Course Description s19

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce and to offer fundamentals of the criminal justice system. In order to acquire an understanding of contemporary issues of criminal justice, the course will cover the structure of criminal justice system, the nature/causes of crimes, police, courts, corrections and ethical issues of criminal justice professionals.

Recommended Books

Masters, R. E. et al. CJ Realities and Challenges (3rd Edition). McGraw-Hill

Akers, R. & Sellers, C. Criminological Theories (6th Edition). Oxford University Press.

Course Requirements

§  Exams (600 points): Three exams will be given (Test dates are listed below). They will be worth 200 points each. Exams will be comprised of 40 multiple choice questions (1 question = 5 points). Exams will not be cumulative.

Make-up Exams: Only students who have a legitimate reason for missing an exam (i.e., illness, family emergency) AND can provide documentation will be allowed to make-up exam. Make up exams will be scheduled during the instructor’s office hours. It is your responsibility to contact me ASAP to gain permission to take a make-up. If you have not done so, there will be no make-up exam. The make-up exams will be in essay format.

§  Group Presentation (150 points): The group will be comprised of four students. The number limit for group presentation will be two students. You can choose any topic related to the criminal justice system for your presentation. If you want to choose your team, submit the group list on Canvas by Sep. 14. You need to set a topic and submit it on Canvas by Sep. 28. Please upload your slides on Canvas by Nov. 2. I will assign you a presentation time slot at random and then you will present in front of class for 15~20 minutes. You are required to use the designated time: at least 15 minutes, at maximum 20 minutes. If you will not keep the time (e.g., if you finish your presentation in 15 minutes or you spend more time than 20 minutes), this will result to significant point deduction. There will be about 5-10 minutes for Q & A. If you do not upload the topic or slides on time, this will also result to point deduction. If you miss presentation days without a legitimate and documented excuse, you will lose five point per one day.

Presentation Quiz (50 points): During presentation days, there will be quizzes on content from each day’s presentation. Please keep that in mind and pay attention to your classmates’ presentations.

Group Member Evaluation (50 points): At the end of the semester, students will be asked to evaluate other members of their group. You will evaluate your peers on their collaboration, collegiality, quality of work, and keeping up with responsibilities.

§  Assignments- NO hard copies (except in-class writing)! Upload on Canvas! 12-point font, double-spaced and 1-inch margins. Late papers will not be accepted under any circumstances. If there are problems when uploading your paper on Canvas, you should send your paper to my email before the deadline passes. If you email me after the deadline, I will regard as late. Again, late papers will not be accepted. It is a good idea to do the assignments early. It is okay to turn the assignments in early. Also, your paper should be Microsoft Word format (not PDF etc.). APA (American Psychological Association) citation style is preferred (MLA is fine).

Movie Reaction Papers (75 points): We will watch two movies and turn in two reaction papers. Your paper will be a 2-3 page response to each movie. In these papers, you may wish to discuss themes in the movies as they relate to our lectures. I do not want this to simply be a summary or synopsis of the film, but an analysis of what we saw and how it impacted you. You may provide background from the class readings and lectures to explain the film and describe new information that you learned from the film. You may also discuss your opinions about the film and the reason(s) for your opinion. You may talk about some critical aspects of issues which raised in the film and give recommendations or policy implications. The first reaction paper will be due Sep. 28 and the second will be due Oct. 26.

CJ Job Searching Report (40 points): Please write a 3-4 page information paper about jobs in the field of criminal justice. First, you need to choose one field related to criminal justice system. If you choose police, please search jobs related to police. Then, pick 2~3 jobs and write job information such as job description, requirement, training process, and salary etc. (Due Nov. 16).

In class writing assignment (35 points): We will have 3-4 unannounced in class writing assignments. These assignments will cover the lecture(s) from the previous and/or each day’s class.

§  Attendance/Participation: The expectation is for students to attend every class. I will check attendance at random. If you miss more than three classes without a legitimate and documented excuse, you will lose one point per one period. Being late for class also adversely affects your grade. Being late more than 15 minutes without a reasonable excuse will be regarded as tardiness. Being late two times will be considered one absence. If a student misses class for any reason, it will be that student’s responsibility to catch up with lectures, announcement, assignment submission during the absence. Participation is also important. I hope you actively participate in class discussions. Name card: This is mandatory, not optional. You should put your name card in front of you each class displaying your full name. Though it is not easy for me to match people’s faces and to their name, I want to remember my students’ name and face. Knowing the names of your classmates will also aid in class discussions.

