UNIT 1. Deviance1. On the Sociology of Deviance, Kai T. Erikson, from Wayward Puritans: A Study in the Sociology of Deviance, Allyn and Bacon, 1966.
Kai Erikson discusses the social definition of deviance. He also describes Emile Durkheim's belief that deviance is both normal and functional in a healthy society. Durkheim believed that deviance is functional because it sets moral boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, creates an increased sense of group solidarity, and promotes social change.
2. Darwin's Truth, Jefferson's Vision: Sociobiology and the Politics of Human Nature, Melvin Konner, The American Prospect, July/August 1999.
Sociobiology has emerged over the past quarter century, integrating assumptions of both sociological and biological theories to explain social behavior. Specifically, sociobiologists assume that human behavior may, in part, have a basis in evolution.
3. Taboo: Don't Even Think about It!, Michael Ventura, Psychology Today, January/February 1998.
Taboos exist in every society, and, at least to some extent, define what a society considers to be deviant or not deviant. Taboos may be universal to almost all societies, such as is the case with the incest taboo, or taboos may be limited to a specific society or culture. For example, in India it is a taboo to eat beef. This article discusses a number of American taboos.
4. Mortality around the World, Lawrence E. Sullivan, The World & I, July 1998.
Death, like birth, is part of the lives of all human beings. However, each society has different norms and beliefs associated with death. Lawrence Sullivan deals with the various perceptions and practices associated with death in a number of different societies.
5. Marks of Mystery, Elizabeth Austin, Psychology Today, July/August 1999.
People respond to scars with fear, revulsion, and fascination. Natural scarring and scarification are discussed within the context of meanings that people attach to such body marks. While in some societies scars are merely reminders of injury, in other societies scarring, like branding and tattooing, are socially defined as signs of beauty or attraction.
UNIT 2. Crime6. Men, Honor and Murder, Richard E. Nisbett and Dov Cohen, Scientific American, Summer 1999.
Why are Southern men more likely than other men and all women to murder other human beings? Nisbett and Cohen, through their research, suggest that there is a "culture of honor" that underlies some high murder rates. Surveys find that Southerners are more likely than any other regional subculture to favor the use of violence to defend their property, respond to insults, and socialize their children.
7. We Are Training Our Kids to Kill, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, The Saturday Evening Post, July/August 1999.
Dave Grossman, an expert on why soldiers kill in battle, attempts to demonstrate that we are training our children to kill in the same way that the military desensitizes soldiers in order to train them to kill the enemy. Grossman blames the mass media, movies, television, and video games for juvenile murder in the United States.
8. Stopping Abuse in Prison, Nina Siegal, The Progressive, April 1999.
Women inmates across the United States are becoming victims of violent crimes perpetrated by the guards who are sworn to protect them. It is not unusual for female inmates in our prisons to be beaten, abused, and raped. How else can one explain inmates becoming pregnant when conjugal visits are forbidden? Only in the past few years have the courts sided with female inmates.
9. Can Hackers Be Stopped?, Brendan I. Koerner, U.S. News & World Report, June 14, 1999.
Computer hacking, or breaking into protected computer environments, has become more popular in recent years, as the growth of the Internet has allowed hackers increased access to remote computer networks. Computer hackers can leave simple messages announcing their actions, or, at worst, can totally destroy a company's or government's computer network, eliminating years of work with the click of a mouse, and possibly endangering the welfare of many innocent people.
10. Stolen Identity, Margaret Mannix, U.S. News & World Report, June 1, 1998.
Just imagine that you apply for a new car loan only to be told that your credit is so poor and that you owe so much money that you may never qualify for a car loan again. Do you think your credit is safe from others? Think again. Countless people who have always paid their bills on time and never missed a payment are finding out that their credit is ruined because a stranger borrowed their credit history to perpetuate fraud.
UNIT 3. Family Deviance11. The Problem with Marriage, Steven L. Nock, Society, July/August 1999.
Nock argues that "the continued centrality of gender in marriage--and its growing irrelevance everywhere else--explains many contemporary family problems." He suggests that the solution to such problems is simply "to restore marriage to a privileged status from which both spouses gain regardless of gender."
12. I'm O.K. You're O.K. So Who Gets the Kids?, Susan Douglas, Ms., June/July 1999.
Historically, when a couple divorced, the ex-wife typically retained custody of the children. While the same trend continues today, it is less certain that the mother will receive custody. In an increasing number of cases, stay-at-home fathers are not only receiving custody of the children, but are also receiving child support and alimony payments from their ex-wives.
