DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
SOC109H5S LEC0101
Introduction to Criminology, Law & Society
Course Outline - Winter 2025
Class Location & Time Mon, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM IB 110
Wed, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CC 1080
Instructor Julius Haag
Office Location MN6256 / Zoom
Office Hours Thursday 9:30-10:30 (On Zoom) / Or By Appointment
E-mail Address soc109@utoronto.ca
Course Web Site https://q.utoronto.ca
Co-Instructor Zach Richer
Office Location MN6294 / Zoom
E-mail Address soc109@utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistant Harmata Aboubakar
Office Hours See Quercus for Details
E-mail Address Harmata.aboubakar@mail.utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistant Ferdouse Asefi
Office Hours See Quercus for Details
E-mail Address ferdouse.asefi@mail.utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistant Devin Pratchler
Office Hours See Quercus for Details
E-mail Address d.pratchler@mail.utoronto.ca
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the overlapping areas of “criminology†and “law and society†within the
Criminology, Law & Society (CLS) stream. The goal of the course is to provide a sociological foundation for subsequent CLS
courses. In addition to a criminological/socio-legal introduction to theory and methods, topics may include law, inequality,
intersectionality, legal institutions, legal professions, crime, criminal justice, and punishment. Note: This course is required for
Criminology, Law and Society Major and Specialist programs.
Exclusion: SOC209H5 (SSc)
Distribution Requirement: SSc
It is your responsibility to ensure that the prerequisites for this course have been met. Students without the prerequisites can be
removed at any time. No waivers will be granted.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course, students will:
Be able to interpret issues of crime, justice, and inequality using criminological/sociolegal perspectives.
Better understand how criminologists and law and society scholars see and study the social world.
Recognize and differentiate among contrasting approaches to analyzing crime and law.
Be able to define key concepts and theories in the criminological/sociolegal traditions.
Apply these concepts to an analysis of a social issue.
Know how to conduct a scholarly literature review and write an academic paper.
Textbooks and Other Materials
All readings will be made available on the course website at q.utoronto.ca.
'Required Readings' should be completed before class. 'Suggested Readings' are not required but are provided for those who want
additional information on the associated topic and are a good resource for students who will be writing their research papers on that
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subject.
Changes to the required reading list will be made with as much notice as possible and new readings will be made available on the
course website.
Every attempt will be made to follow this list, but it is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Evaluation Components
Type Description Due Date Weight
Term Test Test One 2025-01-29 15%
Term Test Test Two 2025-03-10 20%
Final Exam Final Exam TBA 35%
Assignment Pre-Essay Assignment 2025-02-24 5%
Assignment Analytical Essay 2025-03-26 25%
Total 100%
You should receive at least one significant mark (15%) before the last day you can drop a course without academic penalty.
Please note that Grades in Quercus gives early access to preliminary grades; it does not represent your official final marks. For final
grades logon to ACORN.
Grading
Term Tests:
Term Test 1 (January 29th -- 15%) -- Term Test 2 (March 10th -- 20%)
We will have two term tests conducted IN CLASS during scheduled class time. Test One is worth 15% of your grade, and Test
Two is worth 20% of your grade. The format of the first term test will be multiple-choice. The second test will be multiple-choice and
long-answer. Each term test is non-cumulative. Each test will include material taken from the assigned readings and lecture content.
Final Exam (Date: TBA [During the Final Exam Period] -- 35%):
There will be a final exam scheduled during the exam period. The final exam will include multiple-choice and essay questions. The
multiple-choice questions will be drawn from the remaining course topics from after our second term test, while the essay questions
will be cumulative, meaning they will include course material and concepts from the entire course. The final exam is worth 35% of
your final grade.
