1. Capstone in Sociology: Sociology 450
Fall 2015
Mon/Wed/Fri 1-2:05pm
Room: Cowell Hall 419
Professor Kimberly Richman Teaching Assistant: Nolizwe Nondabula
Office: KA 256 Email: malabese85@yahoo.com
Phone: (415) 422-5414 Phone: 510-872-2226
Email: kdrichman@usfca.edu Office Hours: Tues 10-11am or by appt.
Office Hours: Mon/Wed 10:30-11:30am or by appt. in Cornerstone Café
Course Description
The purpose of this course, which fulfills USF’s Service Learning requirement and is required for senior
Sociology majors, is to allow students to synthesize (or bring together)—and bring to bear—the
theoretical knowledge, research skills, substantive concerns, and social justice practice they have learned
as Sociology Department members at USF. Each semester, the professor leading the seminar will select
as the focus of the course a particular topic of social concern, will prepare an initial set of readings, and
will line up one or more community partners with whom seminar members will work. This semester we
will be focusing on Justice, Incarceration and Communities. Working individually and in teams, you
will tackle the selected topic in four related ways: through theoretical and empirical readings about
crime, justice, incarceration, and reentry/reintegration that shed light on its dynamics and the possible
causes and consequences of successful or unsuccessful reentry, through secondary research that
investigates empirical findings on particular aspects of the topic, through primary research that
investigates attempts to pursue social change in this particular arena, and through work with one of four
local agencies serving the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. In other words, in this seminar you
will apply the major tools, skills and ideas you have developed in your time at USF, attempting to
understand a particular social issue through a sociological lens, and to link theories of social (in)justice
to the practice of social change. Students will generate a final portfolio that includes a theoretical essay,
a data collection plan, a review of empirical literature, a research report, and reflection papers on your
readings and service learning work.
Learning Goals
Upon completion of this course, students are expected to have demonstrated the ability to:
• Critically analyze social practices, structures, and inequalities;
• Discuss and differentiate major sociological theories, frameworks, and traditions;
• Formulate, conduct, and communicate independent social research; and
• Link sociological theory and research to practical social action.
Service Learning Goals
As part of your service learning project with a service provider in the Bay Area, you will:
• Complete one or more projects of need to the service provider you are assigned to (examples
include community outreach, organizing, client need assessment, evaluation of services, etc.)
• Collect data, complete an analysis, and present a report on a project which brings together your
chosen area of research and the needs of the organization.
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2. Course Web page: The Canvas web page for this course can be found at connect.usfca.edu (login, click
“Learning Technologies” tab, click “Instructure Canvas”, and follow course menu links). Please
check it regularly for important announcements. You will also find some of your required
readings (marked in the syllabus) on Canvas.
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3. Required Reading
The required books for this class can be purchased at the USF bookstore. These are also available at the
Gleeson Library reserves desk for 2 hour check-out.
1. Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives by Shadd Maruna (American
Psychological Association, 2001); Also available online at:
http://0-psycnet.apa.org.ignacio.usfca.edu/index.cfm?fa=browsePB.chapters&pbid=10430
2. Invisible Punishment: The Collateral Consequences of Mass Imprisonment, edited by Marc
Mauer and Meda Chesney-Lind (The New Press, 2002).
3. Additional articles on Canvas or on reserve (specified in weekly reading assignments)
Suggested Reading: For some class sessions you will note I have indicated suggested reading on the
topic. These readings are suggested for exploring the topics in more depth and complementing what is
in the required reading. They will be good resources for you should you choose to write your paper on
their topic, and/or in compiling your literature review.
**You are expected to have completed the assigned readings by class time on the date indicated in the
syllabus, and come to class prepared to discuss them. In addition, each student will be responsible for
leading one class discussion on the readings. A sign-up sheet for this will be passed around on the first
day of class.
