...A2 Sociology ASSESSMENT PACK 2015-16 A2 Level Sociology Student Tracking Sheet | |Current Grade |Target Grade |Lates |Attendance | |September | | | | | |November | | | | | |January | | | | | |March | | | | | |May | | | | | | |Families |Education | |UMS | | | |Grade | | | | |Handed in on |Mark |Grade |What is the target for my next piece of work? |Above/ On/ Under Target | |Assessment/Homework |time...
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...The essay focuses on the social construction of crime, and the possible reasons for these social constructions. In the first section, the essay explains what crime is, and the constructionist perspective theory. In the Second section my essay focuses on the crime as socially constructed and why it is socially constructed. In the third section essay explains, three levels of explanation in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour. In the final section, it focuses on the historical theoretical periods, which plays an important role in revitalising past discoveries. Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct that is forbidden by law. There are a number of different reasons as to why crime can be viewed as a social construction. There cannot be 'social problems' that are not the product of social construction - naming, labelling, defining and mapping them into place - through which we can 'make sense' of them' (Clarke, 2001). In this essay I will explain what is social construction, also what crime is, and why we think, that crime is socially constructed. Furthermore, I will explain how media construct crime and the stigma of black crime. In the last paragraph I will explore the importance of Marxist and Durkheim's theories on the emergence of crime....
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...Relying on examples from your own experience and from Staples’ essay, write an essay discussing what parts you think race plays in people's reactions to Staples. Do you think his perceptions are accurate? Make sure that you document Staples’ words and ideas and that you include a works cited page. (See Chapter 18 of the Patterns text for information on MLA documentation.) A White Man’s Privilege Alters Public Spaces “My first victim was a woman – white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties, I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished section of Chicago.” Staples begins his essay very powerfully. Upon reading the first paragraph, one would think they were about to read about a thrilling crime. Unfortunately, Staples was recounting a time he was judged by the color of his skin, as he walked through the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. “I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.” Staples’s naivety is sadly endearing, as he has clearly hadn't experienced any deep form of racism until he was almost twenty two years old. Why does Staples evoke this reaction? My story begins in Chicago as well, the year is 2008 and I was walking down Belmont; heading east from Sheffield. It was 4:30am and the streets were dark and distant. I was still getting to know the city and was walking extra cautiously, as not to slip...
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...Comparing the Theme of Madness in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” This Essay is going to compare theme of madness presented to reader in two short stories ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Black Cat’ both by Edgar Allan Poe. One might argue that the theme of madness is presented quite differently in both short stories if compared to each other. ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ presents us a true madman; the main character kills the old man because of the look of the old mans eye. This is highlighted by the piece, which was extracted from the story itself “I loved the old man. He had never wrong me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes it was this” Furthermore it is clearly shown that the madman liked the old man and he didn’t want old mans money. Madman committed the most atrocious of crimes because of the old mans appearance. However the main character doesn’t think he is mad and strongly believes that the old mans eye was pure evil, and this is highlighted by the quotes from “The Tell-Tale Heart”. “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him”. The main character almost tries to compensate the murder by saying that he was nice to the old man before he killed him. Moreover, the main character...
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...In part of the chapter, “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” Du Bois argues with Washington’s plan about allowing blacks to focus more on industrial education instead on higher education (college schools). And by doing so will allow them to become better working people. However, this had lead Washington to one of three paradoxes that Du Bois talk about in his essay. “He advocates common – school and industrial training, and depreciates institutions of higher learning; but neither the Negro common – schools … could remain open a day were it not for the teachers trained in Negro colleges, or trained by their graduates” (Du Bois 49). Base on Du Bois’ remark Washington fails by the lack of teachers who would be able to train the blacks in these...
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...the official statistics on crime and ethnicity provide a valid picture of the criminal activities of ethnic minorities? The purpose of official statistics is to provide us with an unbiased, objective and informative look at crime rates within the UK. However, although the statistics themselves may, to a certain extent, be reliable, the way in which they are obtained is not. Police in different areas may deem certain areas of crime a priority and thus report and record these accordingly. Also, biases within the system itself against those from ethnic minorities may affect the resulting statistics to portray an uneven account of criminal activity. The relationship between crime rates and ethnicity is extremely complex due to other factors such as the difficulty of identifying a person’s ethnic origin and the cultural and social differences between ethnic groups. It has been shown on a variety of occasions that male black youths are disproportionately selected by the police to be ‘stopped and searched’; this then results in higher numbers of black youths being charged with offences as they have been caught doing so. However, the same crimes are probably being committed by other subcultures within society, but as both the media and police do not focus on them, they are not being seen. There are many flaws with official statistics and therefore their reliability. For example, there are sections of crime that are not dealt with by...
