SOC 3630 PBC

SOC 3630—Juvenile Delinquency

Three Semester Hours

TV 11/15

Prerequisites

University Requisite: SOC 2600 

Course Overview

This course is a broad overview of the definition and measurement of juvenile delinquency and the theoretical and empirical issues that guide the study of youth behavior problems and law violation. We will cover the construction and definition of adolescence and troublesome youth behavior over recent history, the measurement and nature of delinquency, theories and explanations for delinquency, prevention, treatment, and criminal justice processing issues.

Methods of Course Instruction

All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail. 

E-Print Option

In this course, an option exists to use e-mail to submit your lesson assignments. Your assignment will be returned to you either as an e-mail attachment or as a hard copy sent through the postal mail, depending on the preferences of the instructor and/or program. 

Textbooks and Supplies

Bartollas, Clemens and Frank Schmalleger. Juvenile Delinquency. 9th ed. Pearson, 2014. [ISBN: 9780132987318]

Number of Lessons

The course has seven lessons, including one midcourse examination and one final examination. These lessons include:

• Lesson 1: What is Delinquency? 
• Lesson 2: Measuring Delinquency
• Lesson 3:
  • Part A—Individual Theories of Delinquency
  • Part B—Structural Theories of Delinquency
  • Part C—Delinquency Theories: Process and Reaction
• Lesson 4: Midcourse Examination
• Lesson 5: 
  • Part A—Gender, Social Institutions and Delinquency
  • Part B—Family and Delinquency
  • Part C—School and Delinquency
• Lesson 6: Delinquency Prevention
• Lesson 7: Final Examination

Types of Writing Assignments

At the end of five of the lessons, you will find a writing assignment that will challenge you to apply what you have learned in the textbook and course lessons. These assignments should be typed and double-spaced. If you do not have access to a computer or typewriter, you may neatly print your essays. Each writing assignment is worth 20 points. There are also five multiple-choice questions (worth one point each) and a short essay (worth 15 points). You will be graded on your careful consideration of the question posed and your use of course material (i.e., the textbook and lesson) to construct a coherent, persuasive essay.