Glen Mills Juvenile Correctional Facility

Rutgers-Camden 
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice

Spring 2008 Newsletter

Professor Caputo at research site

 

New Book by Professor Caputo 
Comes Out This Semester

Professor Gail Caputo’s latest book, Out in the Storm: Drug-Addicted Women Living as Shoplifters and Sex Workers ( Northeastern University Press) is in press and will be available shortly.  Based on in-depth interview material and life histories, her book is the culmination of three years of ethnographic research examining thirty-eight women with drug addictions in the Philadelphia area who took up criminal occupations of shoplifting and sex work.  Out in the Storm reveals similarities and differences in pathways women take to drug addiction and illustrates how women manage both the business and risks of crime in urban drug cultures.  Unique in bringing together data on substance abuse, shoplifters, and sex workers, the book provides a richly-textured description and analysis of the lives and social worlds of these women, whose humanity, complexity, and difficult challenges come through powerfully in this moving book.

 

 

Fall 2008 Semester Pre-Registration Starts April 6th 
Read this before you register!

Pre-Registration for the Fall 2008 Semester begins at 10:00 p.m. on April 6th for students with 90 credits; pre-registration for all others begins at 10:00 p.m. on April 7th. . All students are strongly encouraged to see their departmental advisor in planning their schedule. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Focus on getting your required courses out of the way first, remembering that most are not offered every semester. All Criminal Justice and Sociology students should take Methods of Social Research (920:301) as soon as possible; it is a prerequisite for several upper level courses. Any sociology majors who have not yet takenSociological Theory should take it in the fall–it will not be offered in Spring 2009. For future offerings of these and other required courses, students should consult our future schedule webpage.

Click here for a combined list of Anthropology, Criminal Justice, and Sociology courses for Fall 2008.

Many of your questions about advising may be answered by consulting our department’s Sociology Advising Page and ourCriminal Justice Advising Page.

Major Advising: Since last year, a new departmental advising system has been in effect. Both Criminal Justice and Sociology majors are now assigned an individual advisor. If you don’t know who your advisor is, check the online list of advising assignments (excel file). If you don’t find your name there, see department secretary Sherry Pisacano in the departmental office to get one assigned.

Here are a few highlights and notes about some innovations and new courses in the Fall schedule:

  • This fall, the department is trying out a new instructional method.  Professor Goertzel will offer Methods and Techniques of Social Research as a hybrid Internet course.  Most of the instruction will be offered on-line, but students will attend one class a month on a Saturday morning.  Click on this link for additional details about this course as well as “Cyberspace and Society,”another course Professor Goertzel will be offering as a hybrid Internet course next semester.  Please note that a regular section of Methods, taught by Professor Epstein, will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-12:20.
  • The college is offering a new interdisciplinary minor in Media Studies and our department will be offering one of the required courses in the fall.  Introduction to Media Studies will be taught by Prof. Robert Emmons on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:40.
  • A new Special Topics course entitled “The Supreme Court and American Culture” will be taught by Prof. Evan Laine, an attorney who recently obtained his M.A. in American History here at Rutgers.  The course will discuss the ways in which the Supreme Court shapes American society through various case studies.
  • Many of the courses we offer in the evening will now be taught on a single night from 6:00-8:40, which we hope will enable those who need to take evening classes to more easily fit in additional classes.  Your feedback on this arrangement is welcome!
  • Professor Coe will be on leave during the Fall semester, conducting research in Ghana with funding provided by the National Science Foundation.  Therefore, Sociology of Education, which is normally offered in the fall semester, will be offered in Spring ’09.

Quick Access to Course Information:

Fall 2008 Dept. Courses
 
Two Year Dept Schedule
 

Click Picture to Enlarge

 

 

 

Glen Mills Library

CJ Class Visits Unique Juvenile Correctional Facility

Students in Professor Siegel’s Juvenile Justice course had a rare opportunity to visit different agencies that are part of the juvenile justice system normally closed to the public.  Some attended juvenile court proceedings, while others spent a day with juvenile probation officers, sitting in on the meetings that officers hold regularly with the youths under their supervision.  The Juvenile Division of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office also hosted a group of students, explaining to them how the prosecutor’s office works on cases involving juveniles and then taking them on an eye-opening tour of Camden neighborhoods.