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...DuBois’ first response upon realizing that their race was a problem is comparable to blacks in America today. Their feeling of disdain for the white people on the opposite side of the veil reveals another point about the concept of the veil. DuBois’ veil concept not only refers to the whites’ view of African-Americans as obstructed by the veil. The opacity works two ways. Just like the little white could not clearly see DuBois for who he was beyond the color of his skin due to her veil, Dubois could not properly see the entire white race because of this one encounter with this little white girl that he then projected onto all white people. The same is true in the case of Cain who sued the Pullman Company for his...
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...[pic] English 112 Final Exam Study Questions “The Hypercriminalization of Black and Latino Male Youth” by Victor M. Rios Summarize the essay. Explain what Rios means by “mass incarceration” (41). Rios declares that his article “is to account for the social effects of mass incarceration and the criminalization of young males of color” (41). Based on the evidence he provides, what are those “social effects”? What does Victor Rios mean when he writes “These young adult deviants do not become on their 18th birthday, rather they are systematically constructed as criminals and face the wrath of the penal state and criminalization as early as 8 years of age” (41). In what ways do you think this statement is true or false? Fully explain your answer. Rios discloses that Black and Latino youth have been labeled “deviant” (41). From his explanations, why are they labeled this way, and how does this label affect them? How do the problems they face in the job sector (Rios 42) account for how young Black and Latino males may view their future outcomes? Identify the reason/reasons that the 28 non-violent offenders were treated in similar ways to Tyrone and Jose: the two violent offenders (Rios 43). Explain what Jonathan Simon means by "crisis of ‘governance’" (43). Explain what Rios means by his statement that “the government had become an abusive step-parent figure” (43). According to him, what are the effects of this “abusive” relationship? What does Rios...
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...Monster Literary Analysis Essay The justice system, a system founded on the hopes of a justifying punishment for one’s crime. The novel “Monster”, by Walter Dean Myers, is about a young black male, Steve Harmon. In this novel Steve talks about his experiences in prison from what he sees to what he feels. Steve talks about his experiences through his journal. To keep up with what was going on in court during his trial he writes down parts of his journal in screenplay form. In his journal he talks about the struggles he faces,may it be about his trial, his past, or with himself. Myers uses mood to show how Steve Harmon’s surroundings affect his state of mind. The author also uses syntax to help the readers...
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...there are significant ethnic differences in the likelihood of being involved in the criminal justice system. Specifically, black people are over-represented in the system. In this essay I will talk about the reasons for these differences. One of the reasons for the differences in crime statistics is put forward but left realists Lea and Young (1993), they argue that the statistics do, in fact, reflect real life differences. Left realists see crime as the product of relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation. They argue that racism has led to the marginalisation and economic exclusion of ethnic minorities, who face higher levels of unemployment, poverty and poor housing. This means that these minorities then get things they cannot usually get by illegitimate means. Delinquent subcultures are made especially by young unemployed black males; this produces higher levels of utilitarian crime, such as theft and robbery, as a means of coping with relative deprivation. Furthermore, because these groups are marginalised and have no organisations to represent their interests, their frustration is liable to produce non-utilitarian crime, such as violence and rioting. Lea and Young also acknowledge that the police often act in racist ways and that this results in the unjustified criminalisation of some members of minority groups. However, 90% of crimes are reported by the public, not police, therefore it is unlikely that the police do not act in discriminatory ways under these...
