Suchergebnisse

Author's introductionIndigenous peoples are racialized, but this is not the only defining element of their identity. The sociological study of indigenous peoples informs political sociology, as indigenous peoples are a type of non‐state actor with a distinct perspective on the state and international governing organizations. The colonial power structure forced indigenous peoples to the margins of their homes and territories, which then changed rapidly around them without consideration of their voices. Today, indigenous peoples are recapturing the space to speak and they are challenging the societies that nearly overtook them and their lifeways.Author recommendsS. James Anaya 1996. Indigenous Peoples in International Law. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.This book examines the historical and contemporary issues regarding indigenous peoples and international law. Key topics include human rights, self‐determination, and negotiations with states and international institutions. The appendix includes the text of selected international doctrine related to indigenous rights. Anaya now serves as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples.Roxanne Dunbar‐Oritz 2006. 'The First Decade of Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations.'Peace and Change 31: 58–74. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0130.2006.00342.xThis explores the role of indigenous peoples at the United Nations from 1974 to 1984. During this decade, the United Nations commissioned a study of the status of the world's indigenous peoples, a Conference on Indigenous Peoples of the Americas was held in Geneva, and the drafting of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (approved by the General Assembly in 2007) began.Alexander Ewen 1994. Voice of Indigenous People. Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light Publishers.A publication including speeches by indigenous leaders to open the International Year of the World's Indigenous People at the United Nations on Human Rights Day in 1993. These speeches were given to a nearly empty General Assembly chambers.Ronald Niezen 2003. The Origins of Indigenism: Human Rights and the Politics of Identity. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Indigenous forms of resistance are distinguished from ethnic groups due to their political status. Niezen explores the emergence of the concept of indigenism, the international movement of indigenous peoples. The book examines the international response to indigenous peoples' assertions of sovereignty, diversity and commonalities across indigenous peoples, how assertions of self‐determination influence indigenous‐state and indigenous‐international governing organization relations, and the political implications of indigenous peoples' assertions of self‐determination. A brief concluding chapter names the key projects of indigenism: affirming local claims of difference, using the language and symbols of states in claims of self‐determination, and embracing the universal concept of human rights to protect and develop identity.Y. N. Kly and D. Kly 2001. In Pursuit of the Right to Self‐Determination: Collected Papers and Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Right to Self‐Determination and the United Nations. Atlanta, GA: Clarity Press.This book is a collection of conference papers from the First International Conference on the Right to Self‐Determination and the United Nations. It includes explorations of self‐determination in many political contexts: internal autonomy, secession, assimilation, restorative justice, nomadic, and international law. It also includes papers on interventions in a diverse array of cases. Conference resolutions and the titles and web addresses of pertinent documents are included.Franke Wilmer 1993. The Indigenous Voice in World Politics. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.Writing from a world‐systems theory perspective, Wilmer explores indigenous perspectives on development, colonization, and civilization. She contrasts this with the priorities of indigenous peoples, particularly self‐determination, and concludes with a consideration of indigenous voices in world politics. The book also includes many resources in its appendices, including a chronology of events related to indigenous activism, a list of international documents pertaining to indigenous peoples, and the organizations participating in the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations meetings.Online materialsUN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/ This is the official website