Sociology of Deviant Behavior, Fall 2016 – 01:920:304:09
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:10-7:30pm
Campbell Hall (College Ave Campus, 617 George Street) Room A5
Instructor: Adrian Good
Email: [email protected]
Office: Davison Hall (Douglass Campus, 26 Nichol Avenue) Room 013
Office Hours: Thursdays 4:00-5:00pm and by appointment
Course website at https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal
This course investigates what deviance is, how this social category of action is both constructed
and deconstructed, and how groups of people interact when they classify the same behaviors in
different manners. We will examine different social reactions to these activities and how these
responses shape understandings of others and ourselves. To help achieve these goals, we will
discuss and apply several different theories sociologists use to think about and research deviant
behavior.
Readings
There is no textbook for this course. All assigned readings will be available on the course Sakai
site. You are expected to read all of the assigned material for each class and arrive ready to
contribute to class discussion.
Attendance
While attendance will not be taken, there will be frequent quizzes relating to the reading material
for the day. More information about these quizzes is below in the Grading section.
If you must miss an exam, it is your responsibility to contact me. Except for in rare cases, you
must begin the rescheduling process no later than 24 hours after the exam. Failure to do so
forfeits your opportunity to make up this grade.
Grading
Papers: 30%
Each student is to submit two of the three papers listed below. Each is to be 3-4 pages in length.
Deadlines are listed for each individual paper. 10% will be deducted for each day after the
deadline papers have been submitted.

Paper One: Describe a social process in which a specific behavior was reclassified by a
group as either newly deviant or no longer deviant. Due at 5pm on Thursday, October
13th. Be prepared to describe your paper briefly in that day’s class.

Paper Two: Outline a potential research project that investigates either the classification
of deviance or the circumstances under which people commit acts considered by some to
be deviant. Due at 5pm on Thursday, November 10th. Worksheets (to be discussed in
class) are to be turned in with paper, but do not go toward the page count. Be prepared to
describe your paper briefly in that day’s class.

