Module 3: Informal Control and its Links to Formal Control
Module 3
Module 3’s readings provide a discussion of informal social control. This includes the process and agents of socialization as well as the environments that it takes place in. Throughout your reading of Anderson (1998) take in the rich descriptive detail that he provides about Germantown Avenue. Additionally, look for the themes discussed by Lippman (2021) in Chapter 11, to show up in Anderson (1998) and Sarat and colleagues’ discussion of the how capital punishment is presented to the public.
Objectives: Module 3
Following the completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe agents of and their role in socialization
- Describe the importance of social capital to social control
- Explain the shifting nature of informal social control over the life course
- Evaluate the role of race/ethnicity in legal inequities
Assigned Readings: Module 3
Beckett, K., & Herbert, S. (2009). Banished: The new social control in urban America. Oxford University Press.
- Toward Banishment: The Transformation of Urban Social Control (p. 37–62)
Chriss, J. J. (2013). Social control: An introduction (2nd ed.). Polity Press.
- Chapter 3. Informal Control (p. 55–81)
- Chapter 6. Informal Control: Case Studies (p. 135–163)
Lippman, M. (2021). Law and society (3rd ed.). SAGE.
- Chapter 6. Dispute Resolution (p. 215–246)
- Chapter 11. Law and Racial and Ethnic Inequality (p. 454–524)
Journal Articles:
- Anderson, E. (1998). The social ecology of youth violence. Crime & Justice, 24, 65–104.
- Hawdon, J., & Ryan, J. (2009). Social capital, social control, and changes in victimization rates. Crime & Delinquency, 55(4), 526–549.
- Sarat, A., Blumstein, K., Jones, A., Richard, H. Sprung-Keyser, M., & Weaver, R. (2013). Botched executions and the struggle to end capital punishment: A twentieth-century story. Law & Social Inquiry, 38(3), 694–720.
Assessment: Module 3
Quizzes and a series of questions related to the readings will be used to assess your comprehension and understanding of the concepts discussed in the assigned materials. Responses for Questions 1 and 2 should be 1–2 paragraphs in length (1-page maximum length for each question) and must thoroughly address all parts of the assigned questions. Responses to Question 3 should be 1 paragraph in length (approximately half a page).
Your response should be based on your understanding of the material, please provide direct answers to each question, not summaries of the assigned readings. The questions are structured to require that you think analytically and critically about the material when providing your response. The assigned questions are about the theories, ideas, topics, etc. discussed in the readings, not the findings of the individual readings assigned. Assigned readings serve as an example of concepts discussed in the course, but they should not be interpreted as the definitive position related to an area of research. If your response focuses primarily on explaining the results of an assigned reading, it is unlikely that you are addressing the assigned question. If you find yourself simply summarizing or paraphrasing the material described in the reading when addressing the question, stop, review the assigned question, and consider how your response addresses the concepts discussed throughout the module.
Throughout the semester, the purpose of the readings is to explore and understand the subtlety of themes related to law and social control. Although the readings may be about differing topics, there will be some concept, theme, or pattern that link the questions/articles together. The third question for each writing assignment will be your opportunity to identify and describe the themes that you have identified during your reading. Admittedly, the assigned articles for Module 3 fit together tangentially, so if you were identifying themes for this module, you would likely have more than one. Question 3 below focuses on the connections between concepts discussed in Anderson (1998) and Hawdon and Ryan (2009).
In your answers, do not use direct quotations from any sources. When providing support for your positions or examples to illustrate your points you may draw on the assigned readings, academic journal articles, or books. Please do not reference websites, magazines, newspaper articles, or other non-academic sources. Additionally, support for positions or examples may not be drawn from your individual opinions or experiences (See the “Helpful Information and Examples” page on the course homepage for a discussion of the difference between taking an academic position and a personal opinion.).
Be sure to address all portions of the assigned questions. APA style must be employed in your assignments for citations, formatting, and references. Please include only one combined reference section for all responses. Instances of plagiarism will result in a score of zero for the assignment, and the use of direct quotations will result in a 50% reduction in score.
Dr. Matusiak's description of Questions 1-3
Please answer the questions below:
- Identify and describe the themes of critical race theory discussed by Lippman (2021) which are demonstrated in Anderson’s (1998) description of Germantown Avenue, citing specific examples. Explain why your examples demonstrate those themes.
- Chriss (2013) discussed the role of mass media on informal social control. How did the media narratives identified by Sarat et al. (2013) shape public perceptions of capital punishment, and what impact has that perception had on social control in the US? Explain.
- Is the code of the streets a social capital system? Explain why or why not.
Please upload your response here (Module 3) as a Word (.doc or .docx) file. Your response is worth 50 points.
You will have one opportunity to take the Module 3 quizzes. You must read the assigned material in Lippman (2021) before attempting each quiz. The quizzes are timed (40 minutes), and you will not have sufficient time to hunt for the answers to all questions without first reading the material. The quiz is worth 40 points.
Module 3 is worth a total of 130 points.