of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It includes links to all of the forums held, along with the extensive documentation produced by each series of meetings. News headlines are posted regarding indigenous issues within the UN system, and the organization's newsletter The Message Stick, is available here. Films and webcasts can be viewed, which document indigenous participation in the UNPFII.International World Group for Indigenous Affairs http://www.iwgia.org This organization publishes extensive reports on the status of indigenous peoples globally. There are annual reports and topical reports, as well, exploring political, social, and economic issues. The page also features a news blog which offers updates on indigenous issues, particularly political issues.The Indian Law Resource Center http://www.indianlaw.org The Indian Law Resource Center is a news blog about the latest legal issues on indigenous lands around the world. It features many resources available regarding key legal decisions and publications by the Resource Center on their work to gain justice for indigenous peoples, along with the annual report of their current work.International Indian Treaty Council http://www.treatycouncil.org One of the first organizations to work with the United Nations, the International Indian Treaty Council's website offers a host of documentation regarding indigenous peoples and the United Nations, including multiple drafts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It also includes documentation on the many cases examined and fought by the International Indian Treaty Council. This website is an extensive reference for global indigenous claims. It also offers content in Spanish.Sample syllabusStudies of indigenous peoples and politics might contribute to units on justice or the state. This segment might also fit in a course on racial or ethnic diversity. I explore self‐determination in greater detail as it is a key issue to many indigenous peoples and it encompasses everything from the right to territory to linguistic rights to rights to traditional medicine, and more. This segment might also fit into more advanced courses analyzing rights or inequality. I do not recommend readings for the Examining Self‐Determination section as the readings will vary depending on your focus (topic or geography).Topics for lecture or DiscussionWeek I: Introduction and OverviewDefinitions, Problems, and Issues: who are indigenous peoples? What is their role in national and international politics?Reading:Keri Iyall Smith, 'A Review of the study of the Political Status of Indigenous Peoples in the Global Context', Sociology Compass 1/7 (2007), pp. 756–774.Week II–IV: Examining Self‐DeterminationExplore case studies of self‐determination at the local and global level. Exemplars might include: Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli), Zapatistas, Inuit of Canada and the formation of the Nunavut Territories, and the role of indigenous peoples in the United Nations.Films and videosHomeland: four portraits of native actionThis film looks at the protection of American Indian homelands as a human rights issue and explores four different movements in Native America to protect the environment and indigenous lands: Penobscot, Gwich'in, Northern Cheyenne, and the Dine/Navajo people. The Penobscots are struggling with the state of Maine to sanction a polluting paper mill, the Gwich'in fight drilling in ANWR, the Northern Cheyenne are seeking to stop methane gas wells, and the Dine/Navajo are fighting to stop uranium mining.Peyote roadThis film explores the use of peyote by the Native American Church and the American perspective on the use of peyote. It follows the case of the landmark decision, Employment Devision v. Smith, along with the legislative change that followed this decision. The film also offers a look into the Native American Church with depictions of the role of peyote in ceremonial life.In the light of reverenceThis film explores sacred sites and the conflicts that American Indians face when trying to gain access to these sites to practice their religious beliefs. The film explores four different cases, including the Wintu seeking to gain access to Mt. Shasta and fighting the New Age believers who desecrate ceremonial lands, the Hopi dispute with private land‐owners over a peak in the Four Corners region, and Lakota Sioux seeking to gain access to Mato Tipila/Devil's Tower.Adoption of the U.N. declaration on the rights of indigenous peoplesThis is a brief film that documents the occasion of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azVhsiLNDZkFocus Questions