Writing Assignment: Pre-Essay Assignment (February 24th - 5%) and Analytical Essay (March 26th - 25%)
The world of crime and law is huge--far bigger than what we can cover in just one course. For these assignments, we want to you to
engage with issues related to criminology and law and society that matter to you and bring them into conversation with the topics we
cover from week to week. Your analytical essay is meant to do exactly that. The assignment is due in two steps:
Step One: Pre-Essay Assignment (5%)
The pre-essay assignment involves four components: 1) identifying a suitable academic research article; 2) uploading your article
to the course website; 3) preparing a complete ASA7th reference for your article; and 4) identifying and briefly describing a
"sticking point" from your article, or something about the findings/explanation found in your article that made you curious,
confused, or perplexed. Prior to the due date, we will devote class time to discussing how to identify a suitable article, resources for
preparing your reference, and advice for writing your analytical essay. **Due February 24th**
Step Two: Analytical Essay (25%)
Compose a 3-4 page essay analyzing the research findings and argument of the article you have selected by drawing on the theories
and concepts we have discussed in class. How does understanding your article help us to think about crime, law, and society?
Additional details and writing strategies will be included during lecture in the weeks prior to the due date. **Due March 26th**
Your paper should use ASA 7th Edition formatting. We will post an ASA style guide to the course website and discuss this in class.
We will post detailed instructions for the pre-essay and analytical essay assignments to the course website and we will discuss these in
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class.
Class/Seminar Format
This course will be primarily taught synchronously and in person. Lecture content will be complemented by assigned course
readings, documentary clips, news articles, and other sources. Students are expected to have completed any required readings prior to
attending lecture activites. Office hours for the instructor and TAs will be held virtually with meeting times and links posted to the
course website
Procedures and Rules
Process for Seeking Academic Consideration for Missed Term Work
It is the student's responsibility to initiate the process of seeking academic consideration. To request an assignment extension or
make-up test, you must complete both of the following steps within three days of the missed assignment deadline/test (including
weekends and holidays): 1) Submit the Special Consideration Request online form, and 2) Either declare your absence on ACORN
(once per term; see below), OR upload supporting documentation with your online form. If you are registered with Accessibility
Services and missed a test or an assignment due date, please follow the first step only. For more details, please visit the Department of
Sociology website.
Before a student declares an absence on ACORN for a test or quiz, they should review the syllabus closely (under "Grading", above)
as the instructor may have exempted that test or quiz from the ACORN AD. If there is an instructor exemption for that test or quiz,
students must submit documentation when seeking academic consideration for the test or quiz and should not use ACORN to declare
the absence for that test or quiz.
Students who do not seek academic consideration will receive a zero on the assessment in question.
The department may grant extensions for term work until the end of the term (which is the end of the regular examination period).
Petitions are required for extensions beyond end of term or for deferred examinations. Visit the Office of the Registrar website to
learn more about petitions.
Missed Term Work
Students who miss term work (i.e., quiz, test, assignment) may use the ACORN absence declaration tool (AD) to record an absence
in one or more courses. This option may be used once per term for a single absence period of up to seven consecutive days in
one or more courses. The declaration period must include the day of declaration and may include past and/or future dates, for a total
of up to seven calendar days. Use of the ACORN AD does not require documentation. It remains the student's responsibility to
initiate the process of seeking academic consideration – such as a make-up test, assignment extension – by following the
instructions listed above, under "Process for Seeking Academic Consideration for a Missed Term Work."
If a student misses term work but has already used the ACORN AD during that term, they will be required to submit documentation
when seeking academic consideration.
If you are facing circumstances that make securing documentation difficult, please contact your instructor and/or our academic
counsellor directly to discuss.
Reasons for temporary absences include illness, injury, and other unplanned circumstances beyond a student's control (such as court
subpoena, funeral, car accident). Unless a student is using their ACORN AD, reasons such as holidays, pre-purchased plane tickets,
family plans, lack of test/assignment preparation, conflicting deadlines, late course registration, technology failure, and traffic- or
weather-related incidents are not considered to be beyond a student's control.
If you are feeling ill, do not start your test/quiz. Students cannot seek academic consideration for a test or quiz they have already
begun.
Religious Observances: If you are seeking accommodation due to religious observance, you should submit the following form at least
three weeks in advance; documentation is not required. Do not use the ACORN AD for religious accommodation.
Late Assignments
In order not to be considered late, assignments must be submitted by the due date listed on the syllabus via Quercus and the
University's Plagiarism Detection Tool. You are expected to keep a back-up, hard copy of your assignment in case it is lost.
