BLUEPRINT CLARIFICATION

please be sure to review the earlier post on the blueprint requirements. I will accept blueprints up until April 20th (last day of class) and will add points accordingly (UP TO 5 POINTS) and based on merit(depending on the content and its substance)

What's on our Agenda?

So here's the plan of action for the remainder of the course:

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE MONDAY MARCH 9th
You should have watched Slum Dog Millionaire and written about how the nature of the film is so popular with the mainstream movie goer DESPITE the fact that the main character is non-violent -sensitive and caring. This is ANTI-THETICAL to Jackson Katz depiction of the "typical" male character who is violent - hypermasculine - insensitive - and conquering. How can you explain Slum Dog's popularity as a film? It does confirm Katz' s call to creating "better men" - what's your take on this?


MARCH 9th Second attempt at viewing Beyond Good and Evil (I have media services coming in to assist and hopefully we can get it done) if not - PLAN B : Training Day - Roger's House (10 minutes) we will compare/contrast REEL v REAL cops/the legal system

MARCH 16th RESEARCH & PREP NIGHT you are welcome to use 8248 to meet with your groups or you can meet on your own at other locations. Those of you who are not working in groups can utlize the time for your project development.

MARCH 23rd The following individuals will be presenting (each will present for NO MORE THAN 10 TEN minutes)

Michelle Maya
Amanda Disla
Andy Baena ****
Jessica Garzon
John Kingman
Grace Toledo
Odel Mosquero ****
Lucille Sanchez

MARCH 30th
Ana Rita Lopez (10 minutes)

GROUP CONSISTING OF:
Bertha Perron
Pamela Agrait
Melvin Pereria
Anne Surin
(no more than 45 minutes)

APRIL 6th A TIME TO KILL (MICHAEL SHEETZ AUTHOR) Book Signing Event

APRIL 13th
Michael Fernandez (10)
Michael Pizzzini (10)
Cortney Guinn
GROUP CONSISTING OF: Jose, Ernesto, Yiseny, Maria (Group will be allotted NO MORE THAN 60 minutes)

APRIL 20th

Bertha Perron (10)
Pamela Agrait (10)
Melvin Pereria (10)
Anne
GROUP CONSISTING OF : Maylie, Denis, Maria, and Leo (Group will be alotted NO MORE THAN 60 minutes)

NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR NAME PLEASE ADVISE US OF YOUR TOPIC IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE PRESENTING ON APRIL 20th

Blog Restored

I deleted the post that was giving us the trouble (700 + comments) and now I believe we have functionality again. Can we test it please.

Can we try again?

Listen guys - I went on this evening and found the problem of the word verification resolved....can you please let me know if you can post now on this blog so I know how we need to proceed. The other option of facebook is too confusing for ongoing blogging. My back up plan if our original (this) blog does not work out is www.drtelesco.over-blog.com (it's easier than twitter) We will use that as a last resort if this one acts up again with the word verification. Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll get it right.

PROBLEM WITH BLOG

There are technical difficulties with this blog. Therefore we will be temporarily utilizing a FACEBOOK page (Mdc Soj) until this can be resolved.

STEP 1 : You must join Facebook and create an account
STEP 2: FIND the class page by entering these words exactly (case sensitive) Mdc Soj (located on page 3)
STEP 3 : Make a request to become a Mdc Soj friend. (The email associated with this facebook page (Mdc Soj) is GTelesco@aol.com )

STEP 4: Mdc Soj will accept you (give this at least 24 hours)

STEP 5: You will receive an email confirmation from facebook aloowing you access to Mdc Soj page
STEP 6: Post your comment

Pitch your Project

In a FEW words tell us what your project will address and who (members in your team)will be involved (If individual tell us that)

ANNOUNCEMENT RE: 2/16 ASYNCHRONOUS (ONLINE) SESSION

I wanted to be able to give you two weeks notice that we will be having an ASYNCHRONOUS (online) session on Monday 2/16th. You do NOT need to come to class in order to participate but you will need to have access to the internet during the regularly scheduled class time . You will need to watch the movie SCARFACE PRIOR to 2/16th (which is why I am posting this announcement today). At 7:05PM on Monday 2/16 I will post a series of questions for threaded discussion relative to the film's content and we will participate in a critical analysis through a sociological lens of how media content influences our perception of people, crime and criminals. So please watch SCARFACE (even if you've seen it already - please watch it again - this time with a "sociological and social construction perspective").

You can watch SCARFACE in parts on Google video. Search Scarface Part 1 and then you can continue to view it in its parts.

Symbolic and socially constructed reality

based on the clip of "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" seen in class (see link below) answer the following:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=beats+and+rhymes&emb=0&aq=f#


1- Can you identify the socially constructed reality of how " a real man" is supposed to act?
2- Is rap music responsible for the construction of the "gangsta" in today's society?
3- Is rap music's view of women responsible for the "experienced reality" of rape and violence against women?

OUTFOXED

Based on what you saw in the documentary film "Outfoxed" and what you know of ANY of the news networks WHY would any of them fail to report the news in a fair and balanced manner? Who does it serve to report with BIAS? Who does it hurt?

