to use your own words the majority of the time.
- When you do use another person’s words, use quotation marks and give credit to the source.
- Don’t make slight variations in the language and then fail to give credit to the source. If the expression is essentially the same, the author still deserves credit.
- Even if you aren’t directly quoting the material, you should still document information and ideas which you use in your paper whenever they are new to you (e.g. something that you discovered in your research).
If you’re unsure, add the citation. It is better to be extra cautious than not to give credit when you should.
Asking Questions and Email Policy
Feel free to send me an email if you have substantive questions about the course material, but note that I will likely respond in our next class. This way, your peers can benefit and participate in our conversation as well. If you have a burning doubt, come to student hours. Otherwise, you can generally expect me to respond to your emails within 48 hours.
Student Hours
I encourage you to visit me during my student hours as often as you want or need to. This window of time is an opportunity for us to discuss your particular interests or concerns with the course content in more depth. If you cannot make it to the scheduled office hours, send me an email and we will arrange to meet at an alternative date and time. My student hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm and by appointment. You can sign up for a slot here: https://calendly.com/mestefan/undergrad
Extensions and Late Work
If you experience an emergency or situation that prohibits you from completing an assignment on time, please let me know as soon as you are able to. Otherwise, late work will be accepted within 24 hours of its original due date, but will be penalized 25%.
Students with Disabilities
If you anticipate requiring academic accommodations for disability, please contact the Office for Students with DisabilitiesLinks to an external site. In an effort to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible, you are also welcome to privately discuss options with me and the TA as soon as possible to establish mutually-agreeable accommodations in a timely fashion. I am committed to creating a course that is inclusive and every effort will be made to be supportive.
Religious Accommodations
University policy grants students excused absences from class or other organized activities or observance of religious holy days, unless the accommodation would create an undue hardship. Please notify me by the end of the second week of classes if you have any conflicts that may require an absence. It is your responsibility to make arrangements with me in advance to make up any missed work or in-class material.
Food and Housing Insecurity
Up to a third of UCSD students face challenges securing food and/or housing, which can make it difficult to learn. If you are in this situation, please contact the Basic Needs Hub at basicneeds.ucsd.eduLinks to an external site., which includes a food pantry and emergency needs grants. If you feel comfortable, please also let me know and I will do what I can to connect you with the appropriate resources. Most importantly, please know that you are not alone in dealing with these issues.
Title IX / Gender Violence
Gender violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, class, age, appearance, gender identity, or sexual orientation. UCSD is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex or gender, including sexual misconduct, sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center (https://care.ucsd.edu/Links to an external site.) provides programs and resources to help promote healthy relationships, teach non-violence and equality, and foster a respectful and safe environment for all members of the UCSD community. All services are confidential and free of charge. For assistance during business hours, call (858) 534-5793. After hours, please call the On-Call Help Line at 858-534-5793.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING SCHEDULE
Week 1: Introduction and Historical Origins
Tuesday, March 30: Introduction to the Course
No Reading
Thursday, April 1: The Emergence of Modern Police
Neocleous, Mark. 2000. The Fabrication of Social Order: A Critical Theory of Police Power. London: Pluto Press. (Pp.ix-xii, 1-6, 13-21)
Week 2: Historical Origins (continued) and Policing the Racial Order of White Supremacy
Tuesday, April 6: Disorder
Neocleous, Mark. 2000. The Fabrication of Social Order: A Critical Theory of Police Power. London: Pluto Press. (Pp. 63-78)
Thursday, April 8: Fabricating the “Color Line” in a White Democracy
Neocleous, Mark. 2000. The Fabrication of Social Order: A Critical Theory of Police Power. London: Pluto Press. (Pp.84-91)
Brucato, Ben. 2014. “Fabricating the Color Line in a White Democracy: From Slave Catchers to Petty Sovereigns.” Theoria 61(141):30–54. (Read only Pp.30-41)
Week 3: Policing the Racial Order of White Supremacy (continued)
Tuesday, April 13: Policing White Supremacy
Brucato, Ben. 2014. “Fabricating the Color Line in a White Democracy: From Slave Catchers to Petty Sovereigns.” Theoria 61(141):30–54. (Read only Pp.41-49)
Hadden, Sally E. 2003. Slave Patrols: Law and Violence in Virginia and the Carolinas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Excerpt of Ch. 1: “Colonial Beginnings and Experiments” (Pp.6-14).
Thursday, April 15: Salve Patrols
Hadden, Sally E. 2003. Slave Patrols: Law and Violence in Virginia and the Carolinas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Excerpt of Ch. 1: “Colonial Beginnings and Experiments,” Ch. 3: “Patrol Personnel: ‘They Jes’ Like Policement, Only Worser” and Ch. 4: “In Time of Tranquility: Everyday Slave Patrols” (Pp.14-24, 38-40, 79-84, 99-117).
Week 4: Policing the Racial Order of White Supremacy (continued)
Tuesday, April 20: The Origins of American Policing
Williams, Kristian. 2015. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America. Revised edition. Oakland, CA: AK Press. Excerpts of Ch. 2: “Origins of American Policing” and Ch. 3: “The Genesis of a Policed Society” (Pp.51-55, 63-67, 70-78, 103, 105-113).
Thursday, April 22: Reconstruction and the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
Hadden, Sally E. 2003. Slave Patrols: Law and Violence in Virginia and the Carolinas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Excerpt of Ch. 6: “Patrollers No More: The Civil War Era” and Epilogue “Black Freedom, White Violence: Patrols, Police and the Klan” (Pp.198-220).