Grading
Class participation/facilitation: 15%
Service learning hours: 10%
Research site report: 5%
Data collection plan and instrument: 5%
Literature review paper: 15%
Theoretical essay: 15%
Research paper and presentation: 25%
Weekly reading/service learning memos: 10%
**Papers are due in both printed form (on paper) and on Turnitin.com (in electronic form) at the
beginning of class (1:00pm) on their respective due dates. NO late assignments or papers will be
accepted (barring extreme circumstances, such as debilitating or life-threatening illness or injury). If
you cannot come to class on the day an assignment is due, you are expected to arrange for its on-time
delivery to me through a friend or classmate. If you have a documented disability requiring due date
extension accommodations, please let me know ASAP- this must be arranged well in advance of the due
date.
**NOTE: Cheating and plagiarism are grounds for dismissal from this class with a failing grade.
Additional information on academic dishonesty will be passed out separately in class, and students are
responsible for knowing and using the information therein. This includes use of unauthorized materials,
copying/sharing independent work, and plagiarism. Please also be aware that all assignments will be
submitted to Turnitin.com (via Canvas), which will be used to scan papers for plagiarism. If you are
having difficulty writing in your own words, see the professor, TA or the Learning and Writing Center
staff for assistance ASAP.
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4. Attendance and Participation
On time attendance and participation in this class are required. Please note that this is not a lecture
class, it is a seminar. This means that the class you will not be lectured to; rather, you and your
classmates will engage in critical discussion, with the professor and each other, of the day’s readings and
topic. Therefore, consistent and informed participation in class discussions is crucial to your
success, and will account for 15% of your final grade. Simply showing up to class is NOT enough to
earn you full participation points. Make sure you have read the assigned readings for that day prior to
coming to class and are prepared to summarize and critically discuss them. Part of your participation
grade will be based on your facilitation of class discussion on the readings on a chosen day. If you miss
class, you are expected to make up the materials and/or obtain notes from a classmate on your own—
please do not expect me to repeat the entire class discussion for you. If you have attended class but are
having a hard time understanding the concepts discussed, however, you are encouraged to come to my
office hours ASAP with questions or to discuss the materials, or visit the Learning and Writing Center
(LWC) in Cowell 215. Please DO NOT use cell phones, tablets, or laptops in the classroom. Anyone
whose cell phone rings or who is caught texting or using a smart phone during class will be penalized by
either a full or half grade, at the professor’s discretion.
**PLEASE NOTE: More than 4 absences of ANY kind will result in a lowering of your final grade by
one full letter grade. More than 8 absences of ANY kind will result in AUTOMATIC FAILURE of the
class. If you sustain a serious incapacitating illness or injury requiring extended hospitalization or home
care, or you have a documented disability that will affect your ability to attend class, talk to me ASAP
so that arrangements can be made. Otherwise, no exceptions will be made.
Tardiness: You are expected to be in your seat at the start of class at 1:00pm. If you come to class after
role has been taken and class discussion has begun, you will be marked late. Each lateness will be
counted as one-half day absent; in other words, each two days you are late count as one absence, and
will be applied to the absence policy outlined above.
**Note on laptops/tablets: Unless you have a documented disability requiring use of a laptop or tablet
in class for the purpose of taking notes, they are not to be out during class time.
Service-Learning
Your activities as a service-learning student are intended to put the University’s mission to serve the
larger community into action. In this capacity you are expected to provide direct service as needed by
your assigned community service learning partner as well as act as a participant researcher, gathering
data to help inform both your own sociological research and the community partner. You will be
expected to discuss with the agency their needs and come to an agreement as to the weekly service and
larger end product you will provide them with. The primary goal of your service experience in the wider
community is to bring to life social problems such that your practice will inform your ideas and your
ideas will inform your practice. We will integrate the field experience with the course curriculum
through such methods as directed readings, reflective writing, and group discussion.
The service-learning component of this course, which is mandatory, requires that you complete a
minimum of 25 hours of service (excluding travel time and research done at home) with either the San
Francisco Office of Adult Parole, Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal, or Root and Rebound.
While working in these agencies you will be expected to act in a responsible manner. You must keep
scheduled work hours and complete assigned duties. You also are expected to maintain respectful
working relationships with supervisors, employees, fellow volunteers, and clients. Please note, your
personal data collection does not count as service learning hours unless otherwise specified.
