Sociology of Law 43.5
Professor Alex Vitale
Fall 2008
Tuesday and Thursday 3:40-4:55 PM
Room 2611 James
Office: 3101 James
avitale@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Hours: M, Tu, Th
5 - 6:00 PM & by Appointment
Objectives
·
To differentiate between legal, ethical,
and sociological approaches to the legal system.
·
To identify sociology of law concepts in the
readings and apply them to contemporary events.
·
To read newspaper articles and professional
social science articles effectively.
·
To communicate ideas effectively in class and
in writing.
· To learn the methods of writing a sociological research paper.
Books
·
Vago, Steven. 2006. Law and Society. Upper Saddle
River, NJ.: Prentice Hall. 8th Ed.
·
Cole, David and Jules Lobel. 2007. Less Safe, less Free: Why America
is Losing the War on Terror. New York: The New Press.
·
Dershowitz, Alan. 2006. Preemption: A Knife that Cuts Both Ways. New York: Norton.
·
Posner, Richard. 2006. Not
a Suicide Pact: The Constitution
in a Time of National Emergency. New
York: Oxford.
·
All books are available at Shakespeare
& Co. and are on reserve in the library.
Requirements
·
Class Participation 15%: Students are expected to be in class on time and well
prepared. This means reading the assignment, considering the study questions, and participating in classroom discussions.
You should be prepared to be called upon to answer questions at any time.
·
Midterm Paper 30%:
This will be a 4-5 page paper that uses materials from class to
analyze a recent news event related to the domestic legal issue toed to the War on Terror. Students who submit their papers
on time and receive a grade lower than an A- may resubmit their papers the following week. A detailed assignment sheet will
be given out in class.
·
In Class Presentation 15%: Students will be assigned a reading in the second
half of the semester that they will research and provide updated information about
in class.
·
Final Paper 40%: This will be a 10 page research
paper. Students must investigate some aspect of the domestic War on Terror that they find interesting and integrate concepts
developed during the class into the paper. In advance of the final paper, a paper topic and bibliography must be submitted.
A detailed assignment sheet will be given out in class.
Ground Rules
·
If you miss class, contact the instructor
by email before the next class to receive any missed assignments, handouts, etc.
·
Please do not disturb class with cell
phones, side conversations, or excessive eating in class.
·
Plagiarism (writing someone else’s
words as your own), sharing your exam or paper with another student, or copying another student’s paper or exam will
result in an F in the course.
·
If you feel you are not doing as well
as you would like in the course you should come and see me in my office or after class. Grades can not be adjusted after an
assignment is completed or once the semester is over.
·
Course details can be viewed at http://www.alex-vitale.info
Course Schedule
Thurs. 8/28 Introduction: What is Sociology of Law?
Tues. 9/2 Vago, Ch.1 Introduction
Thurs. 9/4 Vago, Ch.2 Theoretical Perspectives p.38-62
Tues. 9/9 Vago: Ch.2 Theoretical Perspectives p.62-76
Thurs. 9/11 Vago, Ch.3 The Organization of Law p.86-116
Tues. 9/16 Vago, Ch.3 The Organization of Law p.116-144
Thurs. 9/18 Vago, Ch.4 Lawmaking p.157-190
Tues. 9/23 Vago, Ch.5 Law and Social Control p.197-217
Thurs. 9/25 Vago, Ch.5 Law and Social Control p.217-245
Thurs. 10/2 Vago, Ch.6 Law and Dispute Resolution p.259-283
Tues. 10/7 Vago, Ch.6 Law and Dispute Resolution p.283-307
Thurs. 10/16 Vago, Ch.7 Law and Social Change p.317-333
Tues. 10/21 Vago, Ch.7 Law and Social Change p.333-348
Thurs. 10/23 Vago, Ch.8 The Legal Profession
Tues. 10/28 Midterm Paper Due, Video
Thurs. 10/30 Dershowitz, Intro.
Tues. 11/4 Dershowitz, Ch1 Papers Returned
Thurs. 11/6 Dershowitz, Ch4
Tues. 11/11 Dershowitz, Ch.7; Revised Papers Due
Thurs. 11/13 Cole and Lobel, Intro; Paper Topic Due
Tues. 11/18 Cole and Lobel, Ch.
1; Research Question Due
Thurs. 11/20 Cole and Lobel, Ch.
3-4; Question Returned
Tues. 11/25 Cole and Lobel, Ch.
8
Tues. 12/2 Cole and Lobel, Ch. 9; Annotated Bibliography Due
Thurs. 12/4 Cole and Lobel, Ch. 12
Tues. 12/9 Posner, Ch.
1; Bibliography Returned
Thurs. 12/11 Posner, Ch.
4
Tues. 12/16 Handout
Tues. 12/23 Final Paper Due
