NO309H: Law and Disorder in North
America
Fall, 2013
Tues. & Thurs. 4:00-5:20 pm
Instructor: Dr. Debra Chapman
Email Address: [email protected]
Office Location: DAWB 5-144
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00-4:00pm
Classroom: 2C17
Course Description: The three countries of North America have distinct cultural, legal,
political and economic institutions and practices, but at the same time share a long history
of mutual influence. This is particularly evident in the last thirty years of neoliberal
globalization embodied particularly in the North American Free Trade Agreement. The
resulting increase in inequality, social disorder and popular opposition has been met by
enhanced use of force by the respective states. In this context the course adopts a political–
economic approach, emphasizing the role of power and profit, to understanding such topics
as the drug wars, gun trafficking, corruption, corporate crime and human rights abuses.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students should:




Have a better understanding of Mexico’s war on drugs
Have a greater appreciation of the distinctive differences among the three countries
Be able to skilfully apply political-economic critique to legal and moral issues
Have an enhanced appreciation of the role of power and profit
Texts:
Watt, Peter and Roberto Zepeda. Drug War Mexico: Politics, Neoliberalism and Violence in
the ‘New Narcoeconomy. London and New York: Zed Books, 2012. (Required)
Additional required articles and book chapters are available through Ares on MLS.
Page 1 of 7
Course Requirements, Expectations, and Standards:
Assignments:
Assignment #1: Summary Review of TWO Documentaries – each worth 10% = 20%
The reviews have two parts - a summary of the documentary and a critical analysis of its
main argument. The length of the assignment is 400 to 500 words (maximum 2 pages).
#1. Summary review due in class on Tuesday, October 1st, based on “Mexico’s Drug War”.
#2. Summary review due in class on Tuesday, November 5th, based on “The House I Live
In”.
** There will be absolutely no extensions for these summaries.
Assignment #2: Term Paper Proposal – 20%
The term paper proposal is due in class on Tuesday, October 22nd. It is a 1000 word
proposal (maximum 4 pages, including bibliography) detailing the topic of your term
paper. The topic must be related to the course material and demonstrate an understanding
of the political economy of law and disorder in North America. The proposal is to contain a
thesis statement, a theoretical framework, a working bibliography and an outline of the
argument.
Assignment #3: Term Paper – 30%
The term paper is due in class on Tuesday, November 19th. This is a 2400 to 3000 word
assignment (8 to maximum 10 pages) which is an extension of the proposal submitted
earlier in the term. As an academic paper it is to be properly sourced and must draw on
relevant academic studies. The details of the assignment will be posted on MLS.
Tests & Examinations:
Final Examination: 30%. 2 hour exam.
The final exam will be held on the date announced by the Registrar’s Office and will cover
material from the whole course. Please note: Student travel plans are not an acceptable
reason for granting an alternative examination time.
Late Policy:
The late policy for all assignments is that there are no extensions, save for medical reasons
(with a doctor’s note) or a death in the family. In such cases, the last date for submission
Page 2 of 7
without petition is one week after the due date found in the course syllabus. The noextension policy is not negotiable. Make your plans accordingly.
Schedule:
Week 1: (Sept 10 and 12) Introduction: What is Crime? Why study Crime?
Reading 1: Teeple, Gary. ‘Preparing for the Consequences: The Growth of Prison Facilities’.
From Globalization and the Decline of Social Reform. 117-122. Found on MLS.
Week 2: (Sept 17 and 19) Understanding Crime and Deviance - Theory
Reading 1: Chermak, Steven. “The Presentation of Drugs in the News Media: The news
sources involved in the construction of social problems.” Justice Quarterly. 1997. 14.4. 687718.
Reading 2: Chambliss, William J. “Toward a Political economy of Crime”. Theory and Society.
1975. 2.2. 149-170
Reading 3: Lynch, Michael J. “Reexamining Political Economy and Crime and Explaining the
Crime Drop”. Journal of Crime and Justice. 2013. 36.2. 248-262.
Week 3: (Sept 24 and 26) Drug Trafficking
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 1 (10-34) ‘Drug Trafficking in Mexico – History and
Background’.
Note: Movie: Mexico’s Drug War Documentary (by crime undercovered)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhbP61Iflv8
Week 4: (Oct 1 and 3) Cold War Expansion
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 2 (35-61) ‘Cold War Expansion of the Trade and the
Repression of Dissent’.
Reading 2: Radu, Michael. “Mexico: Slouching Toward Normality”. The Washington
Quarterly. 2000. 23.3. 41-56.
Reading 3: Carlsen, Laura. “NAFTA’s Dangerous Security Agenda”. Peace Review: A Journal
of Social Justice. 2008. 20.4. 442-447.
Note: Tuesday, October 1st - Documentary review for ‘Mexico’s Drug War’ due today
Page 3 of 7
Week 5: (Oct 8 and 10) The Political Economy of the War on Drugs
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 3 (62-96) ‘The Political Economy of the ‘War on
Drugs’’.
Reading 2: Mercille, Julien. “Violent Narco-Cartels or US Hegemony? The Political Economy
of the ‘war on drugs’ in Mexico”. Third World Quarterly. 2011. 32.9. 1637-1653.
Reading 3: Andreas, Peter. “The Political Economy of Narco-Corruption in Mexico”. Current
History. April 1998. 160-165.