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5. Weekly readings and discussion topics
*Suggested readings are in italics; all others are required
WEEK 1
August 26: Introductions; Overview of the course and introduction to incarceration and reentry
Read: Syllabus (for next class)
Homework: Submit test Turnitin.com document
August 28: Common themes/What we know about sociology; Introduction to roots of the problem:
Incarceration and parole (begin)
Read: Sociology course syllabi (bring to class); Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Introduction; Travis Ch. 1
“The Rise and Fall of the Indeterminate Sentencing Ideal” (on Canvas)
Homework: Start researching service learning sites and thinking about schedule
WEEK 2
August 31: Introduction to service learning sites and resources for formerly incarcerated
Read: Travis Ch. 5, “Prisoner Reentry and Public Safety” (on Canvas); review webpages for service
learning sites
Guest speaker: Adrian Tirtanadi, Bayview Hunter’s Point Community Legal
September 2: Introduction to service learning sites and resources for formerly incarcerated
Read: Travis Ch. 3, “The Extended Reach of Supervision” (on Canvas)
Guest speakers: Steve Lin and Martin Figueroa, SF Adult Parole; Clinton Thomas and Joe Calderon,
Peer Reentry Navigation Network
September 4: Introduction to service learning sites and resources for formerly incarcerated
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 4
Guest Speaker: Buffy Hutchison, Root and Rebound
WEEK 3
September 7: LABOR DAY: NO CLASS
September 9: Finalize service learning sites; The experience of incarceration and reentry; Parole,
who’s coming home, and what they need
Read: Start reading for Friday; Richards and Jones, “Beating the Perpetual Incarceration Machine”
(on Canvas)
Guest Speaker: Henry Frank, member of Alliance for CHANGE
September 11: First weekly reading memo due; Roots of the problem: The criminal justice system,
mass incarceration and its contributors (finish)
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 6; Travis Ch. 2, “The Growth of Incarceration” (on Canvas);
Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 12
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6. WEEK 4
September 14: Effects of incarceration on individuals
Read: Liebling and Maruna, “Introduction: The Effects of Imprisonment Revisited” (on Canvas);
Jamieson and Grounds, “Release and adjustment: Perspectives from studies of wrongly convicted and
politically motivated prisoners” (on Canvas); Irwin and Owen, “Harm and the contemporary prison”
(on Canvas)
September 16: The effects of incarceration, continued
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 1 and 3
September 18: Reentry, employment, and poverty
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind Ch. 5; Travis Ch. 7, “Work” (on Canvas)
WEEK 5
September 21: Women and reentry
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 5 and 8; Opsal, “‘Livin on the Straights’: Identity, Desistance,
and Work among Women Post-Incarceration” (on Canvas); Leverentz, “People, Places, and Things:
How Female Ex-Prisoners Negotiate Their Neighborhood Context” (on Canvas)
September 23: Reentry and families
Read: Mauer and Chesney Lind, Ch. 7; Travis Ch. 6, “Families and Children” (on Canvas)
September 25: Critical Diversity Forum: Meet at McLaren Center Complex
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 9
WEEK 6
September 28: Research site report due; Reentry and housing/homelessness
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 2; Travis Ch. 9, “Housing” (on Canvas)
September 30: TOUR OF SAN QUENTIN: Meet at K Hall Lobby 9am
October 2: Effects of incarceration on communities; Literature review workshop [BRING
EXAMPLES]
Read: Mauer and Chesney-Lind, Ch. 11; Examples of literature reviews on Canvas and others found on
your own; Review readings thus far
WEEK 7
October 5: What works in reentry
Read: Farrall and Maruna, “Desistance-Focused Criminal Justice Policy Research: Introduction to a
Special Issue on Desistance from Crime and Public Policy” (on Canvas); Farrall, “Social capital and
offender reintegration: Making probation desistance focused” (on Canvas); Taxman, Young and Byrne,
“With eyes wide open: Formalizing community and social control intervention in offender reintegration
programs” (on Canvas)
October 7: Literature review peer review workshop [BRING DRAFT]
Read: Classmates’ literature review drafts; catch up on any reading you haven’t done
October 9: Data collection/Service learning
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7. WEEK 8