Late assignments for reasons that are within your control will be penalized 5% marks per day. The penalty will run from the
day the assignment was due until the day it is submitted to to the instructor via Quercus.
The penalty period includes weekends and holidays.
Assignments that are more than seven 7 days late will not be accepted.
Late assignments must be submitted in accordance with the instructions above; other faculty and staff within the department cannot
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and will not accept late assignments
Missed Final Exam
Students who cannot complete their final examination due to illness or other serious causes must file an online petition within 72
hours of the missed examination. Late petitions will NOT be considered. Upon approval of a deferred exam request, a non-
refundable fee is required for each examination approved. See the Office of the Registrar Administrative Fees for Services page for
more information.
Re-marking Pieces of Term Work
A student who believes that their written term work has a substantive error in grading may ask the person who marked the work for
re-evaluation. Students have up to one month from the date of return of an item of term work to inquire about the mark and file an
appeal. For example, should the marked term work be made available on March 3rd, the student has until April 3rd to seek re-
marking. Requests for re-marking should include an explanation written by the student detailing why they believe the work was
incorrectly/unfairly assessed, referring only to their work, assignment/test guidelines, rubrics, etc as needed. Decisions will be
provided to students in a timely fashion.
As per the university's policy, only term work worth at least 20% of the course mark may be appealed beyond the instructor. To
escalate an appeal beyond the instructor, the student must submit the re-evaluation request, original piece of work, and all
correspondence on the matter of re-evaluation to the Associate Chair.
For more on the university's re-marking policy, please click here.
This process applies only to term work; appeals for re-reads of final examinations are handled directly by the Office of the Registrar.
Electronic Communication and Electronic Learning Technology
Email communication is rapid, convenient, and efficient—and you are encouraged to use it to enhance your learning and experience
in the course. With that said, it is essential that you follow a few rules. Note: Emails that do not follow these guidelines will not
receive a response.
Assignments must be submitted to the instructors via Quercus.
Assignments will not be accepted via email. See above for how to submit them.
Assignments will not be considered as 'submitted' unless the file can be opened and reviewed.Please check that your
submission is free from technical errors. We are unable to make exceptions for issues such as damaged files, uploading
the incorrect file, or uploading an incorect file version.
All course communication should be conducted through Quercus or your U of T email account.
All emails must include the course code (e.g., SOC109) in the subject line.
All emails should be signed with the student's full name and student number.
Emails from students will generally be answered within 48 hours or 2 working days of receipt.
Treat emails as you would any other professional communication. Proofread. Use appropriate language.
Emails that ask questions that are answered in the course syllabus or website (e.g., "how much is assignment X worth") will
not receive a response.
All general questions about the course that are NOT addressed on the syllabus and course website should be posted on the
course discussion boards on Quercus or addressed directly to your assigned TA or to the instructor, as appropriate.
Classroom Etiquette
Students are expected to arrive to class on time.
Please use whatever technology that helps you learn during any synchronous class activities. However, the use of such technology
should in no way distract others from learning.
Videotaping and recording lectures is strictly forbidden without written permission. Please email your instructor to discuss.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree from the
University of Toronto Mississauga is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, UTM treats
cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously.
The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines behaviours that constitute academic dishonesty and the
process for addressing academic offences.
Copying, plagiarizing, falsifying medical certificates, or other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Any student
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caught engaging in such activities will be referred to the Dean’s office for adjudication and punishment. Any student abetting or
otherwise assisting in such misconduct will also be subject to academic penalties.
All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on
Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate research
and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic integrity from your instructor or from other
institutional resources. By enrolling in this course, you agree to abide by the university's rules regarding academic conduct, as
outlined in the Calendar. You are expected to be familiar with the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters and Code of Student
Conduct.
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to the University's Plagiarism Detection Tool for a review of textual
similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the
Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the
University's use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site.
Generative AI / ChapGPT
Students may use artificial intelligence tools for creating an outline for an assignment. These tools may be useful when gathering
information from across sources and assimilating it for understanding. However, the final submitted assignment must be original
work produced by the individual student alone.
Representing as one's own an idea, or expression of an idea, that was AI-generated may be considered an academic offense in this
course. Students may not copy or paraphrase from any generative artificial intelligence applications, including ChatGPT and other AI
writing and coding assistants, for the purpose of completing assignments in this course.
