JOURNALS
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| Journal #1- Your Current Understanding of Criminal Justice and media consumption | |
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Part 1 Reflect in depth on how media has affected your life, and all of your life not just now. Discuss many different types of media from the numerous print to audiovisual types (radio, television, newspaper, magazines, books, internet, films & videos, video games, advertising forms, billboards and other signs, theatre, etc…). Consider various aspects of your life and how each type of media affected each aspect of your life, i.e. the impact of media on you as student, worker, peer, consumer, voter, etc..., i.e. institutional realms of family, school, work, leisure, government, etc...
Part 2 What are your opinions of crime and the criminal justice system? Describe your personal experiences with the crime and the criminal justice system. With which branch (law enforcement, courts, corrections) have you had the most contacts? Which least? Upon what data is your personal opinion of crime and the criminal justice system based? Discuss all: (a) personal experience, e.g. family, friends (b) conversations with others, e.g. teachers (c) books and scholarly articles (d) newspapers, radio, internet and TV news (e) movies and TV crime dramas. Describe in detail your typical monthly "intake" of media-based crime and criminal justice information. Which newspapers do you read? How many TV news shows and documentaries featuring crime stories? What types of primetime crime dramas do you watch? Do you rent crime movies or go out to see crime films? Do you surf the Internet for crime Web pages? Do you play computer or Internet crime-related video games? The goal of this exercise is self-reflection. It should cause you to stop and think about exactly what your opinions of CJ are, how you came to acquire them through experience, media, and scholarly reading, and what your current sources of information are and why you seek them out. You must be specific. Name the TV shows, movies, courses, books, instructors, etc., and what you got from them. It’s not enough to say "I watch TV cop shows." |
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| Journal #2 - Deviance and conformity | |
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Part 1: Write your own Criminality/Deviancy autobiography, i.e. describe the ways in which you have engaged in deviant/criminal acts. Start as far back as you can remember...including the most trivial of things to the most serious...bringing yourself up to the now. Explore why you engaged in such acts. Do you see any patterns in your life? Which, if any, are the first you've actually told anybody? Reflect on what you have written - how do you feel and what do you think? Part 2: Describe the many ways in which you conform. Again consider this throughout your life until now. Explore why it is you conform. Why is it you obey? Remember to be detailed in your responses. Continually ask in the reflection components of parts 1 & 2, why, why, why… |
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| Journal #3 - Gender | |
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Part 1: How gendered was your upbringing? Describe in DETAIL your upbringing in terms of gender. Consider and discuss various socialization factors, e.g. family, friends, school (teachers and classmates), work colleagues, media, religion, etc... Consider and discuss various aspects of your life from toys, sports, chores assigned, clothing, leisure activities, jobs, career and study choices, activities with either/both parents, relationship interests/attractions, deviant activities, etc... Also discuss examples of when you have either been subject to or perpetrated or been witness to prejudice and/or discrimination in terms of gender (i.e. sexism).
Part 2: Reflect on what this tells you about yourself and you who are today. How have these experiences shaped you into becoming a woman or a man? Reflect on what were the feelings, i.e. emotions, which came up as a result of exploring your more or less gendered upbringing and experiences. From part 1, and other direct and indirect experiences throughout your life, how did issues of gender affect your views on the deviant behaviour of girls and boys – what was acceptable or not, punishment relevant or not, attitudes/actions of those involved and of yourself if relevant. |
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| Journal #4 - Race and Ethnicity | |
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There are different ways we may or may not have interaction, directly or indirectly, with people of races different from our own race: media, work, friendships, classmates, family, residence, etc… Firstly identify what is your race and how you see the place of your race in Canadian society? Consider this in terms of various institutional realms: education, economy, government, media, criminal justice system, etc… Considering that Canada is supposedly a multicultural society and that our government claims to support this as a policy, do you personally feel any obligation to contributing to making Canada multicultural and welcoming to people of all races & ethnicities? Include discussions about the original inhabitants of this land and various immigrants, past and current. Why/why not? How do you/do you not make this effort? Do you feel you have any responsibility towards informing yourself of racism in Canada that exists towards people of colour? Do you feel you should do something about this racism? How do you see racism contributing to the fact that the majority of people in Canadian prisons are people of colour? |
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