Learning from the Classics: an Empirical Examination of the Cultural Literacy in Criminological Theory

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify key foundational works in criminological theory using comprehensive examination reading lists as source material. Reading lists obtained from 12 PhD‐granting institutions were analyzed, resulting in the identification of 40 works adopted by six or more programs. The congruence between lists identified from various sources (e.g., reading lists, journals) is examined, and the implications of this research as a method for defining the content of cultural literacy in criminological theory are discussed. Results indicate the absence of a clear core of common works across the 12 programs; this may suggest differing views concerning what knowledge ought to be mastered by new members of the academy.

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Baltimore, MD. We thank the editors and reviewers for their constructive suggestions.

Notes

1. The authors elaborated on this foundation by developing a dictionary to describe these and other relevant terms (Hirsch, Kett, and Trefil 2002).

2. The notion of cultural literacy has been labeled a conservative movement, criticized for lacking diversity in scope, critiqued for ignoring debate concerning social and political issues, and criticized for failing to account for diversity in pedagogical approaches and learning styles (Barak 1991; Kohn 1999; Thornberry 1990).

3. The term “criminology” is used here to refer to the “scientific study of crime and criminal behavior” (Duffee and Allan 2007:8), something distinguishable from the study of the “official response to such behavior” (Snipes and Maguire 2007:28). The latter, often including the study of police, courts, corrections, and other agents of social control, is typically referred to as criminal justice theory (see Duffee and Maguire 2007; Kraska 2004).

4. Though citation analysis has been criticized for failing to account for the myriad other forms of work scholars produce, Thomas (1987:169) contends “… although it is obvious to all that citation‐based methods have quite a narrow focus, citation frequency is correlated so highly with so many alternative indicators of quality that it has far more potential than is immediately apparent.” Proponents of citation analysis do not see it as a perfect measure of faculty productivity (either individually or collectively within a given academic program), yet they contend the measure is highly correlated with other indicators of quality, is easily accessible, and is generally available to the public.

5. For example, analyses of the dataset used in this study identified a contrast between scholars who produced large bodies of research versus scholars who produced one or two widely adopted pieces of scholarship (Giblin and Schafer, in press; see also Cohn and Farrington 1996).

6. It is generally true that students complete exams late in their degree program, though some exceptions can be found (Giblin and Schafer, in press).

7. The term doctoral examination is here to refer to exams required for partial fulfillment of doctoral degree requirements. They are referred to in various programs as qualifying exams, comprehensive exams, core area exams, etc.

8. The reading list provided by one university was in the form of a syllabus for a graduate level criminological theory course. The vast majority of works identified in the syllabus were labeled as suggested readings with the remaining required for the actual course. The representative from this university’s program indicated that this list is the one provided to students preparing for theory comprehensive examinations. Both required and suggested readings were included in the analysis. Two other programs generated reading lists covering criminological theory and some combination of criminal justice (e.g., police, courts, corrections), public policy, and research methods and statistics (one of these lists was specifically for a criminology examination). The authors of the present study did not attempt to determine which readings were criminology‐focused; the data reported below include all entries from these institutions list.

9. Vold, Bernard, and Snipes (1998) was used in categorizing the 40 works identified in Table 2.

10. For example, though Eleanor Glueck was an equal contributor in the various works she completed with her husband, Sheldon, she spent her entire career outside of tenure‐track positions, while Sheldon advanced through the ranks in a normal manner (see Sampson and Laub 1993:32).