Homework

Please read over Chapters 2 & 3 and then select one question from each chapter (2 questions)

Assignments Due Tomorrow

Just a reminder that both discussion questions for Chapter 1 are due tomorrow (typed) as well as at least one of the 3 ( In class activities) or the Assignment on page 27. So you are responsible for both discussion questions and one of 4 of the activities listed on page 27. We will go over it in class and then watch a documentary on the "social construction of the news" . I will then post a blog discussion question based on the film for us to discuss during the week.

RESEARCH PROJECT

You may decide to work individually or in a group. However, even those who decide to work with a group will be required to submit individually the following:

BLUEPRINT FOR GROUP ASSIGNMENT

1) A commentary on the division of workload and a DETAILED description of your specific responsibilities and what were the other group member responsibilities. (at least one page)
2) Detailed log of how many meetings were organized, who attended, who was responsible for what material, etc.. (at least one page)
3) A personal reflection paper that includes the research question being explored, a description of what you learned about yourself in undertaking this project, and an IN DEPTH ANALYIS of what stood out for you in terms of what you learned about the topic under investigation. (3- 5 PAGES)

BLUEPRINT FOR NON-GROUP ASSIGNMENT

1) A commentary on your project process. How you came up with your topic, how you plan to collect the data, what medium did you select and why. What is your research question. (at least one page)
2) A description and detailed log of time dedicated to project and a detailed list of tasks and accomplishments related to the project. (at least one page)
3) A personal reflection paper that includes the research question being explored, a description of what you learned about yourself in undertaking this project, and an IN DEPTH ANALYIS of what stood out for you in terms of what you learned about the topic under investigation. (3- 5 PAGES)

Each student will be responsible for:
1- Blueprint (commentary – log –reflection paper)
2- Presentation

The presentation is to be approximately 10 minutes per student (If a group consists of 5 students = 50 minutes for the entire group). Creativity in presentation will be required and evaluated. Consider using props, role play, games, music, photos, etc… in order to present your findings, and to include active class participation.

Some class time will be provided for groups to meet.


SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECTS:

1- Select a media source. These may include the following:

- television news broadcasts; network news shows (CBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc…);

- a newspaper (local, regional, or national) or news magazine - a primetime crime drama currently being broadcast or in syndication;

- TV crime documentaries (i.e. CSI, Forensic Files, Law & Order, Homeland Security, etc),

- a series of crime movies that deal with a particular theme (i.e. juvenile delinquency, organized crime, police corruption, deviance in women's prisons, , etc.);

- talk radio programs (crime issues)

- crime literature (magazines, comics, short stories, or novels).

- music videos (crime content)

- video games (crime content)

NOTE: If you are reviewing a daily news source(s) you should include a full listing of the number of crimes covered by category (e.g. murder, robbery, rape, property crimes, white-collar crime, computer crime, government deviance, etc.), specific details on "high profile" stories, and criminological explanations offered.
For fictional sources, you might want to choose a theme or crime type, then pick examples of the media source that features it. For example, serial crime, white-collar crime, street crime, drug crime, crime inside prisons, police deviance, sex crimes, psychopathology, war-related crime, terrorism, computer crime, hacking, family violence, school crime, etc. would make good topics. If your media source is movies, then locate a set of films that all focus on that type of crime.

2- Develop a research question that explores the criminological significance of the shows/media you have selected (such as demographic characteristics of depicted individuals, racial or ethnic stereotyping, generalizations and assumptions about the police, or the criminal justice system, criminological motivations offered, patterns or techniques, etc. The research question is the major issues you are to investigate. The goal will be to report on how a specific media source covers an aspect of the criminal justice system.
You may choose to discuss (1) law enforcement, (2) the criminal courts and criminal law, or (3) sentencing and corrections. As these are complex, choose a topic that covers an aspect of law enforcement, courts, or corrections.
For example, police stories may be tales of crime fighting activities, police deviance, social work functions, or bureaucratic activities, among others. Courts stories could focus on role players such as prosecutors, defense attorneys, or judges; or processes such as trials, plea bargaining, or jury deliberation. Look for criminological explanations offered by the media for the behavior of criminal justice agents. For example, is police deviance depicted as the result of stress, peer group pressure, racial bias, personal abnormality, etc.
Explore how your media sources reflect or do not reflect “the truth” as they relate to the above.
____________________ OR _______________________________


3- Create your own news show and develop this based on the notion that you have just been hired as news anchor for a local TV station/Radio Station/Newspaper. Management has informed you that they want a more "honest" portrayal of local crime and the criminal justice system. So you will basically be creating and presenting your own news show. ____________________ OR _______________________________

4- Create your own crime show but the twist is to develop it based on the truth in all of the aspects of the CJS

____________________ OR _______________________________

5- Create your own documentary on a crime topic ____________________ OR _______________________________

6- Explore how violent video games are impacting violence among youth
____________________ OR _______________________________
7- Explore how music videos with criminal content are impacting violence and crime in society
____________________ OR _______________________________


All topics/ideas must be submitted for approval