Law, Society and Social Science CJS/LGS/SOC 321 Law, Society and Social Science

Prerequisites Must have an introductory social science course (in college) in criminology, sociology, psychology, or political science Must have a college-level statistics course Having taken your research methods course would be very helpful

Course Web Page Make sure you have a careful look at this page http://web.lemoyne.edu/~donn/class/soc321/soc321.htm Make sure you have a careful look at this page Print out any additional copies of documents Descriptions of assignments Announcements of changes Glossary of terms List of reserve readings Citation format for written work

Cliff Donn – “Cliff” to you! Office – RH 415 Extension – 445-4467 E-mail: donn@lemoyne.edu Office Hours Monday 9:30-11:15 Tuesday/Thursday 9:15-9:45

Sources Text – Larson and Schmidt, The Law & Society Reader II, 2014 Other articles on reserve Quizzes on the text Other articles for class discussion

Conduct of class Class discussion and discussion of reading material Attendance No tardiness tolerated and no leaving early Cell phones – TURNED OFF Don’t leave the room

Requirements and Policies Described on course outline and home page Includes quizzes, journals, case presentations, class participation and final exam Quiz dates in syllabus and home page Journals Case presentations Open to possibility of other assignments

Class Introduction Who are you? What particular areas of law interest you?

Next Time Let’s make sure we understand assignments and requirements Examine syllabus and home page carefully Discussion of case presentation assignment What is law?

Introduction Class 2

Administrative Has everyone gotten the textbook? Has everyone had the chance to have a careful look at the course syllabus and web page? Has everyone looked at the case presentation link? Does everyone understand how grades are calculated in here?

Administrative No “Valley Girls” of either sex! Other linguistic issues Format of quizzes Remember to read the articles and study them carefully Let’s talk about the case presentation exercise Do you understand it? Suggestions for topics?

Today What is law? What makes something illegal? Why do people obey the law? Key points from today’s class

I. What is law What is law? How is it different from other norms? How is it different from other rules?

II. What makes something illegal? What does it mean to describe someone’s behavior as “illegal”? Are all forms of “illegal” behavior equivalent? Why Why not? Is legality or illegality a clear-cut concept?

III. Why do people obey the law? Are most people “law-abiding”? Why? Why not? Are there laws that are commonly disobeyed? What is the impact of this on the legal system?

IV. Key Points from Today’s Class How is law different from other norms? Legality not always a clear cut concept Concept of who is “law abiding” can be somewhat arbitrary

Next Time Examine our constitution Read the US constitution for next time Find aspects you didn’t know about Identify aspects that are surprising to you Identify aspects you think would surprise most Americans

Introduction Class 3

Administrative Does anyone have questions about the course requirements? Suggestions for additional or alternative topics for the case presentations?

Review What is law? Why do people obey the law? Are most people law-abiding?

Today What is a constitution? Do other countries have constitutions? Features of the U.S. Constitution

I. What is a constitution? How is it adopted? How can it be altered? How does it relate to other laws or rules?

II. Do other countries have constitutions? Can you name other countries that have constitutions? Are there countries with unwritten constitutions? How does this work? How do you enforce an unwritten constitution? Does it matter that it is unwritten?

III. Features of the U.S. Constitution Aspects of the constitution that you didn’t know about? Aspects of the constitution that are surprising to you? Aspects of the constitution that you think would surprise most Americans

IV. Key Points from Today’s Class Not every country has a written constitution and unwritten ones can work quite well Many Americans would be surprised to read our constitution By what is in it By what is not in it

Next Time Nature of Law and Legal Systems Why and how sociologists study the law Functions of legal systems