Professor Siegel escorted a group of 14 students to Glen Mills School, the nation’s oldest juvenile correctional facility.  Founded in Philadelphia in 1826, Glen Mills moved to its current 756-acre campus about 25 miles outside the city more than a century ago, where it now houses nearly 900 court-adjudicated youth in a facility without fences or guards.  The school embraces what they call a “sociological model,” which emphasizes the notion that each of the residents has strengths that can be built upon to change their behavior from anti-social to pro-social by giving them skills they need to change their lives.  All residents are enrolled in academic programs appropriate to their achievement level, with an eye on receiving either a GED or a high school diploma.  Glen Mills residents also take part in at least one of the school’s 16 vocational programs, most of which have state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

Glen Mills certainly defied stereotypes for the visiting students.  “This experience was nothing like I had expected,” wrote junior Danielle Spinks (front row, second from left), a view that was echoed by virtually everyone who visited there.  “The school was gorgeous, and offered an array of opportunities for young juvenile delinquents,” she continued.  “Plus, the program seemed to be working for many of the students: our tour guides were gentlemen like I had never seen before, and we were greeted by everyone we passed with a friendly ‘hello.’”  Students were indeed impressed by the school’s approach and its apparent success with the residents.  Senior Eric Wertzel (front row, right) expressed a sentiment shared by his fellow students:  “I was amazed at the ways in which a large community of delinquents could bond together to form a positive social environment that encourages positive behavior and increases the likelihood of future success for students.” 

All in all, students found this and their other visits to be very valuable learning experiences.  As senior Maureen Baney (second row, second from right) said of her Glen Mills visit, “This experience was a lot more than what I expected.  I’ve gone on numerous class trips within different fields in the criminal justice system, but I never was so moved by any of them.”

Tenth-Annual Poster Session on Thursday, May 1st

The tenth-annual Undergraduate Research Poster Session, co-sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, will be held on Thursday, May 1st, between 12:30 and 1:20 p.m in the Multipurpose Room of the Campus Center. Food will be provided. All students and other interested persons are invited.

Rutgers-Camden undergraduates who have carried out research in psychology, sociology, anthropology or criminal justice, either as part of a course, as an independent study, or on their own are invited to participate in this event as a presenter. Presentations should be made on free-standing poster boards and should provide a visual overview of the research project, including a statement of the research question and method employed to answer it, and summaries of data and of research findings. Useful guidance for creating a poster presentation may be found athttps://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters. Students planning to make a poster presentation (which looks great on your resume) should sign up with the title of your presentation at the poster session website.

Traci Arnold

Masterton Award Goes to Traci Arnold and Christine Junior

Congratulations to Traci Arnold and Christine Juniorwho have been chosen to receive the 2008 Masterton Awards in Criminal Justice and Sociology respectively. Named after the department’s first chair, the George Masterton Award is given annually to graduating seniors for outstanding academic achievement, significant contributions to the department and campus, and for intellectual promise.  The awards will be presented at the Honors Convocation on May 15th.

Traci Arnold is a double major in Criminal Justice and Political Science who has maintained a 3.8 GPA and been on the Dean’s List every semester.  Traci plans to work in the national security field after graduation. She has also been a member the Rutgers-Camden Crew Team since her freshman year.  Christine Junior is a double major in Sociology and Music who has maintained a 3.9 GPA and has also been on the Dean’s List every semester.  After graduation, Christine plans to live in Europe for a year and then apply to law school.

Christine Junior

 

 

 

 

Summer Courses!

Summertime may be the season when the livin’ is easy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also stimulate your mind!  The department is offering a total of 21 courses this summer, some of which have not been offered for a long time, are being offered for the first time or introduce new adjunct faculty to the campus, including:

Medical Sociology (50:920:418) Examines the distribution of health and disease and looks at the social organization of the health care system in contemporary society. Takes up the sociology of healing and therapy techniques and the interaction of patients and practitioners.  Because it covers illness, healthcare systems and the lives of medical professionals, this course can appeal to both social science students and those in the healthcare professions.  Prof. LaShaune Johnson has conducted research on disparities in the healthcare system and issues related to cancer survivors.  She is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

White Collar Crime (50:202:326) covers the history and development of corporate crime, white collar crime, political corruption, and other “upper world” crimes. The course will emphasize effective strategies for combating this phenomenon and is taught by Prof. Lucy McClain, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Antitrust and Criminal Divisions whose specialty is prosecuting antitrust, fraud and other white collar crimes.

