SOCIAL AND GROUP VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

HONR248G Spring 2005

Monday 3:30–6PM

Room 0120 Anne Arundel Hall

Dr. Howard Smead

Office: 3101 Taliaferro Hall

Hours: M/W 1-2; Th 2-3:15 by appointment

Phone: x0874

e-mail: hsmead@umd.edu

Texts: Barry Glassner, The Culture of Fear

Howard Smead, Blood Justice: The Lynching of Mack Charles

Parker

Paul Gilje, Rioting in America

Iadicola & Shupe, Violence, Inequality and Human Freedom

This course examines the historical perspectives and social and political consequences of violence in America. By examining social violence, which includes riots, lynchings, whitecappings, vigilantism, backwoods bear-baitings and charivari, gang warfare, we will attempt to form some explanation for America’s phenomenally violent history.

COURSE SCHEDULE and READING ASSIGNMENTS

Week of:

Jan 31 Course Introduction

Feb 7 "Bowling for Columbine"

Reading: Glassner, Introduction

Feb 14 Theories of Violence

The Nature of Group Violence

"Violent socialization" of the Individual and Mob Psychology

READING: Gilje, Introduction

Iadicola & Shupe, chapters 1 – 2, 9

Feb 21 Criminal Violence

Murder, rape, arson

Mass murderers, serial killers

School shootings

Reading: Iadicola & Shupe, chapter 3

 

Feb 28 Cultural Violence

Child & Spouse Abuse

Pornography & violence

Fan violence

Reading: Glassner, chapter 4

Iadicola & Shupe, chapter 4, 8

 

Mar 7 Violence in Media

TV

Film

Computer games

Music

Reading: Glassner, chapters 1-3, 6

Mar 14 The Cultural Politics of Assassination

JFK, Malcolm X, MLK, RFK

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley

Mar 21 Spring Break

Mar 28 Honor and Violence

Rough and Tumble, eye-gouging

Mike Fink & the River Pirates

Dueling

Wild West Gun Fighters

Apr 4 Rioting

Wilmington, NC; Atlanta, GA; the Red Summer, Tulsa, OK

Long Hot Summers, Attica, Rodney King Riot

Reading: Gilje, chapters 3, Epilogue

Apr 11 Lynching & Vigilantism

Robert Charles

Claude Neal

Mack Charles Parker

James Byrd

San Francisco Vigilance Committee

KKK

Reading: Glassner, chapter 5

Gilje, Chapter 4

Smead, all

 

Apr 18 Religious/Hate crimes

Anti-Abortion violence

Gay bashing: Mathew Shepard

Anti-Semitic, anti-ethnic violence

Nativist violence

Reading: Iadicola & Shupe, chapter 5

Apr 25 Political violence

Left Wing:

Symbionese Liberation Army

Weatherman

Chicago Democratic Convention, 1968

Right Wing:

Ruby Ridge and Waco

Aryan Nations, Neo-Nazis

Benjamin Smith; Bufford Furrow

Reading: Gilje, chapters 5-6

Iadicola & Shupe, chapter 6

 

May 2 Anti-Government violence

Oklahoma City Bombing

Militia Movements

Aryan Nations

The Turner Diary

Eric Robert Rudolph

Reading: Iadicola & Shupe, chapter 7

 

May 9 Final Exam

The Final Examination will be written essays on the material covered in the class presentations, the readings and in the discussion, and may be take-home.

Course requirements: There will be a total of five grades, each counting an equal amount toward your course grade.

Each student will be required to give at least ONE in-class presentation on a selected aspect of violence.

— a particular act of social violence

— a particular violent group

— a violent criminal or terrorist

— an aspect of social violence

Here is what I look for when grading the presentations.

Basically, I look for two things: Information and how well it is conveyed.

What factual information you select to impart to the students. In other words, how well you ferret out and interpret through your presentation the nature of the event and the specifics involved in it.

How effectively you impart that information to the class.

I do NOT grade you on how well or how long the class discusses the material, just on how effectively you present it. Some topics are inherently more interesting than others. But, there should be ample discussion for all. If you present adequate and appropriate info, the discussions generally take care of themselves.

The following class you will be required to submit a 5-to 7-page paper on

your presentation. The paper should be footnoted and must contain a

bibliography.

Research assistance for presentations and papers can be obtained in

McKeldin Library. Offices of the Research assistants are located on the 4th foor.

3) You are required also to do one of the following:

a. Give a second presentation

b. Write a paper on a selected topic, which you may be asked to discuss with the class.

c. Write a review of one of the recommended texts, which you will most likely be asked to discuss in class.

You will also be graded for participating in class discussion.

Final exam