Extra Credits Opportunities

§  Quiz (1 point per 1 quiz): Unannounced quizzes will be given during the semester. Each quiz will be worth 1 point. These quizzes also serve as an attendance check.

§  Participation in discussion (0~5 points): This is your best chance to get extra credits! Students who actively participate in discussion, clearly argue what he/she thinks and successfully support his/her own opinion with valid reasons or evidence will be able to get extra points. In order to do well in discussion, you need to prepare before you come to class on discussion days. News, scholarly articles, statistics, books or the Internet can help you prepare it. However, using academic sources will receive more points than using personal experience and info from news, magazines, and Wikipedia. You will not be allowed to use electronic devices during the discussion (Notes are acceptable). If you miss discussion days without a legitimate and documented excuse, you will lose five point per one discussion.

There will be NO more extra credit opportunities for this course! Please do not ask me.

Discussing Grades

I will carefully grade every assignment, discussion, and exam. However, if you feel that your work was graded incorrectly, be aware that any questioning of a grade must be done TWO WEEKS after the grade is posted on the Canvas site. After that time period, the grade stands, with no exceptions. It is the student’s responsibility to check Canvas regularly for new grades.

Contact Policy

Email is the most effective way to reach me. However, if I don’t answer in 48 hours, re-email me ( or via Canvas). Just to be sure that I can recognize who you are, please include your full name in your e-mail.

Grading- There will be NO curves!

Final Grades will be determined according to the following scale:

92-100 A (915 points to 1000 points)

90-91 A- (895 points to 914 points)

88-89 B+ (875 points to 894 points)

82-87 B (815 points to 874 points)

80-81 B- (795 points to 814 points)

78-79 C+ (775 points to 794 points)

72-77 C (715 points to 774 points)

70-71 C- (695 points to 714 points)

68-69 D+ (675 points to 694 points)

62-67 D (615 points to 674 points)

58-61 D- (575 points to 614 points)

Below 57 E (574 points and below)

E-Learning Canvas website

Throughout the semester, I will be using the Canvas e-learning resource (www.lss.at.ufl.edu) in order to post an announcement or reference resources relating to our class. Please familiarize yourself with the e-learning resource. Any announcements about assignments and changes to the course schedule or syllabus will be stated in class or on this website. Once you log-in with your UF ID, you can find the site in your profile under the course name (CCJ 3024).

You might have to access Off-campus. Download and install the Virtual Private Network (VPN) software provided by UF. For more information, visit: http://www.helpdesk.ufl.edu/ or http://net-services.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/vpn/vpn-clients.cgi.

Respect in the Classroom: I expect students to show respect and courtesy to their classmates and to me.

§  Read all assigned material before coming to class.

§  Do not disrupt the class, be on time and do not pack up early. If you are tardy, it is your responsibility to obtain missed notes from another student in the class.

§  Turn off or put anything that might make noise into silent before the class (cell phone, watch alarms, etc.). If it is an emergency call, please leave the classroom to talk.

§  Do not text or play on the internet (like Facebook). Use technology (i.e., laptops) only for academic assistance and in ways that do not distract others.

§  Remain quiet during lecture.

§  During the discussion, be courteous to your colleagues and their opinions. I reserve the right to ask you to leave (temporarily or permanently) and/or lower your grade if you are disruptive.

§  Turn in assignments onto Canvas when they are due.

§  Take all tests at their designated times.

§  Do not cheat on anything.

Academic Honesty Policy

Plagiarism and cheating are not acceptable and tolerated. I will not accept as an excuse that you were unaware that your behavior constituted cheating or plagiarism. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the concepts of cheating and plagiarism. For more on Academic Honesty guideline, please see the Student Guide at

http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/msl/07b/studentplagiarism.html

http://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/content.php?pid=387289&sid=3176220

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation should first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.

Course Outline, Reading Assignments and Tentative Dates

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