October 12: Literature review due; Research questions/proposals; Theorizing reentry, resilience, and
desistance from crime; Bring research methods syllabi/assignments to class
Read: Maruna Introduction and Ch. 1; Maruna, Immarigeon and LeBel, “Ex-offender reintegration:
theory and practice” (on Canvas)
October 14: Methods/data collection workshop: Refining and testing your research question
Read: Maruna Ch. 2; Mills, “On Intellectual Craftsmanship” (on Canvas)
October 16: Data collection/Service learning
WEEK 9
October 19: FALL BREAK: NO CLASS
October 21: Data collection plan and instrument(s) due; Theorizing recidivism and desistance: Risk
factors, identity, and offender narratives; refining your research question
Read: Maruna Ch. 3 and 4
October 23: Data collection/Service learning
WEEK 10
October 26: Theorizing desistance from crime; offender narratives, generativity, and reentry
Read: Maruna Ch. 5 and 6
October 28: Theorizing desistance from crime; offender narratives and identity
Read: Maruna Ch. 7
October 30: Data collection/Service learning
WEEK 11
November 2: Review/critique Maruna and other theories of incarceration/reintegration; brainstorm our
own
Read: Maruna Ch. 8
November 4: Peer review workshop theoretical essay [BRING DRAFT]
Read: Classmates’ theoretical essay drafts
November 6: Data collection/Service learning
WEEK 12
November 9: Theoretical essay due; Connecting literature, data, theory and practice
Read: Your literature review, weekly memos, and data/observations [bring all of these to class]
November 11: Workshop/report on data collection
Read: All of your data
November 13: Data collection/Service learning
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8. WEEK 13
November 16: Data analysis workshop; Outlining research paper [BRING DATA]
Read: Examples of research papers on Canvas
November 18: Draft #1 of research paper due; Research paper workshop and critiques [BRING
DRAFT]
Read: Classmates’ research paper drafts
November 20: Data collection/Service learning
WEEK 14
November 23: Presentation preparation; Research paper workshop and critiques [BRING
DRAFTS OF BOTH]
Read: Classmates’ research paper drafts
November 25-27: THANKSGIVING BREAK: NO CLASS
WEEK 15
November 30: Deliverables due to community partners; Research presentations
December 2: Final research paper due; Research presentations; Class celebration!
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9. Description of Required Written Assignments
Research Site Report (3-4 pages)
This short report should describe the research site for your service learning. What is the name, history,
and mission of the organization? What services (direct or indirect) does it provide? Who are its target
clientele? Where does its funding come from? What is the physical environment like? How large is the
staff and what are their professional roles? How often do you interact with clients and/or staff? You
should also discuss how the site will work for the purpose of your research project: what type(s) of data
do you think you will be able to gather at this site? Will you have an opportunity to observe the
provision of direct services? Will you be able to interview clients? Are there spaces to do these
interviews? What need(s) could you fill for this community partner during the course of your service
learning? Finally, think about how the nature of the service learning site and its mission might lead you
to direct your research: what type of focus or questions within the broader topic of incarceration, justice,
and reentry might this site lend itself to? Is there anything particularly unique or interesting about the
needs they address or the clients they serve? What type(s) of information, which you could research,
would benefit the site? Papers due in class by 1pm on September 28.
Literature Review (6-7 pages)
This literature review paper pushes you to find out just what other researchers have discovered about the
social problem we’re studying and addressing in our work. You may focus on a particular issue in
reentry, or you may focus on the topic more broadly (if you do the former, please discuss the focus with
the professor first). Using the scholarly sources provided by the instructor, as well as a minimum of six
(6) additional sources from your own secondary research, your paper will address such questions as:
What kinds of questions have sociologists asked about the issue? What have been the major debates in
this field of study? How have they gone about studying it? What sorts of data have been collected on
the topic and what do they reveal? What have been the major empirical findings in the field to date?
