Men and Violence

Sociology 390: Men and Violence
Fall 2001

Edward H. Thompson, Jr.
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Holy Cross College
E-mail: ethompson@holycross.edu

Office: 211 Beaven
Office Hours: M 2:00-3:00, T 2:00-3:00
W 3:00-4:00, and by prior appointment
Phone: 508-793-3468
Fax: 508-793-3709

Objectives
Course Requirements
Course Outline
Useful Links

OBJECTIVES OF THE SEMINAR

This seminar addresses men's violence against their intimate partners. We will review the prevalence of men's interpersonal violence and briefly address the responses of the state and the criminal justice system. However, the primary objective is to understand why men are violent in relationships. We will concentrate on the known explanations for men's violence and the empirical research on men's violence in close relationships. Most of the time we will only discuss men's violence against women. In effect, the seminar is designed to encourage class members to consider how sexism, social class, and racism inform our understanding of men's violence.

Violent behavior can take many forms -- extremely physical, sexual, intimidatory, psychological, intense, infrequent, impulsive, sustained, planned, ritualized, official, encultured, verbal, cognitive, emotional, linguistic, visual, and representational among them (Hearn, 1994, p. 735).* The victims, the abused, carry the wounds and damage of violence for many years, sometimes the rest of their lives, and often find themselves reproducing the violence which have caused them pain in their dealings with others. Men are the primary offenders in the overwhelming majority of violence cases. Women are certainly capable of all forms of violent behavior, yet they are not normally under pressure to embrace and incorporate violence into their gender identity, as males are compelled to deal with violence as a condition of masculinity.

This is a research-based seminar. Substantively, we read about and systematically examine the ways masculinities are associated with interpersonal violence. The first month involves considerable reading and sets the background for the hands-on research component. This first month conforms to the typical seminar format -- reading original texts in the sociology of men and masculinities, (e.g., Lefkowitz's Our Guys, Kimmel's The gendered society; an excerpt from Courtwright's Violent land: Single men and social disorder from the frontier to the inner city).

The final two months entail both reading and hands-on research. We will closely examine research articles that pertain to how men's gendered lives influence their initiation of physical assault and sexual assault in close relationships. At the same time, students will work in pairs learning how to use SPSS and analyze survey data. We collect original data on men's sexual aggression. We analyze that information. The semester ends by developing an empirical research paper that can be presented at a professional conference (e.g., American Sociological Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, Pacific Sociological Association).

The course is thus an advanced sociology course addressing some types of men's violence in American society. It is organized around the assumptions that gender relations must be viewed as a sociological problem, and that other social institutions contribute to the persistence of men's violence against women. Whatever your long range professional objective, this course will give you a closer look at the way gender contributes to the normalcy of violence in our society.

To summarize, the seminar is designed

to examine theoretical contributions to the ways we try to explain men's violence
to develop a social constructionist framework that recognizes the influence of unequal social relations in society and men's privilege
to review the scope and nature of violence women experience in their relationships with men
to better understand the effects of this violence on women and the men themselves
to learn to use statistics to analyze original empirical data on men's sexual aggressiveness

REQUIRED TEXTS

Lefkowitz, B. 1998. Our guys: The Glen Ridge rape and
the secret life of the perfect suburb. New York: Vintage Books.

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Kimmel, M.S. 2000. The gendered society. New York:
Oxford University Press.

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Schwartz, M., & DeKeseredy, W. 1997. Sexual assault on the college campus: The role of male peer support. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

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Babbie, E., Halley, F., & Zaino, J. 2000. Adventures in social research (+Disk):
Data analysis using SPSS 9.0 and 10.0 for Windows 95/98. Beverly Hills, CA:
Pine Forge Press.

READINGS ON RESERVE

There will be a number of articles each week that are only available through reserve reading or electronically. You are encouraged to photocopy the reserve articles, but the expense is not required. The authors listed on the weekly reading list identify the articles assigned as required reading.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

The materials selected for each week’s reading will be provided at least one week in advance of the seminar discussion. Sometimes, several weeks’ assignments will be distributed. The amount of reading varies weekly. On occasion, some readings will be divided among members of the class; some the class will read one set of material and present their interpretations of this information to the others.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance Policy. As the quality of this seminar rests on participation and everyone is expected to be a co-teacher, attendance is crucial. I expect you to be present and on time for each seminar period and to remain in class for its duration. Because participation is an essential aspect of this course, attendance will be noted during the first 5-10 minutes of each class meeting. The following policy will be in effect: To earn a grade of A, you can miss no more than 1 class period, a B+ no more than 2 class periods, a B- no more than 3 class periods, and a C no more than 5 class periods. If you miss more than 5 classes you will earn no greater than a C- in this course.

