WORTH: 8% of semester grade
LENGTH: 750 - 1000 Words
CAN THIS BE TURNED IN LATE?: Yes, but be attentive to the penalties
DUE: 3/13 by blackboard by classtime
BE
SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE
(5% penalty if you do not).
All files should be saved on your computer
as: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"),
followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed
by an underscore ("_"), followed
by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein
were to submit assignment number 11, the file name would
be:
hussein_sa_11.doc
THIS
IS ASSIGNMENT 11
Essay Question: Explain how Dead End reflects the the Chicago School's theory of crime's origins in social disorganization. |
Hints:
1. Keep in mind that this essay question does not assume that the Chicago School get crime "right." Likewise, your goal is NOT to demonstrate that the Chicago School is accurate or not. Instead, your goal is to demonstrate that the film reflects the thinking of that school.
2. Keeping in mind the social institutions the Chicago School thinks mitigate disorder, look for evidence that these institutions are overwhelmed by the circumstances of poverty (thus producing "social disorganization" and eventually disorder and crime).
3. Think about what The Slums and Crime argues about how and in what specific ways poor housing encourages juvenile delinquency. Look for evidence in the film of poor housing leading to crime in similar ways. Remember, just pointing out that the film portrays bad housing is insufficient. You need to demonstrate how in the film poor housing contributes to crime in much the same way that The Slums and Crime argues.
4. Here's one way to organize a body cl/ev/wa paragraph for this paper:
| (CL) The film Dead End reflects the Chicago School’s emphasis on professors’ coffee habits as the cause of high crime. (EV) As the historian Nicole Rafter notes the Chicago School documented that “neighborhoods where professors lived experienced” a “dramatic spike in thefts” driven by “their need to pay for their coffee habits.” (p. x) (EV We can see an example of this way of thinking in Dead End in the scene where Prof. Umbach mugs one of the Dead End kids for three cents while shouting “caffeine, caffeine, caffeine. I need caffeine.” (1:13) (Wa) This cinematic professor character who so clearly has an a caffeine addiction that he pays for through theft reflects the Chicago School’s discovery that neighborhood thefts were higher where faculty lived. |
Writing Requirements:
1) You must have a clear thesis statement within the first two paragraphs of this paper (and preferably in the first paragraph). (-5% pts if you don't)
2) You must underline your thesis statement (-5% pts if you don't)
3) You must have at least ten points of evidence, with at least four of those ten coming from Dead End, and at least three coming from Rafter and at least one coming from Crime and The Slums (-15% pts if you don't). Your evidence should be in the form of direct quotations of no more than 10 words. (see here for how to reduce quotations)
The remaining 2 pieces of evidence can come from either of the readings or Dead End. DO NOT USE OUTSIDE EVIDENCE!
YOUR PAPER, HOWEVER, MIGHT EASILY HAVE MORE THAN TEN PIECES OF EVIDENCE.
4) Identify all pages from the reading in any format you want (e.g. (Rafter, p. 71) and time-stamp (e.g. "46:13") from film
5) In paragraphs that present evidence, you must identify your claims by placing a (CL) before them; your points of evidence by placing an (EV) before them; and your warrants by placing a (WA) before them (-5% pts if you don't)
6) Integrate your direct quotations using either METHOD 3 OR METHOD 4 FROM THE EXPLANATION OF HOW TO INTEGRATE QUOTATIONS (-10% IF YOU DO NOT)
GRADING RUBRIC
I will be grading your essays using this rubric (delivered as a microsoft word .doc to your desktop)
You might want to look over the rubric before starting to write the paper so that you know my expectations in advance of writing the paper.
SAMPLE OUTLINE
(you do not need to follow this sample outline, but if you are stuck or need help, it's an excellent way to guide you through the process, See "sample cl/ev/wa" paragraph above as well)
I. Intro
A. brief (2 or 3 sentence) background info the reader requires to understand the rest of your paper
B. Thesis. One possible formula: "The film Dead End reflects the Chicago School's theory of crime's origins in social disorganization in ways X, Y, and Z.
II. Way X
transition from previous paragraph (how to write a transition (longer explanation; shorter explanation)
claim: aspect X of the Chicago School's theory of crime's origins in social disorganization finds reflection in this moment in film Dead End
evidence: quotation(s) from Rafter or the Crime and the Slums (remember to integrate your quotation(s))
evidence: quotation(s) from Dead End (or scene description if very specific)
warrant: (remember to use your warrant to explain how and why the evidence supports your claim)
III. Way Y
transition from previous paragraph (how to write a transition (longer explanation; shorter explanation)
claim: aspect Y of the Chicago School's theory of crime's origins in social disorganization finds reflection in this moment in film Dead End
evidence: quotation(s) from Rafter or the Crime and the Slums (remember to integrate your quotation(s))
evidence: quotation(s) from Dead End (or scene description if very specific)
warrant: (remember to use your warrant to explain how and why the evidence supports your claim)
IV. Way Z
transition from previous paragraph (how to write a transition (longer explanation; shorter explanation)
claim: aspect Z of the Chicago School's theory of crime's origins in social disorganization finds reflection in this moment in film Dead End
evidence: quotation(s) from Rafter or the Crime and the Slums (remember to integrate your quotation(s))
evidence: quotation(s) from Dead End (or scene description if very specific)
warrant: (remember to use your warrant to explain how and why the evidence supports your claim)
V. Conclusion (how to write a conclusion)