Spring 2016 Section 001
University of Texas at Tyler
Tuesday / Thursday 12:30-1:50pm, Classroom: BUS 257
Dr. Jennifer Klein
Office: BUS 229
Office Hours: Tuesday / Thursday 10:30am – 12:15pm, or by appointment
Phone: (903) 566-7438
Email:
Course Description: Corrections is one of the most controversial public policy issues in the United States today. In the last thirty years, the number of individuals incarcerated in correctional institutions and under community supervision has increased exponentially. During this same period, state and federal budget cuts have stressed the limited resources of programs serving offenders and reentering offenders. In CRIJ 4313, we will discuss the corrections system, including a history of the system in the United States; correctional institutions; and probation/parole. We will discuss these complex organizations from the viewpoints of offenders, the loved ones of offenders, and individuals who work within the system. Special topics such as incarcerated women, incarcerated juveniles, and the death penalty will also be covered.
Course Objectives: At the end of the semester, you will be able to:
1) Describe the history and field of the American correctional system
2) Apply and evaluate different models or philosophies of corrections
3) Describe and assess the theory and practice of contemporary correctional systems
4) Identify the different components of the correctional system
Course Materials:
1) Matt DeLisi and Peter J. Conis. (2013). American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. REQUIRED
2) Lerner, Jimmy A. (2003). You Got Nothing Coming: Notes from a Prison Fish. New York:
Broadway Books. REQUIRED
Course Policies
Class Conduct: Students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous manner, both in their interactions with other students and with the professor. During this class you will probably hear many differing views and opinions on different subjects; be open-minded and courteous, as this is how you want to be treated when you speak in class. Rude comments, note writing, reading the newspaper, sleeping, and other inappropriate behavior will result in your being asked to leave the class. Please do not talk while others are talking, do not read leisure material or other class material in class, do not go on Facebook, do not listen to your iPod or iPad and TURN YOUR CELL PHONES OFF! This will be a technology free classroom – please print out the Powerpoints ahead of time to aid in your note taking.
Be on time to class please! We only have so much time each class session so it is important for you to be on time and show up to class every day. You will fall behind very fast if you don’t show up prepared for every class session. We have a lot of information to cover and a lot of in-class activities to complete, so we need to make the most of our time together. It is a pet peeve of mine when students are late and interrupt the flow of class. If you are absent for an unapproved reason, you forfeit any and all points for the day. If it is exam day, make sure that you arrive on time or maybe even a few minutes early. If you late for the exam, you still have until the end of the exam period like everyone else.
Course Grade
Your course grade for the semester is dependent on the work that you put into the class. I do not curve grades, no do I offer extra credit at the end of the semester. Please do not ask for extra points at the end of the semester that would boost you to the next letter grade – they will not be given.
Beginning of the Semester Quizzes
To ensure you are prepared for the semester, you will have two activities to do in the first days of class. First, I am now requiring that students read this syllabus thoroughly and completely outside of class. You will then take an online quiz to test your comprehension of the material covered here. Think of this syllabus as a binding contract – if you violate its rules and regulations, you will be penalized. The syllabus quiz should be completed by Tuesday, January 26th at 12:30pm (the beginning of class that day). This assignment can be found in the “Syllabus Materials” folder on Blackboard and will be worth 20 points toward your final grade. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Last semester, I encountered multiple instances of plagiarism in all of my classes. Some of you may think that you are writing papers correctly and are not guilty of plagiarism, but are unaware of what really constitutes this violation. Therefore, you will be required to review material on plagiarism and APA citation skills before this class begins in earnest. If – after you review this material – you plagiarize in my class, you will automatically fail the assignment and possibly the entire course as that is within my discretion as a professor. This is your one warning. The plagiarism materials and quiz should be completed by Tuesday, January 26th at 12:30pm (the beginning of class that day). This assignment can be found in the “Writing Resources” folder on Blackboard and will be worth 20 points toward your final grade. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Exams: This semester you will have three exams that will test your knowledge an ability to apply the concepts learned in class. Each exam will be worth 100 points toward your final grade. The exam format will include multiple choice and true/false questions. In addition you will have short answer responses that you will be required to complete. I will provide all necessary materials to you on exam day.
A word of advice to those of you who have not taken one of my classes before, you will not pass my exams if you do not read the book and learn to apply in-class concepts to various scenarios. This includes learning key words and ideas and being able to apply them example behavior.
Makeup exams will only be given with a medical note to excuse the student, and if the professor is informed within 2 days of the exam that the student is ill. I do not allow students to make up exams simply because they forgot or were unprepared. DO NOT show up late on exam day – you will not be given any extra time to take the exam. You will have the same amount of time that all the other students have.
Assignments:
Writing Assignments: In addition to your exams and discussion activities, you will be responsible for completing two individual writing assignments this semester, plus one group project.
You Got Nothing Coming: Notes from a Prison Fish Book Assignment
The first writing assignment requires you to read the book, You Got Nothing Coming: Notes from a Prison Fish, and write a five page paper that incorporates material from class in addition to information from the book.
