Crime As Entertainment - Crju 3120 (Crn 20768)

CRIME AS ENTERTAINMENT - CRJU 3120 (CRN 20768)

MEDIA & SOCIETY – SOCI 3430 (CRN 20994)

Course Syllabus – Spring 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROFESSOR INFORMATION:

Professor:Jason Davis, Ph.D.

Email:

Website:

Office:T117 Clayton Hall

Office Hours:Mondays & Wednesdays 1-4pm or by appointment

Office Phone:(678) 466-4855

Fax: (678) 466-4899

COURSE INFORMATION:

Classroom:Natural and Behavioral Sciences 143

Class Days & Times:Tuesday & Thursday 8:25-9:40am

Textbook:1) Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice: Images, Realities, and Policies by Ray Surette

2)Posted readings on Desire2Learn in “Supplemental Reading” folder

Course Prerequisites:CRJU 1150 – Introduction to Criminal Justice (3-0-3) with a minimum US grade of D

Course Overview:

This course explores the depiction of crime and the criminal justice system in media with a specific emphasis on film and television. Particular focus will be placed on the entertainment media’s role in shaping the general public’s ideas of crime and justice. The course also examines: the increasingly blurred lines between news and entertainment; the roles film and television play in educating the public about crime and justice in the United States; and entertainment media’s role in creating a distorted image of crime and justice in the United States. Finally, issues of race, class, and gender will also be explored in the context of entertainment media and crime.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Criminal Justice Program Learning Outcomes:

Outcome 1: Describethe varying responsibilities and administrative competencies of each component of the criminal justice system.
Outcome 2:Illustratehow gender, race, ethnicity, age and social class contribute to varying experiences in the criminal justice system.
Outcome 3:Analyze and interpret the kinds of data commonly found in the criminal justice field.
Outcome 4:Critically evaluate existing or proposed criminal justice policies and practices.
Outcome 5: Critically evaluate existing or proposed criminal justice policies and practices.

Crime as Entertainment Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students should know

1)Characteristics of different (a) types of media and (b) types of content

2)The concept of social construction of reality

3)Characteristics of news media

4)How the media portrays crime and criminals

5)Media portrayals of police, courts, and corrections

6)How the media influences perceptions of race and gender

7)The impact of the media on criminal justice policy

Measuring Course Learning Outcomes:

1.Learning outcomes 1-3will be measured via Test 1 and quizzes

2.Learning outcome 4-5 will be measured via Test 2, Test 3 and quizzes

3.Learning outcomes 6-7 will be measured via Test 3 and quizzes

ATTENDANCE

University Attendance Policy:

Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students’ ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.

Course Attendance Policy:

While class attendance is not mandatory, students will be required to physically sign-in each class. Throughout the semester, unannounced participation assignments will be given and the sign-in sheet will help avoid any potential disputes about attendance (i.e., whether a student was present during an assignment).
Students that arrive late are responsible for making sure they sign-in. Without a signature on the sign-in sheet, it will be assumed that a student was absent that day.
Students that sign the roster and then leave class will be marked as ABSENT!
Students that miss four to five classes (equivalent to two weeks’ worth of class) will receive a 10 point deduction.
Students that miss six to seven classes (three weeks’ worth of class) will receive an additional 15 point deduction from their participation grade.
Students that miss eight or more classes (four or more weeks) will be subject to administrative withdrawn from the course.

EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE

PLEASE SEND ALL EMAILS TO my account. Since I teach multiple classes each semester, it is easier for me to monitor one email account than check 3 or more separate accounts (one email account for each course).

Please allow a 24 hour response time for any correspondence. Thus, if I receive an email on Monday morning at 9am I will respond by Tuesday 9am. In addition, I will respond to emails received on Friday by Monday.

I will ONLY respond to emails sent from a Clayton State University address. Therefore, do not send me emails using a personal account such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.

I maintain a busy schedule and may not be able to respond to email requests or questions immediately. Therefore, please do not wait until the last minute to email me questions about assignment instructions or requirements. You need to review assignments promptly and ask any questions immediately.

When sending emails please include: (a) your name and (b) course name. Without this information, it will be difficult for me to respond.

Finally, I will not respond to emails that will request information that is outlined on the syllabus such as Test dates, course readings, or assignment due dates.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Clayton State University Student Responsibilities:

Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities (

Student Expectations:

Students will be expected to
Read all course materials,
Be prepared to participate in class discussions,
Complete and submitassignments on the due date.

Student Disability Services:

oIndividuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255 (678) 466-5445.