Week 6: (Oct 15 and 17) Profit
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 4 (97-140) ‘Getting Rich Quick – and Those Who
Didn’t’
Reading 2: Desroches, Frederick. “The Modus Operandi of Higher-Level Drug Traffickers:
Fronts, Debts and Violence”. From The Crime That Pays: Drug Trafficking and Organized
Crime in Canada. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press and Women’s Press. 2005. Chapter 6.
139- 161. [available as ebook through Trellis]
Week 7: (Oct 22 and 24) Power
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 5 (141-178) ‘El Cambio’.
Reading 2: Cockcroft, James D. “Mexico: “Failed States,” New Wars, Resistance”. Monthly
Review. Nov. 2010. 62.6. 28-41.
Reading 3. Celaya Pacheco, Fernando. “Narcofearance: How has Narcoterrorism Settled in
Mexico?” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 2009. 32. 1021-1048.
Notes: Term paper proposal due in class Tuesday, October 22nd.
Week 8: (Oct 29 and 31) Violence
Reading 1: Watt and Zepeda Chapter 6 (179-228) ‘War is Peace’.
Note: Oct 29 – Movie: The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orAtTCKA6Qs
Page 4 of 7
Week 9: (Nov 5 and 7) Policing Social Disorder
Reading 1: Gordon, Todd. “Contemporary Law-and-Order Policies: Policing, Class Struggle
and Neoliberal Restructuring.” In Cops, Crime and Capitalism: The Law-and-Order Agenda in
Canada. Black Point: Fernwood Publishing, 2006. 52-73. Chapter 3. [available as ebook
through Primo]
Reading 2: Gordon, Todd. “Panhanding Bylaws and the Safe Streets Act: The Return to
Vagrancy Law”. In Cops, Crime and Capitalism: The Law-and-Order Agenda in Canada. Black
Point: Fernwood Publishing, 2006. 74-107. Chapter 4. [available as ebook through Primo]
Note: Tuesday, November 5th - Documentary review for ‘The House I Live in’ due today.
Week 10: (Nov 12 and 14) White Collar Crime and Corporate Crime
Reading 1: O’Grady, William. “Corporate, Political, Police and Religious Wrongdoing”. In
Crime in Canadian Context: Debates and Controversies. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2007. [available on MLS]
Reading 2: Holcomb, Jeanne. “Environmentalism and the Internet: Corporate
Greenwashers and Environmental Groups”. Contemporary Justice Review. 2008. 11.3. 203211.
Reading 3: Glasbeek, Harry. Wealth by Stealth: Corporate Crime, Corporate Law and the
Perversion of Democracy. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2002. Chapters 1 and 2. Pages 6-24.
[available as ebook through Primo]
Week 11: (Nov 19 and 21) Guns and Violence and Racial Profiling
Reading 1: Rose, William. “Crimes of Color: Risk, Profiling and the Contemporary
Racialization of Social Control”. International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society. 2002.
16.2. 179-205.
Reading 2: O’Grady, William, Patrick F. Parnaby and Justin Schikschneit. “Guns, Gangs and
the Underclass: A Constructionist Analysis of Gun Violence in a Toronto High School”.
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice. 2010. 52.1. 55-77.
Reading 3: Gordon, Todd. “Criminalization, Race and Neoliberal Order: Policing Immigrant
Communities.” In Cops, Crime and Capitalism: The Law-and-Order Agenda in Canada. Black
Point: Fernwood Publishing, 2006. 108-147. Chapter 5. [available as ebook through Primo]
Page 5 of 7
Notes: Term paper due in class Tuesday, November 19th.
Week 12: (Nov 26 and 28) Resistance and Conclusions
Movie: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore.
Note: Come prepared with questions about the final exam.
COURSE AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
1. Academic Integrity/Misconduct (cheating): Laurier is committed to a culture of integrity within and
beyond the classroom. This culture values trustworthiness (i.e., honesty, integrity, reliability),
fairness, caring, respect, responsibility, and citizenship. Together, we have a shared responsibility to
uphold this culture in our academic and nonacademic behaviour. The University has a defined policy
with respect to academic misconduct. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with this policy
and the penalty guidelines, and are cautioned that in addition to failure in a course, a student may
be suspended or expelled from the University for academic misconduct and the offence may appear
on their transcript. The relevant policy can be found at Laurier’s academic integrity website
(http://www.wlu.ca/academicintegrity) along with resources to educate and support you in
upholding a culture of integrity. Ignorance of Laurier’s academic misconduct policy is not a
defense.
2. Special Needs: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier’s Accessible
Learning Centre. Visit http://waterloo.mylaurier.ca/accessible/info/home.htm for information
regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the current Academic
Calendar (see http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=1365&p=5123 ) for information regarding all
services available on campus.
3. Plagiarism: Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be
asked to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism.
4. Copyright in instructional settings: If you wish to record, photograph, or reproduce lecture material,
course notes, or other materials, you must obtain the instructor’s consent beforehand.
5. Communication: Please visit the instructor during office hours. Every effort will be made to respond
to your emails within 48 hours.
6. Writing Centre: Students are encouraged to review the website and use the services of the Writing
Centre. Please see: http://www.wlu.ca/writingcentre .
7. Missing Classes: Students are expected to attend all classes unless given permission in advance by
the instructor. Students who anticipate missing a class should inform the instructor during the first
two weeks of class or at least two weeks prior to the expected date of absence.
Page 6 of 7
9.
Page 7 of 7