HS3T92-Policing the United States

Module Provider: History
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Miss Liz Barnes
Email: e.barnes@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module traces the evolution of policing in the United States, from the use of watchmen and militias in colonial North America to the militarised forces we see today. We will examine the role that policing plays in society, particularly in crafting ideas of ‘otherness’ and maintaining established hierarchies of class, race, and gender. We will think about the place that police forces occupy in the American imagination and in American culture, and use what we have learned about the past to reflect on recent calls to defund or abolish the police.

Aims:

Part 3 Options involve the study of specific periods, subjects or types of history.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to: 

• identify and explain the main issues and events studied


• appraise critically the primary sources and historiographical interpretations of the subject


• assess the nature of social, economic, political and cultural change and the particular methodologies associated with tracing it


• organise material and articulate arguments effectively in different kinds of written exercises and orally


• locate and assemble bibliographic and other information by independent research, using IT as appropriate

Additional outcomes:

The module aims to encourage the development of oral communication skills and the student’s effectiveness in group situations and team-working. Students will also develop their IT skills by use of relevant web resources and databases, where appropriate.

Outline content:

This module uses a chronological approach to trace the development of policing across the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Beginning with an examination of colonial forms of policing, the module then explores groups tasked with controlling enslaved people. We will then explore early urban forces, the professionalisation of policing, and the inclusion of women and people of colour in law enforcement. Together, we will examine police corruption and organised crime, thinking abou t early reforms. The role of policing in the protest movements of the mid twentieth century will be explored, as will late twentieth century expansions of law enforcement in response to crime waves. We will finally reflect on how policing is viewed in the US today, looking at popular culture and thinking about recent calls, in the light of police killings, to defund or abolish the police. Overall, this module will challenge students to explore a range of primary and secondary sources, thinking a bout policing as both an anti-crime measure and a tool of social control. 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Seminars, requiring preparatory reading and investigation, may include informal and interactive presentations by the module teacher; structured group discussion; short seminar papers by students; occasional tutorials; team-based simulation exercises and debates; examination of primary and secondary sources, as appropriate. Staff will be available for consultation as necessary.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	10
Seminars	20		1
Project Supervision	1
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)	40
Wider reading (directed)	40
Advance preparation for classes	10
Preparation for presentations	3
Revision and preparation			35
Essay preparation	30
Reflection	10
Total hours by term	164	0	36
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

One two-hour paper requiring two answers to be taken at the time of the Part 3 examinations.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Students will write ONE essay of 2,500 words, to be handed in by 12 noon on the Monday of week 11 of term, which should be submitted electronically via Blackboard. Five marks will be deducted if the coursework essay exceeds 2,625 words (i.e. 5% over the word limit).

Formative assessment methods:

1,000 words or 2 pages of A4 maximum to include, at the module convenor’s discretion, an essay plan, bibliography, book review or other preparatory work towards the summative essay.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:

Students who fail Part Three are permitted one further attempt at a resit in each module they have failed. Students who fail Part Three will no longer be eligible for an Honours Degree but, assuming the necessary threshold after the resit (normally an overall average of 35% or above) is achieved, students will obtain a Pass Degree. Where a re-sit is permitted, students will be assessed on the failed element(s) ONLY in August. These will be capped at a maximum mark of 40%. Any element(s) already passed will be carried forward if it bears a confirmed mark of 40% or more. Failed coursework must be re-submitted by 12 noon, on the third Friday of August.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: None

2) Specialist equipment or materials: None

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: None

4) Printing and binding: None

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: None

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: None

Last updated: 15 February 2022