Because history is constructed, it is important that we consider how the choices we make in the present shape our understanding of the past and our
trajectory into the future. For that reason, you will undertake a “history of the present” by tracing major shifts in the way people have discussed criminological
notions over time. In particular, you will be looking at the ways in which discussions about criminology have evolved (or not) at the highest levels of academic
discourse, on the level of introductory undergraduate-level study, and on the level of popular non-academic works.
, you will be looking at the periods 1920 to 1950and 1990 to 2020. For both of these periods, you will select five textbooks, five significant academic articles,
and five feature films for analysis. Over the semester, you will analyze these various works in depth and try understand the ways in which discussions
regarding criminal justice have changed over a century.
You must ensure that all of your academic articles are on the same subject and all of your movies are on the same subject. Ideally, you would choose the
same subject for both the articles and the movies, though this is not a requirement. Subjects should be broad enough that you can find a variety of works, but
specific enough to ensure meaningful comparisons. Examples might include: the death penalty; juvenile delinquency; incarceration; murder; psychopathy;
drug use; gender and crime; etc