Sociology 490-1: White-Collar Crime

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

MWF 1:00-1:50Spring 2002

Dr. David Kauzlarich

1208 Peck

Phone: (618) 650-2891

Fax: (618) 650-3509

Email: dkauzla@siue.edu

Web Page: http://www.siue.edu/~dkauzla/index.html

Office Hours: MWF 10-11 and by appointment

I. Course Information

Welcome to the course! White-collar crime is a serious social problem as it is among the greatest threats to public health and safety. Indeed, the physical, financial, and emotional costs of white-collar crime dwarf those caused by traditional street crimes such as homicide, assault, robbery, and burglary.

Out study of white-collar crime will be organized around the following themes:

• The definition and conceptualization of white-collar crime.

• The behavioral elements of white collar crime as illustrated by case study.



• The explanation of white-collar crime through sociological and criminological theory.



• The social control of white-collar crime via social and criminal justice policy.

We will approach the study of white-collar crime from sociological and criminological perspectives. We begin by defining the various forms of white-collar crime and then move on to an examination of a number of instances/cases of white-collar crime. Next, we shall engage in a rigorous theoretical examination of the causes and correlates of the phenomenon. Finally, we will focus on what we can do "in the real world" about the problem.

Although most of the lecture materials for this course are grounded in the assigned readings, the lectures will not duplicate (and may diverge significantly from) the readings. Therefore, it is imperative that the student reads all of the assigned readings for a particular meeting prior to the commencement of class. Additionally, the lectures will be much more understandable if you have read the assignments beforehand.

II. Required Texts

• David Kauzlarich and Ronald C. Kramer (1998). Crimes of the American Nuclear State: At Home and Abroad. Boston: Northeastern University Press. (available at textbook rental).



• Neal Shover and John Paul Wright (2001). Crimes of Privilege: Readings in White-Collar Crime. New York: Oxford University Press. (available at textbook rental).



• David R. Simon (2002). Elite Deviance. 7^th Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. (available for purchase at the University bookstore or elsewhere).



• I will also provide handouts in class.

III. Course Requirements

The final course grade will be determined by the students' performance on:

A. Three Exams..............................................60%

B. One Research Paper...................................30%

C. Class Presentation of your Paper.................5%

D. Attendance and Participation.......................5%

Exams will be mostly essay and based on both class lectures and the assigned readings. Make-up exams will be given only under exceptional circumstances. If given, they will be completely essay in form and you must allow me at least one week to write a new exam.

The research paper and presentation: see section VI of this syllabus

Attendance/participation: Unannounced, periodic roll will be taken. Active participation in class and group discussions is expected.

IV. Point Values and the Determination of the Final Grade

Exam I.........................................50 points

Exam II........................................50 points

Exam III.......................................50 points

Research Paper............................75 points

Class Presentation.......................12.5 points

Attendance/Participation.............12.5 points

Total............................................250 points.

Final grades will be determined by dividing the total amount of points earned by the total amount of points possible. The resulting percentage will be converted into a letter grade according to the following scale:

A 90-100% (225-250 points)

B 80-89% (200-224 points)

C 70-79% (175-199 points)

D 60-69% (150-174 points)

F under 60% (149 points and below)

V. Tentative Course Outline

1/7 Introduction to the Course

1/9-18 What is White-Collar Crime?

Readings:

Kauzlarich and Kramer: Forward, Chapters 1 and 2

Simon: Chapter 1

Shover and Wright: "White-Collar Criminality," by Sutherland

Shover and Wright: "Is White-Collar Crime, Crime?" by Sutherland

1/21 No Class - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/23-2/6 Corporate Crime

Readings:

Simon: Chapters 3 and 4

2/8 Exam 1

2/11-27 State Crime

Kauzlarich and Kramer: Chapters 3-6

Simon: Chapter 6, 7, and 9

3/1-6 State-Corporate Crime

Handout article by Matthews and Kauzlarich (2000).

Shover and Wright: "Fire in Hamlet," by Aulette and Michalowski.

3/8 Exam 2

3/11-15 No Class - Spring Break

3/18-4/5 Theoretical Explanations of White-Collar Crime

Kauzlarich and Kramer: Chapter 7

Simon: Chapter 8

Shover and Wright: "A Rational Choice Theory of Corporate Crime" by Paternoster and Simpson; "Profits, Pressure, and Corporate Law Breaking," by Jenkins and Braithwaite; "Characteristics and sources of white-collar crime," by Piquero and Piquero.

4/8-12 Controlling White-Collar Crime

Simon: Epilogue

Kauzlarich and Kramer: Reread the last section of chapter 7

Shover and Wright: "On theory and action for corporate crime control," by Braithwaite

4/15-26 Class Presentations (these dates may change depending on enrollment and other factors).

4/22 Research Paper Due in Class

4/29 Final Exam 12-1:40

VI. The Research Paper

Your paper should resemble what sociologists call an "analytical case study." Your primary objective should be to provide a detailed description and account of an instance of white-collar crime, preferably the organizational variety. You can select a famous case (e.g. Ford Pinto, Watergate) or a lesser known instance of white-collar crime. The books for this class are filled with hundreds of examples of the phenomenon, so if you are having difficulty finding an interesting and appropriate case, make sure to thoroughly consult your books for ideas.

Each student is required to present his or her paper to the class near the end of the semester. Until notified otherwise, plan on making a 10 minute presentation. We shall create the schedule of presentations as democratically as possible around the midpoint of the semester.

Your paper should be organized in the following manner.

Part 1: Describe the crime, event, and/or harm. Who are the actors? Who are the victimized?

Part 2: Why is the event a crime? What laws, norms, and/or standards were violated? Was there any legal action taken against the offending parties? If so, what?

Part 3: Theoretically interpret the case. Using at least two theories reviewed in class, explain why the crime occurred. How can the case be rendered more understandable through specific theories?

Part 4: How can crimes like these be controlled? Identify both specific and general changes that could reduce the likelihood of the recurrence of this and similar crimes.

Specific Guidelines:

The paper should be between 10 and 15 pages. Graduate student papers should be around 20 pages.

Use no larger than a 12 point font and 1 inch margins.

Use a standardized reference format of you choosing.

Plagiarism of any nature will not be tolerated and result in a grade of zero on the paper.