NEIU JUST 202 Justice and Inequality

NEIU Fall 2008

JUST-202 Justice and Inequality

Instructor-June Terpstra, PhD

The course provides an analysis of race, class, gender, and related inequalities in the context of political economy in the United States. The course also focuses on consequent biases in criminal justice and the intersectional nature of discrimination in the delivery of justice. Includes identifying strategies for reducing these injustices. Prereq: JUST 101 or consent of Instructor.

Course Objective:  Our study will examine the major institutions in the USA looking at historical and present day structural inequalities in law, policies and practices of the USA.   

Course Requirements:

Class attendance and participation= 200 pts

Read and response weekly papers= 300 points

MID-TERM AND FINAL Research Projects = 250 points each =500 points

Total points = 1000

MID-TERM Presentations and Papers:  You are to present a 15-20 minute power point presentation or a 10 page paper covering an aspect of one of the social institutions such as family, education, media, healthcare/medical, environmental, law enforcement, government, agriculture and food production, technology, and religion concerning inequities in laws, policy, procedure, and practices focusing on an aspect of class, race, gender, ethnicity, creed, orientation or age examining who benefits from the inequalities. 

FINAL PRESENTATION: You are to present a 15-20 minute power point presentation or a 10 page paper covering the topic you chose for your mid-term and examine reforms, resistance and revolutionary strategies that people, groups or movements have implemented to address the inequalities and injustices. Here you are to ask, what those seeking social change do and who benefits from reforms, revisions or revolutions?

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS 

Week 1    AUG 26 Colonization, Race and Class

READ AND RESPOND

1.  USA A Quick Study by June Terpstra

http://juneterpstra.com/whats_new.html   

2.  MOVING ONWARD: From Racial Division to Class Unity By Brooke Heagerty and Nelson Peery:  All Chapters!

http://www.speakersforanewamerica.com/Moving%20Onward.php

Week 2  The Constitution, Bill of Rights and Rule of Law 

Read and Respond

1.  The US Constitution:

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

2.  "Cracks in the Constitution" A Review By Stephen Lendman http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18143.htm

Week 3 Economic Institutions-Banks

Read and Respond

1.  How the Federal Reserve Runs the US by Stephen Lendman  

http://www.populistamerica.com/federal_reserve#2

 2. For the Love of Money by David C. Korton

 http://www.davidkorten.org/loveofmoney

3.      "The Secret History of the American Empire" in
Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption
 Interview with John Perkins http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2007/06/secret-history-of-american-empire.html

 Week 4- Economic Collapse?

1. Stock Market Brushfire; Will there be a run on the banks? By Mike Whitney
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18164.htm

2.  The Joyride That Was The American Empire  By Carolyn Baker

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18169.htm

Weeks 5  Democracy?

Read and Respond

1. Federalist No. 10 :  The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
by James Madison http://www.thisnation.com/library/books/federalist/10.html

Weeks 6-7 Mid-term Presentations and Papers

Week 8  Police and Law Inforcement 

Read and Respond 

Police History http://www.realpolice.net/police-history.shtml

Habeus Corpus Time Line:  http://www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/habeastimeline.html

A Jones for Justice  Unbalanced Justice And Wannabe Fascists
by Dr. John Calvin Jones, PhD, JD http://www.blackcommentator.com/230/230_jones_for_justice_unbalanced_justice_wannabe_fascists.html

Week 9

Military 

 Read and Respond

1.      Structured Cruelty: Learning to Be a Lean, Mean Killing Machine http://www.politicsandcurrentaffairs.co.uk/Forum/606188-post1.html

2.      Martin Smith Support our Troops" or Support the Resistance?
by Marta Rodriguez at http://www.onepalestine.org/

3.      Brutal Bullies by Paul J. Balles http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/1014/81/

Week 10 Media

1.  Singing Soprano, While Dissin' the Bass: America's White Thug Love & Ethnically Acceptable Violence by Dr. Edward Rhymes

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=248&Itemid=33

2.  Hegemony and Counter Hegemony in The Godfather Trilogy  by Chaoyang Park West

http://www.drorism.com/blog/media_theory/hegemony_and_counter_hegemony.php

Week 11 Reform or Revolution

Read and Respond

Follow the Money by June Terpstra  http://juneterpstra.com/about.html

Weeks 12-14 

FINAL POWER POINT, PAPER OR PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

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