SOC 323

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SOCIOLOGY of POLICING Spring 2021

Instructor: Dr. Holly Campeau Office Hours: By Appointment Email: [email protected] Course Delivery:

Course Day/Time:

The course is delivered through eClass. Evaluations are both synchronous (during scheduled class time) and asynchronous (completed at home).

Mondays and Wednesdays 9am to 11:50am.

COURSE PREREQUISITE: SOC 225 or SOC 327 or consent of instructor.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Examines the nature of policing, its structure and function from a sociological perspective. Focus on theoretical analyses of policing, history of policing, police-citizen relations, the

strategies, powers and culture of police, as well as its public and private forms.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course encourages students to examine policing in its institutional,

functional, and organizational forms. We will also examine major shifts and challenges faced by the institution of policing brought on by broad social and economic change in the 21st century. Students should note that this is NOT a course on Police Foundations, Police Procedure, or Administration of Policing. Students will develop sociological understanding of policing while practicing the skills of critical analysis and academic writing.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• analyze, synthesize, and problematize diverse research findings;

• make reasoned, well-supported, and coherent arguments about policing and the criminal justice system within a social context;

• assess social practices, programs, and policies;

• understand the ways in which power contributes to marginalization and the implications of these processes for criminal justice system practices;

• effectively communicate with diverse audiences in written, verbal, and other forms.

COURSE FORMAT: This course is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. A pre- recorded lecture will be posted on eClass. Some days (but not all; see schedule) will involve synchronous group discussion and participation via Zoom. As such, while some course components will be self-paced and can be done on your own time, there will also be times when you are required to log on at a specific time for discussions and exams. You must therefore be available during scheduled class time in order to succeed in this course. The required readings are critical to this course.

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Use of eClass and e-mail

: Class announcements will be posted on eClass. Messages for individual students will be mailed to university accounts only. Therefore, it is important that you check eClass and your ualberta account regularly. Failure to do so cannot be used as a reason for dispensation of term work policies and course work requirements. Please do not email the professor with questions that can be answered by consulting this syllabus (those emails will not receive response).

CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE: Compared to an in-class environment, an online environment requires students to pay mind to their peers and their instructor in different ways. Technological interruptions, different levels of visual engagement, and the absence of in-person social interactional cues will inevitably impact the class experience. Students are to be patient and respectful of their classmates and professor, and will use the chat function in Zoom appropriately.

COURSE MATERIALS: Readings are available through the course website (eClass). Technological

equipment required for this course include a computer, speakers (or headphones/earbuds) and a microphone (camera is optional). You will also require the ability to access productivity software such as Google Apps or Microsoft Office, and a reliable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth to support watching online videos or taking part in online conferencing.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Participation: 10% Throughout (see *** weeks)

2. Midterm: 30% May 26

3. Writing Assignment: 30% June 11

4. Final Exam: 30% June 24

IMPORTANT

: Test evaluations will be remotely monitored using ExamLock. ExamLock is a quiz integrity application that limits students’ screens to a quiz interface while an exam is being completed.

(1) Participation:

Each student is assigned a Group Number (see eClass). This will be the group with whom

you will meet 4x throughout the term over Zoom (in Breakout Rooms) to discuss course content and perform group tasks. These meetings will take place during scheduled class time on designated days

throughout the term (see weeks with ***), starting at 10:30AM. This is the only time throughout this course that I will strongly urge you to share your video, though I would never make this a requirement.

Each participation meeting is worth 2.5% of your final grade (2.5% x 4=10%). Each student will serve as the

“Group Rep” at least once.

(2) Midterm:

Midterm held during class hours on May 26 and will include short and long answer questions.

(3) Writing Assignment: Op-Ed

For this assignment, you will comment on one policing problem in an op-ed style paper. You will be given a selection of topics to choose from to serve as the focus. You must first define the problem, link it to

something current (i.e., “the hook”), and make an argument about the problem that is grounded in three pieces of data or analysis you take from course material. Further instruction and op-ed examples provided on eClass.

Length: 900-1000 words (not including bibliography)

Format: Students may use their creativity here to structure their op-ed in way that resembles an actual newspaper or magazine article (Note: this is not required).

Submission: Submit your op-ed on eClass. This assignment is due June 11. There will be a link to submit papers, which will begin assigning late penalties after 11:59PM.

(4) Final Exam:

Final (non-cumulative) will be held on June 24 and will include short and long answer questions.

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GRADING:

Marks for graded course requirements are given in percentages, to which letter grades are also assigned, according to the table below. The percentage mark resulting from all graded components produces the final letter grade for the course. Marks for grades are not curved or scaled.

Letter % Pts Descriptor

A+ 90-100 4.0 Excellent

A 86-89 4.0

A- 82-85 3.7

B+ 78-81 3.3

Good

B 74-77 3.0

B- 70-73 2.7

C+ 66-69 2.3

Satisfactory

C 62-65 2.0

C- 58-61 1.7

D+ 54-57 1.3 Poor

D 50-53 1.0 Minimal Pass

F 0-49 0.0 Fail

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS (Note: The reading list will be posted on eClass) CLASS 1 (MAY 10): INTRODUCTION: Defining the “Police Idea”

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES: Orthodoxy, Radicalism, and Symbolism CLASS 2 (MAY 12): HISTORY: Socio-Historical Context of Policing in Canada

CLASS 3 (MAY 17): POLICE CULTURE: What is it? Is it Changing?

