Sociology 365: Sociology of Deviance provides a broad overview of the sociological study of rule-breaking. It looks at broad questions about rule-breaking that have also been important in other academic disciplines and that have been examined by non-specialist authors and thinkers, as well. Philosophers, theologians, historians, and psychologists have all attempted to answer questions such as, “Who breaks rules?” and “Why do people break rules?” Sociology 365 asks those same questions, but also focuses on other issues that may not have been addressed. For instance, Sociology of Deviance will also ask such questions such as, “What are rules?” “Who makes rules?” and “Why are some rules more important than others?”
Required Reading |
Hunter, Albert. 1980. “Why Chicago? The Rise of the Chicago School of Urban Social Science.” The American Behavioral Scientist 24(2):215–227. |
Kubrin, Charis E. and Ronald Weitzer. 2003. “New Directions in Social Disorganization Theory.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 40(4):374–402.
You need only read pages 374 to 379, up to the section that begins with “Reconsidering Culture.” |
Optional and Highly Recommended Reading |
Sampson, Robert J. and W. Byron Groves. (1989). “Community Structure and Crime: Testing Social-Disorganization Theory.” American Journal of Sociology 94(4):774–802.
You need only read pages 774 to 782, up to the section that begins with “Data and Methodology.” |