This course is designed to introduce students to the use of formal models to approach social science problems. Human action entails strategic action -- when people interact with each other, they make decisions about what to do based on what they think they other person(s) will do. Formal theory establishes a set of tools that allows us to understand how they make these decisions. This tool can be extended to understand more complex interactions, such as decision making in politics and economics.

Information plays a crucial role in creating the grounds for and later maintaining the very possibility for democracy. Many credit the information gained through social media for the pro-democracy movements in the Arab Spring. In more mature democracies, information about candidates allows us to make voting choices; information about representatives allows us to monitor their behavior. Portrayed in this manner, media is clearly an essential source of information. However, media comes in all varieties and in very different qualities. This course explores the role of information in democracy, in general, how the quality of the media can affect this information, and what types of rules, systems, etc can affect media quality.

Introduction to North American Studies lecture course. Students will be provided with online material.

No prior studies are required for this course

This course is designed to introduce students to the use of formal models to approach social science problems. Human action entails strategic action -- when people interact with each other, they make decisions about what to do based on what they think they other person(s) will do. Formal theory establishes a set of tools that allows us to understand how they make these decisions. This tool can be extended to understand more complex interactions, such as decision making in politics and economics.

Information plays a crucial role in creating the grounds for and later maintaining the very possibility for democracy. Many credit the information gained through social media for the pro-democracy movements in the Arab Spring. In more mature democracies, information about candidates allows us to make voting choices; information about representatives allows us to monitor their behavior. Portrayed in this manner, media is clearly an essential source of information. However, media comes in all varieties and in very different qualities. This course explores the role of information in democracy, in general, how the quality of the media can affect this information, and what types of rules, systems, etc can affect media quality.

This course gives an introduction to social choice theory. Social choice theory explores the role that decision making mechanisms, such as voting mechanisms, play in mapping preferences into outcomes. A source of interest in this study is the problems that can arise with decision making mechanisms, such that outcomes fail to reflect the preferences of the group. A key cause of these problems is insufficient information: we assume that our decision-making mechanisms will use specific information, but, in fact, they do not. Indeed, many of our mechanisms exclude crucial information elements from the process, making lack of representation more likely. This class will explore the basics of these problems, integrating the role of information into the analysis.

It has become commonplace to hail "the free market" as the optimal solution to any and all economic (and political) challenges. Proponents of free markets tout in particular both the potential for efficiency gains from and the normative allure of decentralized markets that leverage "the wisdom of the crowd" and price mechanisms to supply society's needs. Its ideological  attractiveness notwithstanding, the free market is no panacea: popular zeal for the concept tends to gloss over both the stringency of the assumptions underpinning the idealized free market and the potential human (and economic) costs of relying on the market without adequately accounting for those assumptions. This seminar examines the free market from a number of angles, from the theoretical and real-world impact of the model and its extensions to the construction and spread of free-market ideology. We will discuss both positive and negative impacts of the use of the model in fields ranging from economics, political science, history, sociology, and communications.

The course on “Comparative Criminal Justice” provides University of Tampere students with the opportunity to study comparative crime and punishment issues with students from Marquette University Milwaukee USA and Finlandia University Michigan USA, The students will be instructed as a collective with instructional responsibilities being shared by Dr. Richard Jones of Marquette University Milwaukee USA, Dr. Richard Gee of Finlandia University Michigan USA and I sharing instructional responsibilities.

This course will look at the criminal justice system within a global context.  The course will look at theories of criminality, deviance and punishment within socio-political context of the different countries studied as well as the comparison between the countries.  Within this framework, students will examine theories of crime including but not limited to: the learning theory, corporate crime, and restorative justice.

The course is directed primarily at upper division undergraduate students, but would also be beneficial to master’s level students. It is appropriate for students majoring in sociology, criminology, social welfare and justice, and political science, or any students with a career interest in criminal justice.

The course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and tours of prisons in Finland and St Petersburg Russia.  These countries were chosen because of the contrasting style of responding to crime between/ among the Russia (very harsh punishment, Finland [Gentle Justice], (a penal system of two countries with two different extremes). We will also analyze the USA penal system, another Western country with a very harsh punishment policy. 