*** Group Discussion (Begins at 10:30AM)

PLEASE COMPLETE readings and lectures before meeting

CLASS 4 (MAY 19): PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS: Police Legitimacy and Legal Cynicism

PLEASE COMPLETE readings and lectures before meeting

CLASS 5 (MAY 24): NO CLASS (Victoria Day)

CLASS 6 (MAY 26): MIDTERM from 9:00 to 10:30, online

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CLASS 7 (MAY 31): Classes cancelled (Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at UofA) CLASS 8 (JUNE 2): Classes cancelled (Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at UofA) CLASS 9 (JUNE 7): PARADIGMS & PRACTICES: Part I

CLASS 10 (JUNE 9): PARADIGMS & PRACTICES: Part II

CLASS 11 (JUNE 14): INNOVATIONS IN TECH & SURVEILLANCE: Body Cams, Big Data, AI

CLASS 12 (JUNE 16): PLURAL FORMS: Private Policing and Security Networks CLASS 13 and FINAL EXAM:

June 21 – Drop-in Q&A

June 23 – Study Day (No Class)

June 24 – FINAL EXAM from 11:30AM to 1:00PM, online

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ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND MISSED GRADE COMPONENTS:

Regular attendance is essential for optimal performance. Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult the Attendance section of the University Calendar.

Absence from Term Work:

Students are expected to take responsibility for making appropriate judgments to ensure that their assignment is submitted in a timely manner. It is also the student's responsibility to back up their work either electronically or by photocopying the work for their own reference.

Requests for extensions must be received in writing along with supporting documentation preferably well BEFORE the due date. Extension will only be granted if there are legitimate medical or compassionate grounds. Students will not be given extensions due to travel, employment, vacations or other personal commitments. As a matter of fairness to all students, you will be required to support any request for extensions with supporting documentation, which may include:

For incapacitating medical illness, students can present one of the following:

o “University of Alberta Medical Statement” signed by a doctor (this cannot be required, but must be accepted if provided in lieu of other documents).

o “Request for Excused Absence or Deferral of Term Work” Faculty of Arts form

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• For all other cases, such as domestic afflictions or religious convictions, the student should submit documentation appropriate to the situation. This could include the following:

o For a death in the family – a copy of the death certificate o For a religious conflict – a letter from the church or pastor o For a car accident – a copy of the accident report

o For other serious afflictions – consult the Instructor or Department about appropriate documents

Policy for Late Assignments:

Assignments are due as specified. Late papers will incur a penalty of 5% per day (including weekends), unless prior arrangements with the instructor have been made. Papers will not be accepted 10 days after the due date.

Policy for Missed Tests:

Missed tests will generally be assigned a grade of zero. Students are required to contact me within TWO working days following the missed test (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances) to apply for an excused absence and arrange a make-up date/time.

Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted.

Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.

Absence from Final Exam

: I cannot approve or deny requests for deferred final exams. If you miss the final exam, you must formally apply to your Faculty Student Services office to be considered for a deferred final exam within two working days from the date of the missed exam (or as soon as possible, considering the circumstances). Refer to the “Absence from Final Exams” information provided in the Attendance section of the University Calendar for full details.

Date of Deferred Final Exam: Students approved for a deferred final exam will write on June 30, 2021. Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.

STUDENT RESOURCES:

The best all-purpose website for student services is: https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students.

Accessibility Resources

(1-80 SUB): The University of Alberta is committed to creating work and learning communities that inspire and enable all people to reach their full potential. Accessibility Resources promotes an accessible, inclusive, and universally designed environment. For general information or to register for services visit the Accessibility Resources webpage.

Recommended Learning Resources

:

APA Citation Style at Purdue Online Writing Lab: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

University of Alberta Centre for Writers: http://www.c4w.arts.ualberta.ca/

LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment.

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It is the policy of the University of Alberta that sexual violence committed by any member of the University community is prohibited and constitutes misconduct. Resources and more information can be found at https://www.ualberta.ca/campus-life/sexual-violence

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Academic Integrity

“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”

All students should consult the Academic Integrity website. If you have any questions, ask your instructor.

An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has handed in work that he or she could not possibly reproduce without outside assistance is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. See the Academic Discipline Process.

Audio or Video Recording

“Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the Instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or Instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).”

Course Outline Policy:

Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar.

Traditional Territorial Acknowledgement:

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

Copyright

: © Dr. Holly Campeau, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta (2021). The pre-recorded lecture material cannot be duplicated or shared in any way. Likewise, class sessions cannot be recorded or shared.

Engaging in either of these will be considered a violation of the Code of Student Behaviour and can result in serious consequences.