Academic Dishonesty:

Students will be expected to uphold the academic code of ethics. This means that academic dishonesty (i.e., cheating, plagiarism, etc) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Academic misconduct violates the integrity of the classroom, the learning environment, and the rights of others.
Students who cheat will receive no credit for the assignment and may be subject to receiving a grade of “F” for the course depending on the severity of the offense.
All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. The Judicial procedures are described at

Disruptive Classroom Behavior:

Behavior which disrupts the teaching–learning process during class activities will not be tolerated. While a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more serious examples include belligerent, abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior.
Displays of inappropriate classroom behavior will be subject to a 10 point deduction. Any subsequent violations will be subject to an additional 10 point deduction.
A student who fails to respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or behavior while participating in classroom activities may be dismissed from class.
A student who is dismissed is entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible following dismissal. If found in violation, a student may be administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF.

Missed Assignments/Work:

Any student who misses class and does not complete an exam or quiz and fails to submit their assignments by the deadline will receive a “0”.

Consideration for make-up assignments will be given to students with documented emergencies.
Students approved to make up work will be given a different version of the test, quiz, or assignment

Plagiarism Detection Software:

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism.
All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
You should submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information about you is included.

MID-TERM WITHDRAWAL

The last day to withdraw without academic penalty is Friday March 7th.

Approximately 30% of the course grading will be completed at this time.

Students have the option to withdraw from the class and receive a grade of “W” if they are unsatisfied with their performance.

Students must complete an official withdrawal which is available in the Office of the Registrar. Students can also withdraw on-line using SWAN.

COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS & SKILL REQUISITES

Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student’s academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU’s Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to

Students will be required to use their computers to access course materials, submit assignments, view grades, communicate with the professor, and so forth. Students will be expected to perform or use the following applications without professor instruction:

Windows™ operating system
Microsoft Word™ word processing
Send & receive e-mail using Outlook™ or Outlook Express™
Attach and retrieve attached files via email
Use a Web browser
Use Adobe Reader to access files in PDF format:
To properly access the course content you will need to download the following free software:
Adobe Reader (needed to access files in PDF format):
Adobe Flash (needed to access video content):

In-class Use of Student Notebook Computers:

Students do not need bring or use computers in class. Students that choose to use computers MUST use them for classroom purposes.
Students that are caught using their computers for personal use such as surfing the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, and so forth will have 10 points deducted from their overall grade. For each additional violation, students will receive an additional 10 point deduction.
The same policy holds true for students caught using their Smartphones for the same purpose.

OPERATION STUDY

At Clayton State University, we expect and support high motivation and academic achievement. Look for Operation Study activities and programs this semester that are designed to enhance your academic success such as study sessions, study breaks, workshops, and opportunities to earn Study Bucks (for use in the University Bookstore) and other items.

DESIRE 2 LEARN

All course information including the syllabus, study guides, assignments, course readings, and other handouts will be posted in Desire2Learn, the virtual classroom for the course.

Students will be expected to submit (upload) all assignments in Desire 2 Learn.

Please DO NOT email any assignments or hand in hard copies of assignments.

You can gain access to Desire2Learn, by signing on to the SWAN portal and selecting :”GaVIEW” on the top right side.

If you experience any difficulties in Desire2Learn, please email or call The HUB r (678) 466-HELP. You will need to provide the date and time of the problem, your SWAN username, the name of the course that you are attempting to access, and your instructor's name.

Student training videos and print materials can be found at

GRADING

This course is based on a total of 400 possible points. Students will be assessed through test, quizzes, and participation assignments. Student grades will be posted throughout the semester on the Desire2Learn (formerly Georgia View).

TESTS - 300points of the overall course grade

There will be 3 short answer tests throughout the semester.
Each test will is worth 100 points and will contain 10 short answer questions.
Prior to each test, a study guide will be posted on Desire2Learn.
THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP TESTS. Consideration may be given to students with documented emergencies. Students approved to make up an exam may be subject to taking a different version of the test (i.e., short answer, essay, etc).

TEST DAY POLICIES

Once the 1st exam is completed and handed in, students WILL NOT (I REPEAT, WILL NOT) be allowed to take the exam. In other words, PLEASE come to class in a timely manner on test days!
Students will not be allowed to leave the class during a test. Please you the restroom prior to the test, bring tissue with you if you have a cold, and so forth.
All cell phones must be turned off and not visible.
All materials (books, notebooks, computers, personal items) will not be allowed anywhere on the desk. In other words, desks must be completely free of any materials.

Quizzes – 40 points of the overall course grade

There will be a total of 4 quizzes during the semester

All quizzes will be worth 10 points each and will include 5 questions worth 2 points each.

Prior to the quizzes, I will give students an indication of what information or material they should study.

The quizzes will be issued during the first 10 minutes of class. Students that arrive late will not be given extra time to complete the quiz.

