Instruction
Journals
The purpose of the journal is to encourage students to think critically about deviance and apply
course material (readings, class discussion, lecture) outside of the class room. Students will write
five 2 - 3 page journal entries spaced throughout the semester, connecting a current event or
media to an aspect of deviance. Entries should be analytical and critical, demonstrating an
understanding of concepts from the class by applying them to the chosen event or media. These
are NOT opinion papers. The journals are due on April 30th.
Journal entries need to include basic bibliographic information, reason for choosing, and a
printed copy of the source. If using material from
• magazine, newspaper, or the internet: print/photocopy the first page of the article
• television or radio: go online and find the corresponding summary / description of the piece
of media on the source’s website and print out the first page describing the segment
• film: print the first IMDB page
• song: print the lyrics (ideally, from the artist’s website)
Journal entries need to be well-written (use spell check), typed, in black ink, double spaced, and
in a single 10 - 12 point font (Arial, Times New Roman).