Students will be evaluated based on daily journals and reflections, as well as a final paper that should be completed after return from Russia.

METHODOLOGY

The course is designed as both lecture and discussion.  Evaluation will be based on:

A)  A class journal (notes from lecture/discussion).

B)  A reaction paper that builds off course materials or reflects upon those materials.  

Classroom activities will be designed to encourage students to play an active role in the construction of their own knowledge and in the design of their own learning strategies.

We will combine short lectures with other active teaching methodologies, such as group discussions, cooperative group solving problems, analysis of video segments depicting scenes relevant to criminology topics and debates. Class participation is a fundamental aspect of this course. Students will be encouraged to actively take part in all group activities and to give short oral group presentations throughout the course.

This joint course with the USA visiting group focuses on:

1. Analyzing how crime and deviance are shaped by individual and social factors
2. Examining and analyzing how culture and general ideology influence criminal justice policy and practice.
3. What myths are created regarding crime and criminals, and the role of government and media in constructing crime myths.
4. Examining and analyzing how society perpetuates deviant and criminal behavior.
5. Understanding the criminal justice policy and practice in Finland, Russia and USA.
6. Exploring the response to crime, with specific focus on corrections and policing in Russia, Finland, and the United States.  

 The twelve days lectures/seminarswill provide a practical component, with guest speakers (including criminal justice practitioners, former inmates, and other experts), videos, Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, and tours of prisons in Finland and St. Petersburg Russia.

Excursions: trips to Finnish Prisons and Four days trip to St. Petersburg Russia.

The four-day visa free excursion to St. Petersburg, Russia old and new Prisons is on the 23/5/2014 till Sunday, 25/5/2014.

Programme in St. Petersburg:

Thursday, 22/5/2014 Leave for St. Petersburg, but 2 hours lecture at Training Institute
for Prison and Probation Services in Helsinki, 16.00  to Helsinki harbour.

Friday, 23/5/2014    - Guided visit of the prison and police museums in St. Petersburg
                              - Guided tour of the State Hermitage museum for students 
                              - Timetravels tour conductor services during the trip
                              - 2 hours lecture on crime and policing crime in Russia.

Saturday, 24/5/2014   student free day in St. Petersburg, optional cultural activities/tour.

Sunday, 25/5/2014      Boat leaves back to Finland at 19.00.

Monday 26/5/2014      Back in Finland at 8.00 in the morning.

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Travelling Agent responsible for both excursions is www.aikamatkat.fi

Enrolment time has expired.

Compensations:
Course is available for all the students at the University of Tampere. It will be offered as part ofStudies on Society and Culture which is a multi-disciplinary study module within the School of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Compensations in certain studies:
North American Studies: NAM-III Law and Politics.
Degree Programme in Social Sciences: Optional studies or compensations on certain courses agreed with teacher responsible.
Degree Programme in Social Work: Optional studies.

This course gives an introduction to social choice theory. Social choice theory explores the role that decision making mechanisms, such as voting mechanisms, play in mapping preferences into outcomes. A source of interest in this study is the problems that can arise with decision making mechanisms, such that outcomes fail to reflect the preferences of the group. A key cause of these problems is insufficient information: we assume that our decision-making mechanisms will use specific information, but, in fact, they do not. Indeed, many of our mechanisms exclude crucial information elements from the process, making lack of representation more likely. This class will explore the basics of these problems, integrating the role of information into the analysis.

It has become commonplace to hail "the free market" as the optimal solution to any and all economic (and political) challenges. Proponents of free markets tout in particular both the potential for efficiency gains from and the normative allure of decentralized markets that leverage "the wisdom of the crowd" and price mechanisms to supply society's needs. Its ideological  attractiveness notwithstanding, the free market is no panacea: popular zeal for the concept tends to gloss over both the stringency of the assumptions underpinning the idealized free market and the potential human (and economic) costs of relying on the market without adequately accounting for those assumptions. This seminar examines the free market from a number of angles, from the theoretical and real-world impact of the model and its extensions to the construction and spread of free-market ideology. We will discuss both positive and negative impacts of the use of the model in fields ranging from economics, political science, history, sociology, and communications.