This course policy is designed to promote your learning and intellectual development and to help you reach course learning outcomes.
Student Services and Resources
The university offers a variety of student support services and resources, which can be found at
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/current-students. This includes supports for your academics, health, and wellness, and other student
services.
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Course Schedule
Date Topic
2025-01-06 Topic: Syllabus and Course Introduction
Required Readings: **No Readings**
"Welcome to the course!"
2025-01-08 Criminology Lecture 1: What is Criminology? / What are Crime and Deviance?
Required Readings:
Walklate, S. 2011. What is criminology?. New York, Routledge (Pages 2-7)
2025-01-13 Law & Society Lecture 1: What Kinds of Questions Do Law & Society Scholars Ask? / Order Before Law:
Welcome to Social Control
Required Readings (~15 pages):
Chriss, JJ. 2022. Social Control: An Introduction. Third Edition. Selected pages marked on the pdf.
2025-01-15 Criminology Lecture 2: Thinking about Crime: Crime Types and Crime Data
Required Readings:
Scassa, T. 2017. Crime data and analytics: Accounting for crime in the city. In Kitchin, R., Lauriault,
T.P. & McArdle, G. (Eds). Data and the City (pp. 59-69). London, Routledge.
2025-01-20 Law & Society Lecture 2: Law Enters the Chat: Coercion and Legitimacy
Required Readings (~9 pages, assembled in a single pdf):
Chriss, JJ. 2022. Social Control: An Introduction. Third Edition. Pages 38-40.
Tepperman, L. and L. Upenieks. 2016. Social Control. Pages 126-128.
Chriss, JJ. 2022. Social Control: An Introduction. Third Edition. Pages 19-21.
Tepperman, L. and L. Upenieks. 2016. Social Control. Pages 132-133.
Required video: Interview with Professor Gail Super
2025-01-22 Criminology Lecture 3: Why do People Break the Law?: Choice Theories and Rationality
Required Readings:
Burke, Roger Hopkins. 2016. "Youth offending as rational behaviour"
2025-01-27 Law & Society Lecture 3: Law & Hierarchy: How Law Discriminates
Required Readings (we're getting out of textbook territory now so budget extra brain space for this reading):
Alexander, Michelle 2011. "The New Jim Crow." Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law Vol. 9(1): 7-26.
2025-01-29 **Test 1 held in-class**
Please bring your TCard or Government Issued Photo ID to Class
SOC109H5S - Haag, Julius 2024-12-20 12:16:40 Page 6 of 9
2025-02-03 Criminology Lecture 4: Why do People Break the Law?: Anomie, Strain, and Subcultures
Required Readings:
Burfeind, James and Dawn Bartusch. 2015. Juvenile Delinquency: An Integrated Approach.London:
Routledge. Chapter 11: Social structure theories, community strain, and subcultures (Pages 343 - 361)
2025-02-05 Law & Society Lecture 4: Legal Consciousness: Orienting Ourselves to Law
Required Readings:
Ewick, Patricia, and Susan S. Silbey. 1998.The Common Place of Law: Stories from Everyday Life.
University of Chicago Press. Pages: 33-49.
2025-02-10 Prepping the Pre-Essay Assignment 1: Finding a Research Article and Using Library Resources
Guest Speaker: Meaghan Valant (UTM Library)
2025-02-12 Prepping the Pre-Essay Assignment 2: How to Read a Research Article
Guest Speaker: Prof. Jonathan Vroom (Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy)
2025-02-17 Reading Week - No Class
2025-02-19 Reading Week - No Class
2025-02-24 ***Pre-Essay Assignment Due at 11:59 pm***
Criminology Lecture 5: Why do People Break the Law?: Social Ecology and the Neighbourhood
Required Readings:
Sandel, William L. and Wayman C. Mullins. "Social Disorganization Theory." In The SAGE
Encyclopedia of Criminal Psychology, edited by Robert D. Morgan. SAGE Reference. https://sk-
sagepub-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-criminal-psychology-
1e/i13965.xml
Recommended Reading:
Anderson, Elijah. 1994. "The Code of the Streets". The Atlantic, 80-94
2025-02-26 Law & Society Lecture 5: Courts and Control
Required Readings:
Vago, Nelson, Nelson, and Barkan. Law and Society: Fifth Canadian Edition (Routledge). Chapter 3:
"Courts". Read selections marked on the pdf.