I will also know if you have simply skimmed the book. The writing assignment will cover all portions of the book, so you have to read the whole thing. The good news is that the book is rather short and extremely interesting so you should have an easy time getting through it. I will provide the writing assignment on Blackboard along with the submission site so that you may get started on it at your leisure. The paper is due on Thursday, February 25th at 12:30pm and is worth 50 points toward your final grade. Because you have a significant amount of time to complete the assignment, I do not accept late papers (unless you have documentation for a medical emergency). You must submit this paper as either a Word Document or a PDF file. Please see the grading rubric for specific detail regarding the point structure for this paper.
Group Project: The ability to work in a group is a necessary and essential skill for life after graduation. Some of you may even be working in a corrections-related field. In an academic setting, group work gives students the opportunity to hone collaborative skills. Therefore, this semester you all will be completing group projects that have a writing and oral presentation component to them.
Group Paper (50 points): This project requires you to write a group paper regarding a treatment program, educational program, or other prison program that your group has been assigned to implement in the prison. Remember that the program must adhere to constitutional requirements (if there are any), prison safety protocols, and funding constraints. You and your group members will be required out outline – in sufficient detail – how you are going to implement and pay for this program. I have provided you additional information on Blackboard regarding the specifics of your program requirements.
Each of you will have one section of the paper to write. Your section of the paper must be between 3-4 pages long and must include citations and references. Each student is allowed 2 quotes in their paper – after that, I will begin taking off points. You will be graded individually for the section of the paper that you write, but the paper must be submitted as a cohesive plan with all of the necessary parts in place. I have also provided an outline for how the paper should look and be formatted. The paper is worth 25 points and each student will be graded individually for their efforts.
Presentation (50 points): For the group presentation portion of the project, you and your group members must submit your plan to the class. Each member of the group must be present for ALL student presentations. If you are absent from your own group presentation, you will receive no points for your role in the presentation. I will deduct 5 points for every other group presentation you are absent for, with points to not exceed 20 points for absence. So that means if you are absent on your day to present you will lose all points for your own presentation, and 5 points for each of the other groups scheduled to present that day. You DO NOT want to be absent on presentation days. I will take attendance those days. The presentation is worth 50 points and is considered to be a group score.
Peer Review (20 points): Part of working in a group is the ability to hold yourself and others accountable for their participation and level of contribution. You will be required to anonymously evaluate your group members according to their willingness to work, show up to meetings, and provide completed work by agreed upon deadlines for example. These peer reviews will be submitted on Blackboard and must be completed by the end of the group presentation week. The peer reviews are worth 20 points and you must provide a complete set of reviews in order to receive your points. If the majority of your group members give you consistently low scores, then you will lose 20 points for this assignment – those points will be deducted from your individual paper score.
Final Paper
Since this is a 4000 level class, you should anticipate that you will be writing a substantial paper this semester. This paper is a little longer than your other short paper assignments (7-pages minimum, 8-pages maximum, double spaced). For this assignment, you will be required to write on one of two provided prompts and are asked to provide outside resources (your text book and lecture materials do not count as outside materials). This assignment will require you to do outside academic research that can be used to support and back the arguments you are trying to make.
This paper will count for 100 points toward your final semester grade. This paper is due on Tuesday, April 19th at 12:30pm at the start of class. You must submit this paper via Blackboard if you want it graded. Email submissions will not be accepted, so please make sure you have plenty of time to post your paper. Please the grading rubric regarding the specifics of the point requirements for this paper.
Grammar, punctuation and syntax matter in all written assignments. You must submit your own independent work online and your assignments will be screened for plagiarism. You have an extra responsibility to monitor your work for plagiarism whether it is intentional or otherwise. If you are using someone else’s ideas to emphasize your arguments, you MUST cite that information and properly reference it.
You should not be using block quotes in large proportion. Therefore, you are allowed to use two quotes in the entire paper, and your total word count cannot exceed 100 words total for those two quotes. I will take off points for each individual quote after you exceed 2 quotes. If you are not properly citing information, I will take off points. After your second incorrect citation in the paper, I will take off points for each incorrect citation after that. If you are directly copy/pasting work I will also deduct points. If the majority of the paper is not your original work, I will automatically fail you for the assignment and inform you of that decision. APA format is required on all written assignments and you will lose points if your format is not precise. Please visit the Writing Resources folder on Blackboard or the Purdue OWL if you have additional questions about APA format and citations: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
In Class Discussion Assignments: Since corrections is such a hot topic issues, we should be discussing it! I know you all have opinions about this material, so now is your opportunity to discuss them with me and your classmates. Throughout this semester, you will have different in-class assignments. Some of it will be group work, partner work, or individual reflection for collective discussion. If you do not attend class, you will not receive credit for these assignments. They are not eligible to be made up. These assignments will count for 5 points each and will occur at least once a week. In total, they will count for 50 points toward your final grade. Therefore, it is in your best interest to attend each class session as you never know when an activity may occur!