What are political challenges to indigenous peoples – locally and globally?
What might be political opportunities for indigenous peoples – locally and globally?
What strategies will allow indigenous peoples to attain their claims?
Who are the indigenous peoples in your area? What are their claims? How has your community responded?

Project idea1. Socratic Dialogs. I use this technique to discuss complex problems from many perspectives. During the Socratic Dialog, the students do all of the talking, with minimal intervention on the part of the professor to referee the conversation as needed.During the term, we will often debate topics in Socratic Dialogs. In Socratic Dialogs, the class will respond to a well‐formulated question that requires personal responses from participants. The responses to the question will lead to a broader discussion, allowing the class to arrive at a consensus. You will be graded on your participation in Socratic Dialogs, both as Respondents and Questioners. Active participation will be rewarded! Respondents: Respondents will work in pairs to respond to a general question posed by the professor. They must also study the text closely and research the issue at hand in order to be prepared for follow up questions from the professor and classmates. Respondents will be assigned a question one week in advance to allow them to prepare. Each student will act as a Respondent twice during the semester. Questioners: When you are not a respondent, your role is to contribute to the conversation actively by asking questions, offering additional responses to questions, etc ... Use your own experiences to guide you in offering responses or asking questions.Some sample Socratic Dialog Questions include:Are tribal courts − in their contemporary or historical forms – an exercise of tribal sovereignty?Are Native Americans sovereign, even as domestic dependent nations?Is tradition a relevant source of legal doctrine for tribal law in contemporary times?How can sacred sites be preserved and sacred practices remain legal, given that American Indians exist within a foreign culture and state?Land has been called an engine of sovereignty. How can land – scarred by colonial history – also be an engine of justice for American Indians?2. Take Home Exam QuestionsIn my classes on indigenous issues I have used take‐home exams in the past. I find this to be a good way to keep the students thinking about issues as they are working, which is always my goal when writing examinations. These exams are designed to help students think creatively and critically about course readings, using them in a way that is different than what we did in class. These two questions focus on American Indian tribes and the American legal system, and the conflicts between these two political bodies.
A. Why do we have a course that examines the clash between American Indian and American criminal justice systems? Provide at least three reasons. Use citations to support your claims and examples to illustrate your points. Be sure that you always explain why or how – do not assume that I know what you mean.B. As we learned at the beginning of class, legal structures are very important tools for communities, allowing them to express and protect their values. How does the clash of cultures continue to threaten sovereignty and simultaneously empower the authority of the American federal government? What can tribes do to escape the 'clash' with their sovereignty intact?

Author's introductionSchool shootings are among the most shocking crimes to occur in recent decades, and scholars have responded the need to understand these events. Muschert presents a framework for understanding school‐related shooting incidents, including a typology of five varieties of school shootings and a multilevel examination of the causes.Description of courseJuvenile delinquency is designed to introduce students to the social phenomenon of youth crime, the social/institutional contexts that affect it, and the social control responses to delinquency. This is a senior‐level read/writing intensive course, and as such will require significant student participation, preparation, and research. In addition to engaging the topic of delinquency in general, the course will also place a research‐intensive focus on the topic of school shootings.Focus questions

What are the types of school shootings, and how do they differ with regards to the identities and motivations of the perpetrators?
What role does the mass media play in influencing public opinion about school shootings?
What appear to be the causes of school shootings, and which cause is a necessary prerequisite for a school shooting to occur?

Course goalsBy the end of the semester, students should understand the following:

Social scientific perspectives on juvenile delinquency.
The difference between social scientific perspectives on delinquency and 'common sense'/pop cultural perspectives.
The recent cultural focus on the delinquency and victimization of youth in American society.
Institutional causes of delinquency, including family, schools, and peer groups.
The juvenile justice system, including police, courts, and corrections.

Required textsBooks

Lotz, Roy 2005. Youth Crime in America: A Modern Synthesis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0‐13‐026184‐X.
Wooden, Wayne S. and Randy Blazak 2001. Renegade Kids, Suburban Outlaws: From Youth Culture to Delinquency (2nd Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. ISBN 0‐534‐52754‐X.

Articles

Armstrong, Edward G. 1993. 'The Rhetoric of Violence in Rap and Country Music.'Sociological Inquiry 63: 64–83.
Boettcher, Jennifer 2006. 'Framing the Scholarly Communication Cycle.'Online 30 (3): 24–26.
Harper, Timothy 2000. 'Shoot to Kill.'Atlantic Monthly 286 (4): 28–30.
Hawkins, Donald T. 1999. 'What Is Credible Information?' Online 23 (5): 86.
Henry, Stuart 2000. 'What Is School Violence? An Integrated Approach.'Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 568: 16–29.
Muschert, Glenn W., Melissa Young‐Spillers and Dawn Carr 2006. '"Smart" Policy Decisions to Combat a Social Problem: The Case of Child Abductions 2002–2003.'Justice Policy Journal 3 (2): 1–32. http://www.cjcj.org/pdf/smart_policy.pdf.
Muschert, Glenn W. 2007. 'The Columbine Victims and the Myth of the Juvenile Superpredator.'Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 5 (4).
Muschert, Glenn W. 2007. 'Research in School Shootings.'Sociology Compass 1 (1): 60–80.
Muschert, Glenn W. and Ralph W. Larkin 2007 (forthcoming). 'The Columbine High School Shootings.' In Crimes of the Century, edited by Frankie Bailey and Steve Chermak. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 2006. 'Juvenile Arrests 2004.' Washington, DC: US Department of Justice. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/214563.pdf.