Paper Three: Select a research or review article from a peer-reviewed academic journal
that describes a group seen by others as deviant. Take (and cite!) material from this
article and other sources to apply three theories discussed in class to the behavior of a
specific group of people. Due at 5pm on Thursday, December 8th. Be prepared to describe
your paper briefly during class on Tuesday, December 13th.
Midterm Exam: 20%
A multiple choice midterm exam will be given on Tuesday, October 25th.
Final Exam: 35%
A cumulative multiple choice final exam will be given on Tuesday, December 20th at 8:00pm.
Quizzes: 15%
Before the instruction begins in most meetings, a brief quiz will be conducted about the readings
assigned for that day. These quizzes will focus on main ideas and your thoughts about them, not
obscure facts buried in the readings. The lowest five quiz grades will be dropped. As answers
will often be discussed immediately after completion, those who arrive after the quizzes have
been handed in will not be able to take the quiz for that day.
Participation: 10%
I expect each student to come to class ready to contribute.
Grade Scale
A
B+
B
C+
C
D
F
90-100%
85-89%
80-84%
75-79%
70-74%
60-69%
< 59%
Modifications
I reserve the right to make changes to any part of this syllabus if I think they will help students
better understand the material. Any such modifications will be announced both in class and on
Sakai.
Contacting Me
I have included my office hours above. Please let me know if you are unable to attend these, and
I would be glad to make other arrangements with you.
The best way to contact me is through email. I will do my best to respond to messages within 24
hours, excluding weekends. In order to catch my attention, I suggest beginning the subject line
with “SOC 304.” If I do not respond within 24 hours, please double check the address to which
you sent your message and send it a second time. Please be sure to include your name
somewhere in the text of your email.
I will schedule a few times during the semester when I will be in the chat room on the course
Sakai site and available to answer questions.
University and Department Policies
Academic Integrity
Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. This includes, but is not
limited to: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and preventing others from obtaining
information/material. Academic dishonesty also includes assisting others engaged in these
actions. You may find the university’s full academic integrity policy at
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgers/ and information about
violations and sanctions at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-policy/levelsof-violations-and-sanctions/. I take academic integrity seriously and will not hesitate to report a
suspected breach to the Dean of Students.
Student Conduct
The Department of Sociology encourages the free exchange of ideas in a safe, supportive, and
productive classroom environment. To facilitate such an environment, students and faculty must
act with mutual respect and common courtesy. Thus, behavior that distracts students and faculty
is not acceptable. Such behavior includes cell phone use, surfing the internet, checking email,
text messaging, listening to music, reading newspapers, leaving and returning, leaving early
without permission, discourteous remarks, and other behaviors specified by individual
instructors. Courteous and lawful expression of disagreement with the ideas of the instructor or
fellow students is, of course, permitted.
If a student engages in disruptive behavior, the instructor, following the University Code of
Student Conduct, may direct the student to leave class for the remainder of the class period.
Serious verbal assaults, harassment, or defamation of the instructor or other students can lead to
university disciplinary proceedings. The University Code of Student Conduct is available at:
http://policies.rutgers.edu/sites/policies/files/10.2.11%20-%20current_0.pdf.
Disabilities
I am committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. If you
would like to make arrangements with me, please contact me during the first week of class.
Please note that you must also contact the Rutgers Office of Disability Services. More
information about this group and how to request accommodations can be found at:
https://ods.rutgers.edu/.
Diversity Statement
The Rutgers Sociology Department strives to create an environment that supports and affirms
diversity in all manifestations, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age,
social class, disability status, region/country of origin, and political orientation. We also
celebrate diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives among our faculty and
students and seek to create an atmosphere of respect and mutual dialogue. We have zero
tolerance for violations of these principles and have instituted clear and respectful procedures for
responding to such grievances.
Student Wellness Services
- Just In Case Web App <http://codu.co/cee05e>
Access helpful mental health information and resources for yourself or a friend in a
mental health crisis on your smartphone or tablet and easily contact CAPS or RUPD.
-
Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) <http://www.rhscaps.rutgers.edu/>
(848) 932-7884 / 17 Senior Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
CAPS is a University mental health support service that includes counseling, alcohol
and other drug assistance, and psychiatric services staffed by a team of professional
within Rutgers Health services to support students’ efforts to succeed at Rutgers
University. CAPS offers a variety of services that include: individual therapy, group
therapy and workshops, crisis intervention, referral to specialists in the community and
consultation and collaboration with campus partners.
-
Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance (VPVA) <http://www.vpva.rutgers.edu/>
(848) 932-1181 / 3 Bartlett Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 /
The Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance provides confidential crisis
intervention, counseling and advocacy for victims of sexual and relationship violence
and stalking to students, staff and faculty. To reach staff during office hours when the
university is open or to reach an advocate after hours, call 848-932-1181.
-
Scarlet Listeners < http://www.scarletlisteners.com/>
(732) 247-5555
Free and confidential peer counseling and referral hotline, providing a comforting and
supportive safe space.
Class Schedule and Assigned Readings
Tuesday, September 6 (#1): Introduction to Deviance
Thursday, September 8 (#2): Relative Nature of Deviance

Hills, Stuart L. 1977. “The Mystification of Social Deviance.” Crime & Delinquency,
23(4):417-426.

Herman-Kinney, Nancy J. and David A. Kinney. 2013. “Sober as Deviant: The Stigma
of Sobriety and How Some College Students ‘Stay Dry’ on a ‘Wet’ Campus.” Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography 42(1):64-103.
- This article is an easy read, but is still a bit lengthy. As long as you skim for the
main ideas, you’ll be fine.
Tuesday, September 13 (#3): Deviant Subcultures

Armstrong, Elizabeth A., Laura Hamilton and Brian Sweeney. 2006. in P. Adler and P.
Adler (eds.), Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context and Interaction.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
- “Sexual Assault on Campus” pp. 494-511
Read the chapter above and ONE of the following two magazine articles:
a. Baker, Aryn. 2016. “The Secret War Crime: The Most Shameful Consequence of
Conflict Comes Out into the Open.” TIME, April 2016: 36-41. Available online at
<http://time.com/war-and-rape/>
b. Stein, Joel. 2016. “Tyranny of the Mob: How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet.” TIME,
August 2016: 26-32. Available online at < http://time.com/4457110/internet-trolls/>
Thursday, September 15 (#4): Functions of Deviance
Read ONE of the following two book sections:
a. Erikson, Kai T. 1966. Wayward Puritans: A Study in the Sociology of Deviance. New
York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
o Pp. 3-19
b. DeSoucey, Michaela. 2016. Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of Food.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
o “Claims to Moral Authority” pp. 10-14
o “Contested Tastes and Gastropolitics” pp. 14-19
o “Gastropolitics as Moral Politics” pp. 19-22
Tuesday, September 20 (#5): Governmentality