Williams, Kristian. 2015. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America. Revised edition. Oakland, CA: AK Press. Excerpts of Ch. 4: “Cops and Klan, Hand in Hand” (Pp.121-129).
Week 5: Policing the Racial Order of White Supremacy (continued) andPolicing Patriarchy
Tuesday, April 27: Cops and the Klan
Williams, Kristian. 2015. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America. Revised edition. Oakland, CA: AK Press. Excerpts of Ch. 4: “Cops and Klan, Hand in Hand” (Pp.149-156; 164-173).
Skolnick, Jerome H., and James J. Fyfe. 1994. Above the Law Police and the Excessive Use of Force. New York: Free Press. (Pp.23-29)
Romero, Simon. 2019. “Cross-Border Patrols, Mercenaries and the K.K.K.: The Long History of Border Militias.” The New York Times, April 25.
Thursday, April 29: Class Canceled to Give Students More Time to Work on their Midterm Project
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Midterm is Due Sunday, May 1 by 8pm
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Week 6: Policing Patriarchy
Tuesday, May 4: Feminist Revision of the “Transition” to Capitalism
Federici, Silvia. 2004. Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation. Illustrated edition. New York: Autonomedia. Introduction and excerpts of Ch.1: “All the World Needs a Jolt” and Ch.2: “The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of Women” (Pp.11-14, 21-26, 30-31, 44-50, 61-64, 68-75, 82-84).
Thursday, May 6: “White Slavery,” “Sex Trafficking” and the Rise of the FBI
Pliley, Jessica R. 2014. Policing Sexuality: The Mann Act and the Making of the FBI. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Introduction and excerpts of Ch.1: “The American Myth of White Slavery,” Ch.4: “Creating a Moral Quarantine” and Ch.6: Policing Seduction and Adultery.” (Pp.1-12, 24-25, 84-86, 88-93, 131-139, 146-149, 156-158).
Week 7: Policing Patriarchy (continued) Resistance
Tuesday, May 11: Policing Heteronormativity
Arriola, Elvia R. 1995. “Faeries, Marimachas, Queens, and Lezzies: The Construction of Homosexuality Before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.” Columbia Journal of Gender and Law 5(1). Excerpt: Pp.33-46.
Chauncey, George. 2019. Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. Illustrated edition. New York: Basic Books. (Pp.331-354).
Thursday, May 13: Black Panthers, Police Patrols and the Origins of “Gun Control”
Bloom, Joshua, and Waldo E. Martin Jr. 2016. Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. Oakland: University of California Press. (Pp. 2-3, 25-30, 37-39, 445-62, 209-215).
Week 8: Resistance (continued) and The Militarization of Policing
Tuesday, May 18: From Slave Revolts to Urban Riots
Parenti, Christian. 2000. Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis. London: Verso. Ch. 1: “Nixon’s Splendid Little War: Social Crisis and Containment” (Pp.3-28).
Thursday, May 20: The “War” on Drugs
Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press. Excerpts of Ch. 2: “The Lockdown” (Pp.58-68, 71-88).
Week 9: Policing the Neoliberal Order and Predictive Policing
Tuesday, May 25: From “Masterless Men” to “Surplus Populations”
Parenti, Christian. 2000. Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis. London: Verso. (Pp.29-60).
Thursday, May 27: Predictive Policing
Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie. 2019. The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement. New York: New York University Press. Introduction and Excerpts of Ch.1: “Big Data’s Watchful Eye” and “Ch. 3: “Whom We Police. Person Based Predictive Targeting” (PP.1-12, 34-40, 42-44, 47-52).
Angwin Mattu, Julia, Surya Mattu, Lauren Kirchner, and Jeff Larson. 2016. “Machine Bias.” ProPublica. Retrieved March 3, 2021 (https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing).
Sweeney, Annie. 2019. “Can Police Data Predict How ‘Bad Apple’ Officers Influence Their Fellow Cops? New Study Says Yes.” Chicagotribune.Com. Retrieved March 3, 2021 (https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-predicting-bad-police-behavior-20190801-xumudeezmjalbbpmqwyvh26tdi-story.html).
Week 10: Abolishing the Police
Tuesday, June 1: Police and Contemporary Social Movements
Kaba, Mariame. 2020. “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police.” The New York Times, June 12.
Murch, Donna. 2015. “Ferguson’s Inheritance.” Jacobin, April 17.
Levin, Sam. 2019. “‘Police Are a Force of Terror’: The LGBT Activists Who Want Cops out of Pride.” The Guardian, June 14.
Thursday, June 3: Making Police Obsolete
Gong, Neil. 2020. “How Defunding Abusive Institutions Goes Wrong, and How We Can Do It Right.” Los Angeles Review of Books, August 24.
Rose City Copwatch. 2008. “Alternatives to Police.” Excerpts (Pp.3-4, 9-10, 12, 20)
Williams, Kristian. 2015. Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America. Oakland, CA: AK Press (Pp.363-379, 384-387, 391-397).
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Final is Due Thursday, June 10 by 3pm
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[1] I would like to thank Dr. Laleh Behbehanian for the generous time she invested and the resources and knowledge she shared to help me put this syllabus together. The reading list is drawn from a very successful course she has been teaching on the subject during the last few years.
[2] Hendrickson, Raymond, The Research Paper (New York: Henry Holt and Company), xiii.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|