ST:  Terrorism (50:202:356) will explore this phenomenon from its origins to its present status as a threat to global security.  Definitional issues and psychological approaches will be discussed in depth.  The course will provide special emphasis on legal approaches and law enforcement responses as they have applied in different cultures and will include case studies of individual terrorist groups.  Prof. Mark Anarumo is an Air Force colonel who has extensive experience in anti-terrorism training and strategy in the Middle East and Asia.

In addition, the department is offering the Internship in Criminal Justice course (50:202:404) for the first time during the summer session.  Contact Professor Meloy for further information.  mlmeloy@camden.rutgers.edu

The full list of courses offered this summer, along with registration information, is available at the Summer Session’s website

 

The Holiday Season: CJO style

This past holiday season, while the campus community was looking forward to the end of the semester and to spending time with loved ones, several campus entities worked together to make a difference in the lives of others. The Criminal Justice Organization (CJO) paired up with the newly formed Veterans For Education club to host a drive to collect hygiene and comfort items for military personnel serving in Iraq. The very successful drive enabled the two clubs to send hundreds of holiday boxes to soldiers who were spending the holidays far from their loved ones. In addition to coverage in local newspapers, Channel 6 and Fox 29 ran televised segments on the project. (to see the Fox story, click here).
            In addition, the CJO and Dr. Meyer’s fall 2007 Theories of Crime class engaged in holiday drives to benefit Camden City citizens in need. They collected thousands of clothing items and many boxes of non-perishable food items for distribution to local citizens on Christmas day. They also did a coin drive to support the work of Camden Angels, a group that provides holiday packages to local families in need. In addition, they have proudly sponsored local families touched by crime since the club was launched in 1997; this year they adopted a record seven families!
            The CJO is always looking for a few good men and women to be members. For more information on the club, visit https://sociology.camden.rutgers.edu/jfm/cjo.html

 


 

Our Web-Enhanced Curriculum Offers Unique Features 
To Help Students Do Well

If you’re not yet familiar with it, we recommend exploring our website, which provides a broad array of resources to assist you in finding the information you need and in doing well in your courses. As the illustration below shows, the website is divided into two sections, the departmental homepage and the web-enhanced curriculum, each with its own set of resource links. Check it out! There are resources to help you do well in your courses!

Departmental Homepage

Online Syllabi & Course Web sites
Masters Program in Criminal Justice
Current Newsletter
Faculty 
Major Requirements
Minor Requirements
Course Schedule 
Departmental Mailing List
Masterton Award
Advising FAQs 
Poster Session Album
Faculty Resources

Web-Enhanced Curriculum Homepage
Online Syllabi & Course Web sites
Masters Program in Criminal Justice
Current Newsletter
Plagiarism Policy and Guidelines
Citation Guidelines
Table and Graph Format 
Library Resources Online 
MicroCase Resources
Online Research Tutorials and Videos
Virtual Tours
Recommended Web sites
Writing in the Discipline
Student Research Opportunities
Streaming Audio and Video Project 

You can learn more about our web-enhanced curriculum in the online journal, Innovate,which included an article about our department in its first issue by Prof. Wood, entitled“Scaling Up: From Web-Enhanced Courses to a Web-Enhanced Curriculum. To access it, you must register for free at the Innovate site (just unclick the box about promotions if you don’t want to receive them). It’s a good way to learn about how the department is using technology to enhance teaching and learning and what its website has to offer you.

Dept. E-Mailings: Periodic department mailings about events and departmental news are sent to all sociology and criminal justice majors. To receive them, be sure that you have declared sociology or cj as your major and be sure that the email address you wish to use is registered at the Rutgers student directory. The list is more fully described at the department’s E-Mailing List web page

October 28, 2008 . Contact Robert Wood with comments or questions.