Participation. This seminar will undoubtedly be a new experience for some of you. The class sessions never permit enough time to summarize relevant material and elaborate on the readings, therefore your thorough reading beforehand is absolutely essential. Students are expected to keep current with reading assignments and to be prepared to discuss them on the days they appear on the course outline. I expect all students to participate enthusiastically in each class. That means that each of you is expected to contribute at least one (and preferably more) comments to each class. To do so in a meaningful way, you must have read and thought about the readings. Because this is not a lecture course, not only does some of your grade depend on your prepared participation, but so does the entire success of the seminar. You do not need to say fantastically smart things whenever you contribute; all I ask is that you do the required reading diligently, be willing to take some risks, and try out some ideas with the rest of the class.

In terms of your final grade, “participation” is defined along two dimensions. First is your weekly “joining in” and contributions to the discussion. Second is the quality of your discussion leadership on the day (or days) you assume responsibility for the seminar; for example, was the session focused and presented in an organized way; were the discussion leaders going beyond the assigned material to encourage analysis and discussion of the topic and issues?

Discussion Leadership. Throughout the semester, groups of students will orchestra class discussion of the assigned readings. As discussion leaders, students take an active role in directing the seminar. The leaders will be responsible for briefly summarizing the main points/theses of the readings, and then facilitating a question and answer session at the conclusion of their brief presentation. Manner of presentation is flexible. Students are strongly encouraged to be creative, as long as their presentation is grounded in factual information about the subject matter.

In preparation for discussion, students should: 1) summarize the main points of the assigned readings, 2) provide commentary on how this article relates to ideas already discussed in class based on previous readings, 3) provide a critique of the readings, and 4) identify Q & A directions.

Weekly Reaction Papers. Beginning on Wednesday, September 5 and continuing each Wednesday thereafter, you are to turn in a "reading log" for that week’s reading assignment. These reaction papers will help focus class discussions. They can contain two or three quotes from the reading(s) you found most provocative along with several sentences of commentary about that quote that interested you. The narrative with the quote can also include any questions you had as you were reading. The idea for this reaction paper is to ensure some level of reflection on the readings as you prepare for class. Your weekly reaction paper should be word-processed and be not much more than 2-3 pages (unless you just can’t help yourself). You should print two copies. I will collect one copy and you will use the second copy to help with class discussion.

Utilizing your sociological perspective, evaluate the principle ideas, arguments, etc. made by the authors. For example, does an argument made make sense given your understanding and/or cultural beliefs? A word of caution: Do not devote much space to "reacting" on the basis of personal beliefs, since reaction tells me nothing about your understanding of the sociological issues. When referring to a specific passage in the readings, please cite page number(s). Use a format you feel comfortable with. Some students, for example, can use the reaction paper as a dialogue with me. Others may prefer the following format:

What question would you like to ask? Indicate something from the reading assignment that was

confusing or unclear.

Positive Comments. Discuss a passage that you really liked from the readings. It could be something

you strongly agree with or something that contributed to your understanding intellectually and personally.

Why did you like this passage?

Negative comments. Discuss a passage that you really disliked, something you strongly disagree with

or something that triggered a negative emotional response. Why did you dislike this passage so much?

Sociological ideas. Did the reading give you any ideas about why men behave the way they do and how

changes in social organization may modify men's behavior?

SPSS Research Assignments. About five “homework” assignments are required that call for you to analyze General Social Survey data. These assignments are due at the beginning of the seminar meeting, and they become part of the material we discuss during that week’s meeting. The assignments are evaluated on two dimensions. First is completing them on time. Second is the accuracy of the work.

Midterm. A take home midterm will be handed out October 3rd and will be due October 12th. The midterm will consist of answering three questions. You will be responsible for writing 4-5 page responses to each. The midterm is intended to summarize the material covered to through the first week of October.