Ogle, Jennifer Paff, Keila E. Tyner, and Sherry Schofield-Tomschin, S. 2011. “Watching
Over Baby: Expectant Parenthood and the Duty to Be Well.” Sociological Inquiry 81(3):
285-309.
Thursday, September 22 (#6): Changes in Classification
Read ONE of the following two book sections:
a. Praeger, Dave. 2007. Poop Culture: How America is Shaped by Its Grossest National
Product. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House.
o Chapter 2: The Shaming of the Poo, pp. 49-64
b. Ansari, Aziz and Eric Klinenberg. 2015. Modern Romance. New York, NY: Penguin
Press.
o Introduction to Chapter 5 pp. 149-151
o “Tokyo: The Land of Herbivores and Tengas” pp. 151-155
o “The History and Current State of Marriage in Tokyo” pp. 156-170
Tuesday, September 27 (#7): Imposition of Classification

Parreñas, Rhacel Salazar. 2011. Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration, and Sex Trafficking
in Tokyo. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
o “The Indentured Mobility of Migrant Hostesses” pp. 1-17

Kluger, Jeffrey. 2016. “What Science Says About the Bathroom Debate.” TIME, May
2016. pp. 1-3. Available online at < http://time.com/4341695/bathroom-sciencetransgender-north-carolina/>.
Thursday, September 29 (#8): Conflict Theory

International Civil Rights Center & Museum. 2016. “America's Civil Rights Timeline.”
Available at <https://www.sitinmovement.org/history/america-civil-rights-timeline.asp>.
Read the timeline above and ONE of the following two book sections:

Payne, Charles M. 1995/2007. I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition
and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
o “Building Relationships” pp. 243-250

Lewis, John, and Michael D’Orso. 1998. Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the
Movement. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.
o Pp. 338-346
Tuesday, October 4 (#9): Social Problem Construction

McDermott, Vanessa. 2015. The War on Drugs in Sport: Moral Panics and
Organizational Legitimacy. New York, NY: Routledge.
o Pp. 1-4

Bell, Kirsten. 2014. "Science, Policy and the Rise of ‘Thirdhand Smoke’ as a Public
Health Issue." Health, Risk & Society 16(2):154-170.
Thursday, October 6 (#10): Lawmaking as Defining Deviance

Alexander, Michelle. 2010/2012. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. New York, NY: The New Press.
o “The Birth of Mass Incarceration” pp. 40-58
Tuesday, October 11 (#11): Policing

Goffman, Alice. 2009. "On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto." American
Sociological Review 74(3):339-357.

Carr, Patrick J. 2005. Clean Streets: Controlling Crime, Maintaining Order, and Building
Community Activism. New York, NY: New York University Press.
o “Crime, Informal Social Control, and the New Parochialism” pp. 8-12
o “Levels of Control and the New Parochialism” pp. 12-14
Thursday, October 13 (#12): Researching Deviance, Part One
*First paper due at 5pm

Ayella, Marybeth. 1990. “‘They Must Be Crazy’: Some of the Difficulties in Researching
‘Cults.’” The American Behavioral Scientist 33(5):562-577.
Tuesday, October 18 (#13): Researching Deviance, Part Two

Desmond, Matthew. 2016. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. New York,
NY: Crown Publishers.
o "About this Project" pp. 315-336
Thursday, October 20 (#14): Midterm Exam Review
Tuesday, October 25 (#15): Midterm Exam
Thursday, October 27 (#16): Social Disorganization Theory

Gracia, Enrique and Juan Herrero. 2007. “Perceived Neighborhood Social Disorder and
Attitudes Toward Reporting Domestic Violence Against Women.” Journal of
Interpersonal Violence 22(6):737-752

Keizer, Kees, Siegwart Lindenberg, and Linda Steg. 2008. "The Spreading of Disorder."
Science 322(5908):1681-685
Tuesday, November 1 (#17): Anomie Theory

Merton, Robert K. 1938. “Social Structure and Anomie” American Sociological Review
3(5):672-682.

