GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
Sociology of Deviance (SOCI 310, SectionC01)
Summer 2004

Instructor: Patricia A. Masters, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, prior to class, or by appointment.
Office Address: 326B Robinson Hall (in the Sociology and Anthropology Department)
Home Office Phone: (703) 471-9830 (Note: This number is for my office at home where you can contact me directly or leave a message. Please do not call after 9:30 p.m.)
E-mail: pmasters@gmu.edu or pattymasters@earthlink.net
Website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~pmasters

OVERVIEW
Conceptions of what constitutes "deviance," who is "deviant, and how society responds to deviance and deviants have varied throughout human history. In this course, we will discuss theories of deviance, the process of becoming deviant, emotional and psychological experiences of deviant behavior, and deviant groups, both white collar criminals and criminal subcultures.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Your grade will be based on 4 assignments, each with a specified point value. There will be no final examination, although your final paper will be due during exam week. Guidelines for each of these assignments will be distributed well in advance of their due dates.

You are expected to make a contribution to the class; thus, you should read the assigned materials before you come into class, and you should be prepared to discuss the content of these materials. I realize that this will be a challenge for a compressed summer course, but I am sure that it is feasible to keep up. Participation will constitute 10% of your grade. Attendance is required for this course, and your ability to participate depends, of course, on your presence in class. While I recognize that illness and family emergencies sometimes interfere with attendance, not being in class does not excuse you from knowing the material covered. You should get acquainted with a classmate so that you can find out what was covered, perhaps get copies of notes, and be sure that you get copies of handouts. In addition, I will have in my mailbox in the sociology department an envelope marked "Sociology 310" that will contain copies of materials distributed in class.

HONOR CODE
George Mason University is governed by an honor code, the provisions of which are printed in the University Catalog. Take the time to familiarize yourself with this information if you have not already done so. As a faculty member, I am obliged to enforce the Honor Code; as a student, you are obligated to report any violations of the code that you observe. Any violation of the Honor Code will result in an "F" for the class, and it will be reported to the Honor Committee for action.

CONFERENCES
If at any time during the semester you have questions about the material we are covering or any other concerns, I am available to discuss them with you. My home phone number is provided above if you find it difficult to make an appointment during my office hours. I want to stress that the time to discuss your questions is when the materials are covered in class; there is no such thing as a "dumb" question and other students may benefit by your questions.

BOOKS WE WILL USE IN THE COURSE
Erving Goffman. 1963. Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Touchstone Books/Simon and Schuster.

Patricia A. Adler. 1993. Wheeling and Dealing: An Ethnography of an Upper Level Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press.

Clinton R. Sanders. 1989. Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing. 1989. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

David R. Simon and Frank E. Hagan. 1999, White Collar Deviance. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
James M. Henslin. 2002. Chapter 6, “Deviance and Social Control,” pp. 128-150 in Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Michael P. Phelan and Scott A. Hunt. 1998. “Prison Gang Members’ Tattoos as Identify Work: The Visual Communication of a Moral Career.” Symbolic Interaction 21(3): 277-298 (1998).

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: June 28, 29. 30, and July 1

Course Requirements and Sociological Perspectives on Deviance; the Experience of Deviance.
Reading Assignment for the week: Stigma, Chapters 1,2, 3, 4, and 5.
Film: “Children of a Lesser God”
Assignment 1 distributed on June 30, due July 6 in class.

Week 2: July 6, 7, and 8

Evolving Conceptions of Deviance: “Tattooing”
Reading Assignments for the week: Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing, entire book; Phelan and Hunt article.
Assignment 2 distributed on July 8, due July 12 in class. :

Week 3: July 12, 13, 14, and 15

Deviant Subcultures: The World of the Upper Level Drug Dealer
Reading assignment for the week: Wheeling and Dealing: An Ethnography of and Upper Level Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community, Chapters 1-8
Assignment 3 distributed on July 13, due July 22 in class.

Week 4: July 19, 20, 21, and 22

First half of the week: Conclude Chapters 8-10 in Wheeling and Dealing;
Second half of the week: Corporate Criminals and Corporate Crime
Reading Assignment for the week: Chapters 1-4
Assignment 4 distributed on July 22, due in my mailbox, Sociology Department, 3rd floor, Robinson-B on August 3.

Week 5: July 26 and 28

Conclude Corporate Crime
Reading Assignment for the Week: Chapters 5-8

Return to Patricia Masters Online home page