1 Teaching an Abnormal World View: Hate StudiesDr. Gregg W. Etter Sr., Ed.D. University of Central Missouri Department of Criminal Justice Jeffery M. Johnson, M.S., ABD University of Mississippi Department of Legal Studies
2 Transcending reality and examining a different world viewKierkegaard ( ) felt that a person’s perceptions of reality was affected by their world view. This world view colors what that person views as real or possible. When dealing with hate crimes, the what is well known. It has already occurred. But in order to discover the why, the professor must transcend reality and enter into a world of myth, secret societies and conspiracy. It is this different world view that the professor teaching hate crimes must make their students understand.
3 Teaching an Abnormal WorldviewHate groups often have very different or alternative views of: History Religion Politics It is essential for the student to be able to grasp these views so that they may gain an understanding of why the haters believe and act the way that they do.
4 The Role of the ProfessorHate Crime is a controversial subject that must be dealt with by the professor acting as a facilitator to guide the students through the different ways that the issues can be approached (Payne & Gainey, 2000) It is important for the student to understand the why as well as the what in the study of this subject. By teaching the students to understand how the hate groups think, the professor is not seeking agreement for the hate groups views, but an understanding by the students of the why that the hate groups believe that way.
5 Challenges of Teaching a Hate Crimes Course as Defined by Grestenfeld (2004)Deciding on the scope of the class Finding appropriate texts Dealing with students’ differing academic backgrounds Encouraging class discussion Finding assignments and activities
6 Pedagogy in a Hate Crimes CourseIn a hate crimes course you are dealing with teaching the what, & whys of the crime. Who participates & who is the victim. The course may be traditional face-to-face or an on-line course. In an on-line course you are dealing with distance learning and the students are in a virtual classroom. The teaching techniques of B.F. Skinner (1954) using step by step, criterion based instruction have proved useful in this educational format. Breaking the lessons into smaller visual problem based learning modules to build competencies seems to work well in this format and is popular with students (Sims, 2006).
7 Finding A Model: Schafer & Navarro-7 Stage Hate ModelGroup Gathers Group Defines Itself Disparages Target Taunts Target Attacks Target Without Weapons Attacks Target With Weapons Destroys Target
8 Types of Hate: Case StudiesHomophobia: The Murder of Matthew Shepard Racism: The Murder of James Byrd Anti-Semitism: The Murder of Alan Berg Anti-Immigrant: The Murder of Mulugeta Seraw
9 Structured Essays Four structured essays required the students to examine 4 different murders and answer a series of questions in their answers about the murders. The murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The murder of Emmett Till The Murder of Medgar Evers The 16th St Baptist Church Bombing
10 Fostering Critical ThinkingCritical thinking is encouraged in students by 10 discussion questions. These answers are viewable by other students who are encouraged to add their comments. In addition, a ten page term paper on a subject dealing with hate crimes is required.
11 Hate Groups Covered American Nazi Party Aryan Nations Ku Klux KlanNational Alliance National Socialist Movement Skinheads The New Black Panther Party (NBPP)
12 Designing The Format Design classes for the visual learner.Make sure your power points have illustrations to bolster your main points. Use large enough fonts that the reader can see them. Use PDF format for larger written documents such as articles. Include your supplemental readings on your blackboard site.
13 Evaluation of Student LearningEvaluation Items Integrity Measures Students are required to complete two major examinations : a mid-term and a final A required ten page term paper 4 Structured Essays 10 Discussion Questions Settings on the exams only allow: The exam only appears during a specific range of times and dates The questions are presented one at a time The questions are presented in a random order There is only one attempt allowed for the test
14 Summary The teaching of hate crimes is a complicated subject in that you must teach not only the what, but must make students understand the why behind the crime. This type of class allows the professor to reach a wider audience than a traditional criminal justice classroom as other non-cj students often enroll because of the subject matter. Interesting and meaningful interaction can be had with students on the most controversial subjects.
15 Resources Bernat, F. and Iijima-Hall, C. (2000) Teaching on the Internet Lessons learned from a substantive criminal law class. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Vol. 11, Issue 2, p. 18 Cannon, K. and Dirks-Linhorst, P. (2006) How Will They understand If We Don’t Teach Them? The Status of Criminal Justice Education on Gay and Lesbian Issues. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Vol. 17, Issue 2. Oct. p. 262 Cheuprakobkit, S. (2000) Web-based criminology/criminal justice programs in Texas colleges and universities. Journal of Criminal Justice Studies. Vol. 11, Issue 2. Fall. p. 279 Gerstenfeld, P. (2004) Teaching a General Education Course on Hate Crimes: Challenges and Solutions. Journal of Hate Studies. Vol. 3. p Knox, G. and Etter, G. (2008) Hate Crimes: An Anthology. Peotone, IL: New Chicago School Press.
16 Resources Cont. Payne, B. and Gainey, R. (2000) Developing and dealing with controversial issues in criminal justice courses. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Fall. Vol. 11, Issue 2. p. 313. Perry, B. (2003) Hate and Bias Crime: A Reader. New York, NY; Routledge. Sims, B. (2006) Creating a Teaching and Learning Environment in Criminal justice Courses that Promote Higher Order Thinking. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Vol. 17, Issue 2. October. p. 336. Skinner, B.F. (1954) The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching. Harvard Educational Review. 24. p Smith, S. Bradley, P. and Benscoter, A. (1999) Providing distance education in a criminal justice degree program: A team approach. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Vol. 10, Issue 2. Fall. p. 297