13. How Are We Doing with Loving? Race, Law & Intermarriage, Randall Kennedy, InterRace, Volume 9, Number 3, 1999.
In Washington, D.C., in 1958, Richard Loving, a white man, married Mildred Jeter, a black woman. They then returned to their home state of Virginia, were prosecuted under a state law barring interracial marriages, and were sentenced to one-year jail sentences. In Loving v. Virginia, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned their convictions. Randall Kennedy, a proponent of interracial marriage, explores the issues surrounding such unions.
14. The Perils of Polygamy, Vince Beiser, Maclean's, July 26, 1999.
Imagine being married to a man, who is also married to several other women, and you all live together as one family with all of your children under one roof. Polygamy is against the law in every state. However, there are an estimated 20,000 to 100,000 polygamous families in the United States today. This article deals with some of the issues of living in a polygamous marriage.
15. The Consequences of Violence against Women, Lisa A. Mellman, Scientific American, Summer 1998.
One-quarter to one-half of all the women who are murdered in this country die at the hands of their husbands or male partners. Death is the ultimate end of a pattern of abuse that leads to personal and emotional injury. Furthermore, children who are exposed to their mothers' battering may grow up to expect that battering is an acceptable form of behavior in a marriage.
UNIT 4. Organizational Deviance16. An American Sweatshop, Mark Boal, Mother Jones, May/June 1999.
In the news we increasingly hear and read about the miserable sweatshop conditions in overseas factories that produce our sneakers, clothing, and soccer balls. Surely these abuses could never occur here. But such abuses do occur in the United States, at factories that produce uniforms for the United States Department of Defense.
17. Razing Appalachia, Maryanne Vollers, Mother Jones, July/August 1999.
Big coal companies have spent decades mining coal in Appalachia. First they sent miners deep into the ground to bring up the coal. Then they found it was more economical to strip mine the rock. Now, it is even more profitable to level the mountains. Leveling the mountains in the name of profits has led not only to environmental destruction, but to social destruction as well.
18. It's What's for Dinner, Paul Cuadros, The Progressive, July 1998.
Imagine biting into a nice, big, delicious taco made with cooked hamburger meat. Do you know what is in that meat? You may not want to know the answer to that question. It may be entirely beef, or not. It may have E. coli. bacteria in it, or not. It may even have cattle feces mixed in with it. Meat that is recalled due to contamination often is reprocessed and cooked before being shipped to your favorite restaurant.
19. What Doctors Don't Know, Michael L. Millenson, The Washington Monthly, December 1998.
When you are sick, you go to your physician expecting that he or she will cure whatever ails you. In the majority of instances, you get better in a few days, and go on with your life. Think about what may happen, however, if your doctor is not current on the latest medical knowledge and techniques. Thousands of patients annually undergo unnecessary surgeries, performed by inexperienced surgeons, who fail to try proven drug therapies first.
20. Sex @ Work: What Are the Rules?, Gloria Jacobs and Angela Bonavoglia, Ms., May/June 1998.
Is it innocent flirting, or is it sexual harassment? Company rules, state and federal laws, and other regulations are often contradictory and confusing. What are the facts? What is fiction? What can you do? What can you not do? This article attempts to sort out these issues.
UNIT 5. Drugs21. Addicted, J. Madeleine Nash, Time, May 5, 1997.
For many years, it has been known that there are people who suffer from addictive personalities. At various points in their lives, these people may be addicted to illegal drugs, legal drugs, food, sex, and many other things. While scientists do not totally understand the mechanism behind addiction, they are coming closer to being able to tell why some people become addicts and others do not.
22. Passion Pills, Judith Newman, Discover, September 1999.
Science is finding answers to a cornucopia of medical problems. Viagra, although it has risks, gives impotent men the opportunity to find pleasure once thought to be lost forever. Other experiemental drugs are being developed to enhance blood flow and boost the libido. While the chance to enhance pleasure is important, equally important are the health risks, both known and unknown, that may be associated with such drugs.
23. Crank, Walter Kirn, Time, June 22, 1998.
Methamphetamine, or crank or meth or crystal, as it has been variously nicknamed, has quickly become the drug of choice in rural America. A stimulant, methamphetamine is easy to produce using simple ingredients that can be inexpensively purchased at any supermarket. It is much less expensive than cocaine, and produces a powerful addictive high that leaves users desperate for more and on a downhill spiral.
24. More Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic Monthly, April 1997.
In the 1950s, the movie Reefer Madness warned Americans about the alleged dangers of using marijuana and the need for tough penalties for anyone caught selling or using marijuana. Today, legislators seek to blame drugs for all of society's social problems. They pass vindictive drug laws without considering the impact of their legislative efforts on individuals or the increasing social problems to which such laws may contribute.