2025-03-03 Criminology Lecture 6: Why do People Break the Law?: Social Learning Perspectives
Required Readings:
Jensen, Gary F. "Social Learning Theory of Crime." InThe SAGE Encyclopedia of Criminal Psychology,
edited by Robert D. Morgan. SAGE Reference. https://sk-sagepub-
com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-criminal-psychology-
1e/i14056.xml
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2025-03-05 Law & Society Lecture 6: Legitimacy 2.0: Procedural Justice
Required Readings:
Tyler, T. 1990. Why People Obey the Law. Sections: "Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and Compliance"
(3-7),
"Legitimacy as a Theoretical Issue" (19-39). Read only selected pages on the pdf.
2025-03-10 **Test 2 held in-class over Quercus**
Please bring your TCard or Government Issued Photo ID to Class
2025-03-12 Prepping the Analytical Essay: How to Write an Academic Paper
Guest Speaker: Prof. Jonathan Vroom (Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy)
2025-03-17 Criminology Lecture 7: Policing
Required Readings:
Bell, Jeannine. 2004. "The Police and Policing." In The Blackwell Companion to Law and Society,
edited by Austin Sarat. Blackwell Publishing Inc. https://doi-
org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1002/9780470693650.ch8
Recommended Reading:
The Agenda with Steve Paikin. 2020. "Rethinking Policing: Who Should Keep the Public Safe?". TVO.
https://www.tvo.org/video/who-should-keep-the-public-safe
2025-03-19 Law & Society Lecture 7: Law by Rights: Using Civil Courts
Required Readings:
Engel, David. "Chairs, Stairs, and Automobiles: The Cultural Construction of Injuries and the Failed
Promise of Law" in Bloom, Engel, and McCann (eds). Injury and Injustice: The Cultural Politics of
Harm and Redress.
2025-03-24 Criminology Lecture 8: Social Stratification, Critical Theory, and Feminist Perspectives
Required Readings:
DeKeserdey, Walter. 2015. "Critical Criminology." In The Handbook of Deviance, edited by
ErichGoode. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://books-scholarsportal-
info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/uri/ebooks/ebooks3/wiley/2015-08-31/1/9781118701386 *Annotated
Sections Only*
2025-03-26 Law & Society Lecture 8: Law and Social Change: Legal Mobilization
Required Readings (keep your search engine open for tricky legal terms!):
Manfredi, CP and A Maioni. 2018. Health Care and the Charter: Legal Mobilization and Policy
Change in Canada. UBC Press. Vancouver. Pages 5-13.
McCann, M. 2008. "Litigation and Legal Mobilization" in The Oxford Handbook of Law & Politics.
Pages 523-525.
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2025-03-31 Criminology Lecture 9: Systemic Inequality and Critical Race Perspectives
Required Readings:
Chan, Wendy and Dorothy E. Chunn. 2002. Racialization, crime and criminal justice in Canada.
Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. (Page 14 Beginning with "The Criminalization of Racial
Groups" to Page 22 -- Please use this link to access the resource using our library website:
https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991105927711906196)
Suggested Readings:
Kitossa, T. 2018, October 17. 'Thugs' is a race-corde word that fuels anti-Black racism. The
Conversation. https://theconversation.com/thugs-is-a-race-code-word-that-fuels-anti-black-racism-
100312
2025-04-02 Law & Society Lecture 9: Is Law For Everyone: Access to Justice
Required Readings (much lighter this time!):
Watson, H.G. "Why Sexual-Assault Survivors Look Outside the Criminal System for Justice" The
Walrus, November 1, 2021.
Berrey, E. "Sociology Finds Discrimination in the Law" Contexts Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 28-32.
Required Video: Interview with Professor Ellen Berrey
TBA Final Examination
Last Date to drop course from Academic Record and GPA is March 10, 2025.
Every attempt will be made to follow this schedule, but it is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
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