WRITING ASSIGNMENT
A) Upon completing the readings, answer the six questions posed in the assignment. Answers should be submitted in short paragraph form. Please be advised that incomplete sentences or bullet point answers will not be accepted. Be sure to answer each question in its entirety, while appropriately citing the authors using APA format. Simply put, your work should demonstrate a command of this week’s readings. To do so, it is essential that you devote adequate time to each reading; that you reflect on the subject matter; that you organize your thoughts; and that you compose complete and carefully constructed answers.
Drawing from this week’s readings as well as the readings from Modules 1 & 2, answer the following questions:
1) In what ways might integrated theory and social science theory help to explain the effects of violence on low-income communities?
2) Crutchfield (2015) considers subculture theory (i.e., subculture of violence and subculture of poverty) to explain racial disparities in crime. What are the tenets of subculture theory? How does subculture of violence differ from subculture of poverty? In what ways are they the same?
3) In her literature review, Accomazzo (2012) examines three sets of political economic theory: classical theories, neo-classical theories and radical theories. Discuss the ways in which political economic theory interfaces with integrated theory, social science theory and subculture theory to explain racial disparities in the rate of violent crime. Where do these theories support one another? Where does tension seem to exist?
4) Using the DOJ’s findings from the Ferguson, MO investigation, how might racial bias have affected the climate in Ferguson leading up the shooting death of Michael Brown? Be sure to cite examples from the investigation.
5) In what ways might you draw from theory in attempting to offer an explanation of what transpired in Ferguson following the death of Michael Brown (i.e., the nature of the protests)? More broadly, in what ways might you also be able to apply theory in the aftermath of what transpired in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd in May of 2020?
6) How might policymakers and public administrators use theory to ameliorate structural inequalities and societal and institutional inequities? What can we learn from Ferguson? And what can we learn from Minneapolis?