Fowler, Lori Ann and Ami R. Moore. 2012. "Breast Implants for Graduation: A
Sociological Examination of Daughter and Mother Narratives." Sociology 2(1):109-115.
Thursday, November 3 (#18): Strain Theory

Cloward Richard A. and Lloyd E. Ohlin. 1960. Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory
of Delinquent Gangs. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press.
o “The Availability of Illegitimate Means” pp. 145-148
o “Learning and Performance Structures” pp. 148-149
o “Differential Opportunity: A Hypothesis” pp. 150-152
Tuesday, November 8 (#19): Social Learning Theory

Sutherland, Edwin H. and Donald R. Cressey. 2010. In B. Teeter (ed.), Theoretically
Speaking: A Look into Crime. San Diego, CA: Cognella.
o “A Theory of Differential Association.” pp. 23-27

Becker, Howard S. 1953. "Becoming a Marihuana User." American Journal of Sociology
59(3):235-242.
Thursday, November 10 (#20): Life Course Theory
*Second paper due at 5pm

Piquero, Alex R. 2015. "What We Know and What We Need to Know About
Developmental and Life-Course Theories." Australian & New Zealand Journal of
Criminology 48(3):336-344.

Schumer, Amy. 2016. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. New York, NY: Gallery
Books.
o “Can’t Knock the Hustle” pp. 99-111
Tuesday, November 15 (#21): Social Control Theories

Schreck, Christopher J. 2014. “Social Control Theories.” Pp. 1-8 in The Encyclopedia of
Theoretical Criminology, edited by J. Mitchell Miller. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc132.
Thursday, November 17 (#22): Labeling Theory

Becker, Howard S. 1963. Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. Glencoe, IL:
The Free Press.
o “Deviant Careers” pp. 25-39

Lemert, Edwin M. 1951. Social Pathology. New York: McGraw Hill.
o “Primary and Secondary Deviation” pp. 214-219
Tuesday, November 22 (#23): Accounts and Techniques of Neutralization
Read ONE of the following two articles:
a. Shigihara, Amanda M. 2013. "It's Only Stealing a Little a Lot: Techniques of
Neutralization for Theft Among Restaurant Workers." Deviant Behavior 34(6):494-512.
b. Presser, Lois and William V. Taylor. 2011. "An Autoethnography of Hunting." Crime,
Law and Social Change 55(5):483-494.
Thursday, November 24: NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING)
Tuesday, November 29 (#24): Critical Race Theory

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. 2015. Between the World and Me. New York, NY: Spiegel & Grau.
o Pp. 5-14

Gabbidon, Shaun L. 2003. "Racial Profiling by Store Clerks and Security Personnel in
Retail Establishments An Exploration of 'Shopping While Black.'" Journal of
Contemporary Criminal Justice 19(3):345-364.
Thursday, December 1 (#25): Feminist Theory

Shilling, Chris, and Tanya Bunsell. 2009. “The Female Bodybuilder as a Gender
Outlaw.” Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise 1(2):141-159.

Magistad, Mary Kay. 2013. "China’s ‘Leftover Women,’ Unmarried at 27." BBC News,
February 2013. Pp. 1-4 Available online at: <http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine21320560>
Tuesday, December 6 (#26): Intersectionality

Bernard, April. 2013. “The Intersectional Alternative: Explaining Female Criminality.”
Feminist Criminology 8(1):3-19.
Thursday, December 8 (#27): Interactions with Nonhumans
*Third paper due at 5pm
Read ONE of the following three pieces:
a. Cherrier, Hélène and Tresa Ponnor. 2010. “A Study of Hoarding Behavior and
Attachment to Material Possessions.” Qualitative Market Research: An International
Journal 13(1):8-23
b. Somerset, A.J. 2015. Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun. Windsor, Ontario:
Biblioasis.
o “The Tendency of the American Mind: From the Duty to Retreat to Stand Your
Ground” pp. 21-40
c. Flynn, Clifton P. 2008. "A Sociological Analysis of Animal Abuse." Pp. 155-174 in The
International Handbook of Animal Abuse and Cruelty: Theory, Research, and
Application, edited by Frank R. Ascione. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
Tuesday, December 13 (#28): Review for Final Exam

Anderson, Elijah. 1999. Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the
Inner City. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
o “The Cultural Economic Connection” pp. 110-113
o “The Crack Culture: Rationale and Consequences” pp. 120-121
o “See But Don’t See” pp. 132-135
Tuesday, December 20: Final Exam at 8:00pm