25. Beyond Legalization: New Ideas for Ending the War on Drugs, Michael Massing, The Nation, September 20, 1999.
Michael Massing, like many academic researchers and policy makers, has reached the conclusion that the "War on Drugs" has failed. He points out that while there is some consensus on some of the things that should be done, that consensus breaks down long before everyone agrees on what needs to be done. Massing discusses some of the issues that need to be addressed before a solution for the drug problem can be formulated.
UNIT 6. Sexual Deviance26. Where'd You Learn That?, Ron Stodghill II, Time, June 15, 1998.
America's children have always learned about sex from a variety of sources. Today, however, more and more parents are becoming overwhelmed by how much information or misinformation their children are acquiring. At a time when having sex with the wrong person could lead eventually to a horrible death, children need to have honest and accurate information about sex, and about what is appropriate and inappropriate sexually.
27. The Sex Industry: Giving the Customer What He Wants, The Economist, February 14, 1998.
In the era of AIDS, the commerical sex industry is alive and well worldwide. A willing customer can get anything he or she desires. Prostitution, escorts, internet sex, telephone sex, striptease, pornography, and much more are available to any customer who is willing to pay the price. This article concisely describes the international commercial sex industry, spelling out what is available, where it is available, and detailing industry standards.
28. Who Owns Prostitution--and Why?, Lacey Sloan, Free Inquiry, Fall 1997.
Society claims that prostitutes and other sex-trade workers are victims of abuse, pimps, and drugs. Feminists and prostitutes, however, argue that they are businesswomen who should be granted the same rights as other workers. In this article, Lacey Sloan argues for why prostitution should be legalized.
29. The Pleasure of the Pain: Why Some People Need S & M, Marianne Apostolides, Psychology Today, September/October 1999.
Over 10 percent of the population has experimented with sadomasochism for sexual pleasure. It is most popular with educated, middle- and upper-middle-class men and women. While most persons would find pain to be anything but pleasurable, some people find inner peace and extreme pleasure from the pain of being spanked, whipped, or otherwise punished.
30. Gay No More?, Barry Yeoman, Psychology Today, March/April 1999.
Can a person who is homosexual convert to being heterosexual? Some Christian and secular therapists claim that it can be done, but only if the person is willing to go through their program. This article deals with what the programs are and whether they are effective at what they claim to do.
UNIT 7. Mental Illness31. Idleness and Lawlessness in the Therapeutic State, Thomas Szasz, Society, May/June 1995.
Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz has spent his career challenging the foundations of the mental illnesses concept. He argues that diagnoses of mental illness are social concepts that vary over time. Furthermore, he believes that diagnoses of specific types of mental illness occur even where there is no genuine illness that can be identified.
32. Social Anxiety, Joannie M. Schrof and Stacey Schultz, U.S. News & World Report, June 21, 1999.
Millions of Americans deal with debilitating shyness, or anxiety, daily. While virtually everybody is shy sometime in their lives, approximately one out of every eight people become so shy that they lose the capability to do things that other people can freely do, such as speaking to other people or using a public restroom. Phobias can rob an otherwise normal person of his or her life.
33. Dying to Be Thin, Kristin Leutwyler, Scientific American Presents Women's Health: A Lifelong Guide, 1998.
Eating disorders--anorexia nervosa and bulimia--affect a significant percentage of young people, particularly females. While different in nature, both disorders are related in that people who suffer from them become obsessed with their weight. The long-term consequences of eating disorders can be severe and, at the extreme, may result in death. The author describes her own experience with anorexia nervosa and discusses some of the treatments that exist.
34. The Infection Connection, Harriet Washington, Psychology Today, July/August 1999.
Many theories for explaining mental illness have been espoused over the decades. Some psychologists believe that mental illness results from traumatic experiences in early childhood. Geneticists argue that mental illness is caused by defective genes. Now, some scientists suggest that mental illness may result from the same bacteria and viruses that cause physical illness. Thus, the "infection connection."
35. Mental Health Reform: What It Would Really Take, John Cloud, Time, June 7, 1999.
Most Americans with mental illness receive no treatment at all, and the treatment that some do receive often proves to be inadequate. Inadequacy of treatment can in part be explained by the lack of government funding for mental health treatment. Furthermore, health insurers fail to provide the same level of coverage for mental illness as they do for physical illnesses. The issue is both political and economic, and most politicians are unwilling to buck the system.
UNIT 8. Societal Deviance and Social Inequality36. Where Bias Begins: The Truth about Stereotypes, Annie Murphy Paul, Psychology Today, May/June 1998.
It was once believed that only bigots used stereotypes. Current research suggests that, in reality, all people use stereotypes all of the time. We create stereotypes "to explain why things are the way they are," even if the stereotypes we create are not accurate. Furthermore, researchers believe that we may use stereotypes both consciously and unconsciously, and that we may not be able to control our responses to our stereotypes.