What light does existing empirical research shed on your own understanding of the problem of
reintegration, of the work of your community service learning partner, and of the actions that might be
taken to effect change in this arena? DO NOT simply copy or restate what is written in the books and
articles—use your own analytical skills to interpret the findings, synthesize them, and present common
themes, questions, and trends emerging in the literature. Papers must be turned both printed and
electronically on Turnitin.com by 1pm on October 12.
Data Collection Plan and Instrument (length varies)
You will be required to turn in a short (1 page) summary of your plan for data collection as well as a
sample of the data collection instrument you have designed. What research method(s) will you use:
participant observation, interviews, surveys, focus groups, archival data? How will you obtain these?
Why are they the best methods for your project? What are their limitations? Due in class on October
21.
Theoretical Essay (5-6 pages)
This paper asks you to theorize crime, incarceration, justice, and/or reintegration in the United States,
from at least two different sociological perspectives. Drawing on readings provided by the instructor as
well as four (4) sources from your own secondary research, the essay will cover such questions as:
How, in general, do different schools of sociological thought understand the relationship between
communities, social structures such as race/class/gender, crime, incarceration, and rehabilitation? How
do these different perspectives assess the cause of the specific problem we’re taking on? How might
they therefore imagine different solutions? Which perspective or perspectives do you think is most
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10. accurate and why? Papers must be turned both printed and electronically on Turnitin.com by 1pm
on November 9.
Final Research Paper (12-16 pages)
In this research paper you will investigate, report on, and analyze one aspect of the course topic. You
will decide on a research question; design primary research that addresses your question; collect data on
the topic, using interviews, focus groups, surveys, participant-observation, and/or another sociological
method; analyze what answers the data provide about your question; and write the findings up into a
report. The data and literature for this paper may be researched and presented by student teams, but the
paper must be your individual work. Your paper should incorporate a minimum of 8 scholarly sources,
with no more than half of these being assigned class readings. It should include an introduction,
literature review, methodology, theoretical analysis, presentation and discussion of findings from your
data, and a conclusion. Papers must be turned both printed and electronically on Turnitin.com by
1pm on December 2.
Weekly Reading/Service Learning Memos (1-3 pages each)
In these short weekly papers, you will summarize your thoughts on the scholarly and service learning
work you’re doing. In the first half of class, they will simply be summaries of the assigned reading (you
may additionally share your thoughts on the reading if you wish). In the second half of class, they may
focus on your service learning experience. Here, the emphasis will be on connecting theory and
practice, and connecting micro and macro levels of social experience. Topics may include: 1)
connections between readings from the course and your service learning activities; 2) particularly
enlightening or challenging moments in your service learning that week; 3) debates you encounter
between different methods or strategies in your research or service learning tasks; or a combination of
the above. These papers do NOT have to be turned in to Turnitin.com, only a hard copy is required.
**PLEASE NOTE: Any papers containing sentences or passages directly lifted from the readings,
outside sources, other students’ papers, or your own papers turned in for other classes will be treated
as plagiarism and receive no credit. When in doubt, cite your sources throughout your paper (in
standard ASA format). Correct grammar and spelling is required—yes, writing counts! Papers should
also be concise and well organized. For all except the weekly reading/service memos and data
collection plan/instrument, make sure you include a title page with your name and the topic or title of
the paper, a reference list, and make sure to number your pages.
Workshops
Some of our class periods will be used to workshop your papers and research in advance of their due
date- in other words, present your work as it currently stands, receive feedback from your classmates
and the professor, and collectively brainstorm and discuss ways to improve it and move forward. On
these days, marked in the syllabus or announced in class, you will need to distribute a draft of your
assignment to your classmates and the professor via Canvas or email a minimum of 24 hours before the
due date/time. Two student readers will be assigned to each draft, and are expected to read through their
colleague’s drafts and come to class ready to offer questions and suggestions for improvement. On the
date of the workshops, you should bring your own paper draft as well as the drafts you receive from
your classmates (particularly the two you are responsible for critiquing), preferably with written
comments. **Please note: Completing and sending rough drafts for these assignments is NOT
OPTIONAL—it is required. If your draft is late or not turned in, you will not receive full credit on the
final assignment.
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