Author recommendsRecommended texts are grouped by topic area relevant to the further study of school shootings.ScheduleSchool violenceHenry, Stuart 2000. 'What Is School Violence? An Integrated Definition.'Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 567: 16–29.Henry offers a broad definition of school violence, which includes any action or policy that leads to the harm of students, faculty, and administrators. In all, this article encourages readers to understand the issue of school violence as multifaceted in its causes, effects, and solutions.Hunnicut, Susan 2006. School Shootings. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.Designed for secondary educational settings, this book offers a series of paired articles offering opposing viewpoints on social issues related to school shootings, including media violence, bullying, and guns. Other topics include adolescent brain development, warning signs, and the relevancy of race in school shooting debates. Such a format of readings can be useful for stimulating classroom debate.Case studies of school shooting incidentsCaputo, Philip 2005. 13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings. New York, NY: Chamberlain Bros.This book is a case study and social history of perhaps a quintessential government‐type school shooting. Caputo, who is best known for his memoirs of the Vietnam War, reflects on the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University in Ohio. The author situates the event in the wider phenomenon of official responses to student social protests during the 1960s and 1970s.Eglin, Peter and Stephen Hester 2003. The Montreal Massacre: A Story of Membership Categorization Analysis. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.This book is a case study of the 1989 mass murders occurring in Montréal, in which a shooter entered a technical college and targeted female students. This book does a good job of clarifying an underlying gender dynamic that is present in many school shooting incidents, and examines the news media dynamic coverage following the incident.Kirk, Michael, Miri Navasky, and Karen O'Connor 2000. 'Frontline: The Killer at Thurston High.' Alexandria, VA: PBS Video.This PBS Frontline documentary video examines the rampage‐type school shootings that occurred in 1998 in Springfield, Oregon. In 90 minutes, the documentary examines the shooter's learning disability, fascination with guns, and troubled family relationship. Additional resources related to the video are available at the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline//shows/kinkel/.Larkin, Ralph 2007. Comprehending Columbine. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.This book is a case study of a rampage‐type school shooting that occurred in 1999 in Littleton, Colorado. The author conducted interviews with eyewitnesses, and situates the analysis within the wider community and cultural context in which the event occurred. The author interweaves the multiple‐levels of factors leading up to this quintessential rampage school shootings, including psychological states of the perpetrators, an intolerant community setting, the failure of authority figures to react, and the influence of white male rage.Moore, Mark H., Carol V. Petrie, Anthony A. Braga, and Brenda L. McLaughlin 2003. Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.This book includes six case studies of school‐related shootings, and was commissioned by the US National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Particularly of note are the studies conducted of the lesser‐known targeted school shooting incidents that occurred in New York and Chicago. In addition, this book is an excellent academic treatment of the problem of school shootings. Strong points include the attempt to conduct a cross‐case analysis linking the six case studies (Chapter 8) and an attempt to situate the problem of school shootings within school violence in general (Part II).Newman, Katherine 2004. Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings. New York, NY: Basic Books.This book links two case studies conducted in towns where two rampage‐type school shootings occurred, Paducah, Kentucky, and Jonesboro, Arkansas. Social scientists lived in the communities while researching the cases, resulting in an insightful examination of the community antecedents and effects of the shooting incidents. The author situates the two case studies within research about the problem of school shootings in general (Chapter 10), positing five factors that may cause such incidents. These include the social marginality of the shooter(s), psychological problems of the shooter(s), the availability of violent cultural images, the failure of surveillance systems to prevent attacks, and the availability of guns.FearAltheide, David L. 2002b. Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis. New York, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.This book examines the role that fear plays in guiding contemporary social action. The author argues that news media play a crucial role in creating fear, as they attach emotionally evocative frames to social problems. Thus, contemporary society is becoming more fear‐oriented and reactionary. Particularly relevant to the study of school shootings is the examination (Chapter 7) of the medias characterization of youth as increasingly involved in crimes, as victims and/or victimizers.Glassner, Barry 1999. The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. New York, NY: Basic Books.This popular book examines how people fear relatively rare events such as school shootings and airline crashes, rather than fearing more common risks such as automobile crashes, drug and alcohol addiction, and food poisoning. The author examines the mass media's coverage of crime (Chapter 2) and the role that these images play in creating public opinion about youth. The author makes a call for a sober assessment of the risks facing modern society, and advocates the sober development of public policy.MediaBonilla, Denise M. 2000. School Violence. New York, NY: H.W. Wilson.This book is an edited volume, including articles derived from mainstream news media, commenting on school shooting incidents. The news media are among the first commentators for any social problem, and they frequently play a significant role in shaping public opinion about emergent problems. This volume will aid in understanding the media discussion occurring during the late 1990s.Simpson, Roger and William Coté 2006. Covering Violence: A Guide to Ethical Reporting about Victims and Trauma. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.This book is an examination of the challenges faced by journalists who report on horrible crimes and natural disasters. This will be helpful for those wishing to understand the professional and psychological challenges faced by those covering school shootings, and for those who wish to understand how to minimize the negative impact of news reporting on the individuals (mostly children) and communities who witness school shootings.Policy responsesCornell, Dewey G. 2006. School Violence: Fears Versus Facts. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.This book identifies 19 myths about youth violence, including those relevant to school violence in general, including rampage shootings. The author shows how fear of school violence has resulted in misguided responses including boot camps to zero tolerance policies. This book is accessible to college students, educators, law enforcement personnel. The author asserts that student threat assessment is a more flexible and less punitive alternative to zero tolerance policies.McCabe, Kimberly A. and Gregory M. Martin 2005. School Violence, the Media, and Criminal Justice Responses. New York, NY: Peter Lang Pub.McCabe and Martin offer an historical overview of school violence in the USA, from the colonial period to present day. The authors examine the role of bullying and teachers' perceptions of violence in schools. Suggestions about how teachers may prevent and respond to school violence are offered.Online materialsNational Center for Education Statistics. 'Indicators of School Crime and Safety.' (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/).Published with the cooperation of the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, this annual report from the US Department of Education surveys victimization of students and teachers in US schools. In addition, the report surveys specific forms of criminality, including gun availability, gang involvement, hate crimes, and substance abuse.National School Safety Center (http://www.schoolsafety.us/).Provides information about school crime prevention and response.See in particular, the report 'School Associated Violent Deaths'. (http://www.schoolsafety.us/pubfiles/savd.pdf), which is a good source of sober information about rates of homicide and suicide in US schools.Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/).Web site run by the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, which provides information, news, statistics, conferences, and reports about juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice. Their annual reports on juvenile arrests present aggregate data derived from Uniform Crime Reports compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Research project ideaStudents can learn about school‐related shootings by conducting case studies as individual or group research projects. Assign or have students select a school‐related shooting incident, and have them research the details of the case using any available library and Internet resources. The book Deadly Lessons of Moore et al. (2003) provides an extensive list of data points in table 8.2 (pp. 266–83) that students can research relevant to their own case. Such topics include the details of the incident, community setting, school setting, background and preparatory actions of the perpetrators, community responses, and the legal disposition of the case. Students should connect their case study with Muschert's article 'Research in School Shootings', by exploring the variety of causes that contributed to the incident they studied.