SOC 333/Juvenile Delinquency

1. Sociology 333/Juvenile Delinquency

1.1. History Lesson! Where did our Western concepts of "childhood" and "juvenile delinquency" come from?

2. 4 major theoretical paradigms under which most research on juvenile delinquency is done.

2.1. Can you relate to these theories? Can you remember how tough it can be to be a kid?

2.1.1. Post clearly written, thoughtful and complete summaries of what you are reading and thinking on our weekly Discussion Boards!

3. Let's look around! Where are kids most at risk for getting involved in crime?

3.1. Can you apply the 4 theories we're studying to the characteristics of high crime neighborhoods/communities?

3.1.1. What about the 4 sociodemographic characteristics commonly thought to have some correlation with delinquent behavior?

4. Activities and Assessment: You're reading! You're thinking! You're writing about the material on weekly Discussion Boards, sharing your ideas and opinions. And... you're being prepared to test, to apply the concepts and theories in our textbook to real world situations! You're actually going to use this stuff!!!

4.1. The Discussion Boards are great practice for essay/discussion testing situations. You receive Study Guides for all tests in plenty of time to ask questions, review, etc. You have a generous 5-day testing window in which you choose a time and place free of distractions and interruptions to do your best.

4.1.1. You receive feedback on individual test questions and overall feedback on all tests. You ask questions when you don't understand why you lost points on a particular question, and the instructor re-visits your test and re-evaluates your given answer and responds to you with detailed feedback.

5. You are curious about something you are learning about in terms of juvenile crime and US society, and you develop a simple question you want to pursue. You seek credible information that helps you gain more knowledge about the question, and you put together an independent research paper for the course.

5.1. There is detailed information in the left hand menu in the course in Blackboard. Everything you need to know about the Research Paper Guidelines is there, from examples of previous topics/research questions, to what is and isn't good, credible research material, to acceptable styles of citation to frequently asked questions to a holistic grading rubric..

6. Applying what you've learned: You explore a variety of programs of prevention and rehabilitation for juvenile delinquency, some successful, some not so successful. This gets you thinking, and writing, about ways to improve existing programs, or develop new ways to help reduce juvenile crime, thereby helping young people develop their true potential without the stumbling blocks criminal activity creates for them.

6.1. You have been exposed to a lot of information, some of it confusing, not all of it intuitive, but all of it stimulating. Your demonstrated understanding of the major theories under which most research on juvenile delinquency is conducted aid you in evaluating real world programs, and move you to come up with ways to make good programs better, and even ideas for new ways to help young people avoid crime.

7. Congratulations! Keep in touch and let me hear how you are applying what you learned in this course in your work with young people!