37. Corporate Welfare, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Time, November 9, 1998.
Imagine not having to pay income taxes, or sales taxes, or property taxes, all while earning millions of dollars annually. Furthermore, imagine that the government built the building for your business and paid you to hire workers for less than the government was paying you. Sounds too good to be true? As traditional welfare programs for the poor are being downsized, corporate welfare costs the taxpayers far more money, with no return on the investment.
38. Plucking Workers: Tyson Foods Looks to the Welfare Rolls for a Captive Labor Force, Christopher D. Cook, The Progressive, August 1998.
America's political leaders have been proud of the accomplishments they have made in removing poor people from the welfare rolls. However, many former welfare recipients have been given jobs working for meat packing companies that pay less than what they received on welfare, while rewarding the companies with corporate welfare for hiring recipients. Furthermore, working conditions are so bad that workers quit in droves and are then denied welfare benefits because they quit their jobs.
39. Does Silencio = Muerte? Notes on Translating the AIDS Epidemic, Rafael Campo, The Progressive, October 1999.
In the United States, 20 percent of all reported cases of AIDS occur among Latinos, who account for only 10 percent of the United States population. AIDS is the leading cause of death for young Latinos in this country. Disenfranchisement, religion, and culture prevent many Latinos from openly discussing homosexuality, safe sex, AIDS, or prevention. In addition, since many Latinos lack access to basic health care, they have no way of learning prevention techniques.
40. Hunger in America, Trudy Lieberman, The Nation, March 30, 1998.
American farmers grow more food per capita than farmers in any other country. Still, programs meant to feed the poor daily have to turn hungry people away because of a shortage of food and funds to pay for food. Millions of elderly Americans go hungry while they wait for their names to come up on the local food program. Corporations generally help the holidays but rarely in the rest of the year. Government grants are limited to help feed people who used to be taxpayers.
41. Q: Should Juries Nullify Laws They Consider Unjust or Excessively Punitive?, Clay S. Conrad and Nancy King, Insight, May 24, 1999.
Clay Conrad, a supporter of jury nullification, believes that juries have a moral obligation to acquit defendants who they believe to be factually guilty, but victims of unjust laws, discriminatory legal systems, racism, and sexism. Nancy King opposes jury nullification, believing that juries should follow the law and convict factually guilty defendants, because the criminal court is not the proper venue in which to make a statement.
42. The Wrong Men on Death Row, Joseph P. Shapiro, U.S. News & World Report, November 9, 1998.
For every seven people executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, one person on death row has been found to be innocent. That means that in over 12 percent of all cases where a person has been found guilty of a capital offense, there was an improper trial, and the state would have killed an innocent person. One has to wonder about how many more innocent people may have been executed for offenses they did not commit.
UNIT 9. International Perspectives on Deviance43. Crimes of War, Johanna McGeary, Time, June 28, 1999.
History often has a way of repeating itself. In the case of genocide, history does so far too often. When one thinks one has seen the most deviant ways in which people can treat other people, history brings something even more horrific than one could ever believe. This article deals with the horror of the genocide committed by Serbs against Kosovars.
44. Yakuza Inc., David E. Kaplan, U.S. News & World Report, April 13, 1998.
The Yakuza are descended from medieval bands of gamblers. Today, they are Japan's organized crime families. It is believed that a large part of the recent Asian economic collapse was due to payoffs to Yakuza in the way of bad loans and investments. As with gangsters in other countries, the Yakuza have their own methods of enforcement and punishment.
45. Bitter Harvest, Betty Rogers, Ms., October/November 1999.
In Thailand, almost anything can be had for any price. It is not unusual for poor parents to sell their daughters, often as young as age 6, to pimps and madams to be abused by strangers eager to have sex with young prostitutes. Travel companies organize sex tours for foreign nationals to have sex with the children of Thailand. While laws exist to protect the children, they are rarely enforced.
46. Is AIDS Forever?, Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek, July 6, 1998.
While the growth of AIDS cases has slowed in the developed world, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the undeveloped countries of the world. AIDS has reached pandemic proportions in the Horn of Africa, with some countries reporting that one-quarter of their population is HIV-positive. While vaccines are being developed, it is questionable as to whether vaccines will reach people in undeveloped countries, and ethical issues may arise.
47. State Abandons Kidnapped Kids, Timothy W. Maier, Insight, June 14, 1999.
Imagine that your child has been taken from you by your ex-spouse and spirited to another country. This happens on a regular basis in the United States. Children are taken from their custodial parent by the noncustodial parent to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Austria, from which they never return. Furthermore, the United States government is unwilling to assist in returning the American child to the custodial parent for fear of insulting the government that is harboring the fugitive.