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...Deviance & Crime “Stop! Put your hands where I can see them punk!” At that moment that's when you knew you screwed up big time. Getting involved with the cops is never fun for anyone unless you’re the cop. In this essay I will be disusing the difference between crime and deviance, The National Crime Victimization Survey, feminist approaches. Also will be getting into the different age/race/class crime rates, and the rates of crime back in the day and crime rates today. Crime is behavior that breaks the law, and deviance is behavior that differs from the socially accepted norm. Deviance is a much wider and obscure concept than crime and is therefore more difficult to define. Deviance exists in relation to what is considered `normal` in a society. For example of deviant behavior is like getting a facial tattoo or a very bold body piercing. When on the other hand an example of crime is rape, homicide or aggravated assault. Which the punishments ranges from more than a year to a life time. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), is administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistic. This national survey asked household in the United States twice a year if they have been victims of a crime and hasn’t been reported to the police. They ask approximately 49,000 to 77,400 households in the US. The survey is usually focused on rape, assault, robbery, motor vehicle theft, burglary and larceny. They use this information to build a crime index to assist the dark figure of crime. This survey...
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...Hate Crimes – Cause and Effects AIU Online Abstract This essay will look at motives of an individual and the people that may be targeted by their deviance. What causes an individual to deviate from the norms of society will be discussed along with the effects it has on an individual and members of the community. At last we will look at laws and education that may be useful in minimizing the occurrence of these deviances. Hate Crimes – Cause and Effects Hate crimes it seems are the newest deviances in our social justice vocabulary. Specific hate crime statutes started being passed by state legislatures in the late 80’s following research that showed an escalation of crime that was triggered by prejudice (Hate Crime). Emile Durkheim proposed the structural-functional approach to deviance saying that it is a necessary function to set and affirm our moral boundaries (Macionis, ch. 9, pp 197). But what is a hate crime; do we need a special classification for them and what type of individual would commit these acts? Crimes that are committed due to prejudices of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and other reasons are said to be hate motivated. Unfortunately, the federal government and the thirty plus states that have hate crime statutes cannot come together to agree or precisely define its meaning (Hate Crime). This confusion exists because of the first amendment rights to free speech and the difficulty in regulating individual’s beliefs. To find out who the...
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...Post-National Enquiries Post-National Enquiries: Essays on Ethnic and Racial Border Crossings Edited by Jopi Nyman Post-National Enquiries: Essays on Ethnic and Racial Border Crossings, Edited by Jopi Nyman This book first published 2009 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2009 by Jopi Nyman and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-0593-9, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-0593-3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ..................................................................................... vii Chapter One................................................................................................. 1 Introduction Jopi Nyman Part I: Crossing Racial Boundaries Chapter Two ................................................................................................ 8 Between Camps: Paul Gilroy and the Dilemma of “Race” Tuire Valkeakari Chapter Three ............................................................................................ 30 Breaking the Apartheid: Blocking Actors of Color in Globalized Multicultural...
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...As young black men in the United States, we are, and should be considered an endangered species. We have three strikes against us, young, black and male and that only encompasses just being born. The numbers are quite alarming when you consider that in 2012, black males ages 15 to 19 were nearly four times more likely to commit suicide, six times more likely to be victims of homicide, and eight times more likely to be involved in a firearm-related death than were females of the same age. When it comes to incarceration, African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population and are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of their white counterparts. In a black man’s lifetime, one in six black men has been incarcerated at one point in time. If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime. And when it comes to our youth, African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons The numbers are alarmingly disproportionate, and I don’t feel like it is getting better. Although there are many contributing factors that make up these numbers, it is believed that inner city crime prompted by social and economic isolation weighs heavily on the results. When you consider the crime and drug arrest rates, African Americans represent...
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...The Death Penalty The death penalty is a form of punishment in which a person who has been convicted of a serious crime is executed under the precept of the criminal justice system. The death penalty has been in existence for thousands of years and has gained wide acceptance in the United States since early colonial times. Even those who framed the Constitution specifically the Fifth Amendment approved of it though implicitly (McCord and Latzer 9). Despite the growing acceptance of the death penalty as an appropriate punishment for certain kinds of crimes such as first degree murders, there are still some people who argue against it on certain grounds. The debate as to the justification of the death penalty has raged on for a long time. On one hand, there are those who are of the opinion that the death penalty is a cruel punishment which is morally wrong and a violation of the right to life for its victims. Others defend their opposing views by citing the wave of abolition of other types of corporal punishment such as branding and flogging and propose that imprisonment should also replace the death penalty (McCord and Latzer 9). However, the death penalty has proved to be a punishment befitting certain crimes such as horrific murders as it is the ultimate punishment. It has taken many harmful elements off the streets besides acting as a deterrent for both the convicted criminals and other potential murderers out there. In essence, it has saved many innocent lives that otherwise...
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