Research Paper. Since a principle objective of the course is to get you to utilize sociological concepts and information from the social sciences in analyzing problems faced by many families, this assignment is designed to provide you the freedom to select a topic which is of interest to you and, next, to develop a research paper. The process requires you to explore the relevant sociological and related literature, reviewing it for ideas that may be useful conceptual guides and for prior research studies.

This is the main project in this course. There are several stages to the assignment. First, you will notify me of your paper topic and provide a preliminary bibliography. Once you have chosen a topic, I will group you together with one or two others who are working on related topics. Together, your group will devise a common research questions that you will each answer in particular ways in your individual papers. Second, you will turn in a good draft of your individual paper. Third, you will give a brief, collaborative presentation to the class about your research. Finally, you will hand in your final paper, reflecting careful revision based on my comments on the draft and on student questions after your presentation. The paper is worth 35 percent of final grade: five percent for initial literature search, ten percent for the draft, and 20 percent for final paper itself.

What do I mean by original research paper? I emphasize the word original because not only do you need to conduct research and write a paper based in that research, but you also need to have your own approach to or “take” on this material. The main emphasis of your paper should not be on what other people think, but on what you think. Keep in mind, however, that your beliefs must be grounded in specific, clearly documented evidence.

[a] library phase: During the sixth week of class, you will hand in an initial, annotated bibliography. Criteria for grading this aspect of the project: use of the fullest possible range of information learned during library tour during third week of class; evidence that you have given some thought to what particular approach you will take to your research topic/question; evidence that your "literature search" is reasonable (or sufficient) given the resources available from the library and interlibrary loan. This "working bibliography" comprises 5 percent of the course grade.

[b] draft: One of the important abilities you can develop as a writer is the willingness to revise drafts. For this seminar, you must turn in a full draft of your final paper by November 19. A "full draft" means that you have written a draft of the entire paper, not part of your paper. There should be a clear thesis stated at the beginning of your paper. Your draft will need to contain all the other regular elements of a paper, such as an introduction, well-documented evidence, conclusion, bibliography. I will not accept a draft that is seriously incomplete. I will give you extensive comments on your draft within a week, and for your final paper I will expect you to make revisions based on my comments and your own re-thinking of the paper. Criteria for grading this assignment: thoroughness of research, including use of library; originality of thought; careful use of evidence to support your arguments; and clarity of writing.

[c] poster presentation: The last weeks of the seminar are devoted to the research papers. Although you will write your draft and final paper individually, I except you to collaborate. I will organize you into research groups based on the similarity of individual projects. Your poster presentation will be with your research group to the rest of the class. The presentations should contain the most significant findings from your research. The group can then assess common themes/conclusions emerging from the research projects. The main goal of the poster presentation is for you to explain your ideas in a coherent way to an audience of other informed researchers. This experience will help you to write your paper more effectively. It will, hopefully, be a prelude to you presenting your paper at an undergraduate research conference.

[d] final paper: The final paper is due December 3, and it should reflect a serious revision of the draft based on my comments and student questions after your in-class presentation. This revision involves much more than simply correcting spelling and grammar mistakes. It means mulling over the comments I and other students have made, looking at how your paper is structured, and deciding how to re-configure the paper so that it makes more sense and is fully grounded in evidence. You must submit your marked-up draft with your final paper.

Late Assignments. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due. If you cannot finish the assignment by the beginning of class on the due date, do not miss class in order to finish. For some of the assignments in this course, you may have a free 24 hours to hand in your work—penalty-free, no excuses needed. After that, however, for every 24 hours that your assignment is late, your assignment grade drops two grade (e.g., from B+ to B-, from B to C+). In this seminar, my 24-hour penalty-free lateness policy applies to the library assignment, the statistics assignments, the draft of the final paper, and the final paper. It does not apply to the midterm exam or the weekly reaction papers.

Policy against Cheating and Plagiarism. Copying or "borrowing" other people's thoughts, ideas, or writing without giving them credit in your writings (or oral comments) is a violation of academic standards. Any act of plagiarism committed by a student enrolled in this class will be treated in accordance with college regulations.

WEIGHTS OF ASSIGNMENTS

COURSE OUTLINE