Sociology/Criminal Justice 422: White‑Collar Crime
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Spring 2006
T/R 11-12:15
Peck 0304
Dr. David Kauzlarich
1206 Peck Building
Phone: (618) 650‑2891
Fax: (618) 650‑3509
Email:
dkauzla@siue.edu
Web Page:
http://www.siue.edu/~dkauzla
Office Hours: 10-11, T/R
I. Course Information
Welcome to the course! White‑collar crime is a serious social problem as it is among the greatest threats to public health and safety. Indeed, the physical, financial, and emotional costs of white‑collar crime dwarf those caused by traditional street crimes such as homicide, assault, robbery, and burglary.
Our study of white‑collar crime will be organized around the following themes:
! The definition and conceptualization of white‑collar crime.
! The behavioral elements of white collar crime as illustrated by case study.
! The explanation of white‑collar crime through sociological and criminological theory.
! The social control of white‑collar crime via social and criminal justice policy and practice.
We will approach the study of white‑collar crime from sociological and criminological perspectives. We begin by defining the various forms of white‑collar crime and then move on to an examination of a number of instances/cases of the phenomenon. Next, we shall engage in a rigorous theoretical examination of the causes and correlates of white‑collar crime. Finally, we will focus on what we can do "in the real world" about the problem.
Although most of the lecture materials for this course are grounded in the assigned readings, the lectures will not duplicate (and may diverge significantly from) the readings. Therefore, it is imperative that the student reads all of the assigned readings for a particular meeting prior to the commencement of class. Additionally, the lectures will be much more understandable if you have read the assignments beforehand.
II. Required Texts
! David Kauzlarich and Ronald C. Kramer (1998). Crimes of the American Nuclear State: At Home and Abroad. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
! Neal Shover and John Paul Wright (2001). Crimes of Privilege: Readings in White‑Collar Crime. New York: Oxford University Press. (must be purchased at the Bookstore)
! David R. Simon (2006). Elite Deviance. 8th Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
! I will also provide several handouts in class.
III. Course Requirements
The final course grade will be determined by the students' performance on:
A. Three Exams..............................................60%
B. One Research Paper...................................30%
C. Class Presentation of your Paper.................5%
D. Attendance and Participation.......................5%
Exams will be mostly essay and based on both class lectures and the assigned readings. Make‑up exams will be given only under exceptional circumstances. If given, they will be completely essay in form and you must allow me at least one week to write a new exam.
The research paper and presentation: see section VI of this syllabus.
Attendance/participation: Unannounced, periodic roll will be taken. Active participation in class and group discussions is expected.
IV. Point Values and the Determination of the Final Grade
Exam I.........................................50 points
Exam II........................................50 points
Exam III.......................................50 points
Research Paper............................75 points
Class Presentation.......................12.5 points
Attendance/Participation.............12.5 points
Total............................................250 points.
Final grades will be determined by dividing the total amount of points earned by the total amount of points possible. The resulting percentage will be converted into a letter grade according to the following scale:
A 90‑100% (225‑250 points)
B 80‑89% (200‑224 points)
C 70‑79% (175‑199 points)
D 60‑69% (150‑174 points)
F under 60% (149 points and below)
V. Tentative Course Outline
1/10 Introduction to the Course
1/12‑24 What is White‑Collar Crime?
Readings:
Kauzlarich and Kramer: Forward, Chapters 1 and 2
Simon: Chapter 1
Shover and Wright: "White‑Collar Criminality," by Sutherland
Shover and Wright: "Is White‑Collar Crime, Crime?" by Sutherland
1/26‑2/2 Corporate Crime
Readings:
Simon: Chapters 3 and 4
2/7 Exam 1
2/9-16 State Crime
Readings:
Kauzlarich and Kramer: Chapters 3‑6
Simon: Chapters 6, 7, and 9
2/21-28 State‑Corporate Crime
Readings:
Handout articles by Kramer, Michalowski, and Kauzlarich (2002), and Matthews and Kauzlarich (2000).
Shover and Wright: "Fire in Hamlet," by Aulette and Michalowski.
3/2 Exam 2
3/7 & 9 No Classes ‑ Spring Break
3/14‑30 Theoretical Explanations of White‑Collar Crime
Readings:
Kauzlarich and Kramer: Chapter 7
Simon: Chapter 8
Shover and Wright: "A Rational Choice Theory of Corporate Crime," by Paternoster and Simpson; "Profits, Pressure, and Corporate Law Breaking," by Jenkins and Braithwaite; "Characteristics and sources of white‑collar crime," by Piquero and Piquero.
4/4-13 Controlling White‑Collar Crime
Readings:
Simon: Epilogue
Kauzlarich and Kramer: Reread the last section of chapter 7
Shover and Wright: "On theory and action for corporate crime control," by Braithwaite
4/18-27 Class Presentations (these dates may change depending on enrollment and other factors).
4/27 Research Paper Due in Class
5/3 (wed.) Final Exam 10‑11:40
VI. The Research Paper
Your paper should resemble what sociologists call an "analytical case study." Your primary objective should be to provide a detailed description and account of an instance of white‑collar crime, preferably the organizational variety. You can select a famous case (e.g. Ford Pinto, Watergate) or a lesser known instance of white‑collar crime. The books for this class are filled with hundreds of examples of the phenomenon, so if you are having difficulty finding an interesting and appropriate case, make sure to thoroughly consult your books for ideas.
Each student is required to present his or her paper to the class near the end of the semester. Until notified otherwise, plan on making a six minute presentation. We shall create the schedule of presentations as democratically as possible around the midpoint of the semester.
Your paper should be organized in the following manner.
Part 1: Describe the crime, event, and/or harm. Who are the actors? Who are the victimized?
Part 2: Why is the event a crime? What laws, norms, and/or standards were violated? Was there any legal action taken against the offending parties? If so, what?
Part 3: Theoretically interpret the case. Using at least two theories reviewed in class, explain why the crime occurred. Try to explain how the case can be rendered more understandable through specific theories.
Part 4: How can crimes like these be controlled? Identify both specific and general changes that could reduce the likelihood of the recurrence of this and similar crimes.
Specific Guidelines:
The paper should be between 10 and 15 pages. Graduate student papers should be around 20 pages.
Use no larger than a 12 point font and 1 inch margins.
Use a standardized reference format of you choosing.
Plagiarism of any nature will not be tolerated and result in a grade of zero on the paper.
VII. Notice to Graduate Students
In addition to a lengthier research paper requirement, graduate students are also expected to produce more theoretically and methodologically rigorous papers that are consistent with the standards of good graduate student level writing. This would include the following expectations: the extensive citation of scholarly sources, more original assertions and interpretations, demonstration of the ability to "leap" from the literature (as opposed to passive citation), and the ability to make highly logical, trenchant conclusions.
Graduate students will be expected to engage in higher levels of quantitative and qualitative class participation. Quantitatively, this means that graduate students should be more active in class and group discussions. Qualitatively, graduate students should provide commentary at a level commensurate with their class standing. This could be demonstrated by: more theoretically and methodologically grounded observations, sensitivity and knowledge of competing academic interpretations, and overall profundity of the contributions in terms of logic, coherence, and organization. I will provide feedback to each graduate student on the quality and quantity of his/her participation by the midterm so that if there are any deficiencies, the students have time to rectify the situation.