Student Media Log & Presentation -40 points of the overall grade

Students will keep a media log of five crime stories disseminated on television, Internet, radio, movies, newspaper, magazine, and so forth.

Students will also be expected to present a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the major themes of their crime stories

Grades will be issued along the following criteria

15 points – Media log
15 points – Summary of crime stories
10 points – PowerPoint & presentation

Participation – 20 points of the overall course grade

The participation grade will comprise (a) class attendance and (b) in-class group assignments.

Students must be present on the day of the participation assignment in order to receive credit. The required sign-in sheet will help verify a student attendance for participation assignments.

Extra Credit

I DO NOT provide extra credit on an individual basis so please do not ask.
If I decide to offer extra credit, it will be offered to all students and will be an assignment worth 5-10 points. The extra credit assignment will be offered toward the end of the semester.
If this class is important to maintaining a scholarship, avoiding academic suspension, financial aid, and graduation, then it is the student’s responsibility to make every effort possible to pass this course. This means reading all course materials, coming to class prepared, attending class, studying for exams, visiting the professor during office hours, and asking for help. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE SEMESTER TO BUCKLE DOWN. More importantly, DO NOT attempt to pressure the professor into giving you points or offering extra credit on an individual basis.

Grading Distribution

3 Tests @ 100 points each300 points

4 Quizzes @ 10 points each 40 points

Student Media Log & Presentation 40 points

Participation assignments 20 points

Total possible points400 points

400-360 points = A

359-320 points = B

319-280 points = C

279-240 points = D

239-lower = F

Calculating your grade:

1.Since this course uses a point total system, it is easy to determine your grade during any point of the semester. The grading scale (listed above) provides the number of points you need to earn an A, B, C, D, F. A student needs at least 270 points in order to earn an A, at least 240 points to earn a B, at least 210 points for a C, and so forth. In order to calculate your grade simply

Add the total number of points you earned
Test 1 = 84 points
Test 2 =84 points
Participation =20 points
Quizzes 1-4 = 76 points
Total points =264 points
Subtract your point total from the lowest point total for a particular grade
360 (lowest pt total to earn an A) -264 = 96 more points needed to earn A
320 (lowest pt total to earn a B) - 264 = 56 more points needed to earn B
280 (lowest pt total to earn a C) – 264 = 16 more points needed to earn C

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change at any point during the semester at the discretion of the professor.

MONTH / DATE / TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
January / 14 / Introduction to the course
January / 16 / CH 1: Predators, Pictures, And Policy
January / 21 / CH 1: Predators, Pictures, And Policy
January / 23 / Seducers of the Innocent: The Bloody Legacy of Pre-Code Crime! by Wright, N. (1998).
See Desire2Learn “Supplemental Reading” folder
January / 28 / CH 2: Social Constructionism
January / 30 / CH 2: Social Constructionism
February / 4 / Killingbeck, D. 2001. “The Role of Television News in the Construction of School Violence as a ‘Moral Panic.’” Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. 8: 186-202.
See Desire2Learn “Supplemental Reading” folder
February / 6 / CH 3: Crime and Criminality
NOTE: STUDY GUIDE FOR TEST 1 POSTED
February / 11 / VIDEO
February / 13 / VIDEO
February / 18 / TEST 1
February / 20 / CH 4: Crime Fighters
February / 25 / VIDEO
February / 27 / CH 5: Courts
March / 4 / VIDEO
March / 6 / CH 6: Corrections
NOTE: STUDY GUIDE FOR TEST 2 POSTED
March / 7 / LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW & RECEIVE A W GRADE
March / 11 / NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK
March / 13 / NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK
March / 18 / CH 6: Corrections
March / 20 / Cecil and Leitner. 2009. “Unlocking the Gates: An Examination of MSNBC Investigates – Lockup.” The Howard Journal. 48: 184-199.
See Desire2Learn “Supplemental Reading” folder
March / 25 / TEST 2
March / 27 / Race and Media:
Peffley and Hurwitz. 2002. “The Racial Components of “Race-Neutral” Crime Policy Attitudes.” Political Psychology. 23: 59-75.
April / 1 / Race and Media: VIDEO
April / 3 / Gender and Media: VIDEO
April / 8 / VIDEO
April / 10 / Cecil, D. 2008. “From Heathers to Mean Girls: An Examination of Relational Aggression in Film.” Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. 15: 262-276.
See Desire2Learn “Supplemental Reading” folder
April / 15 / CH 8: The Media and Criminal Justice Policy
April / 17 / VIDEO
April / 22 / VIDEO
NOTE: STUDY GUIDE FOR TEST 3 POSTED
April / 24 / Student Presentations
April / 29 / Student Presentations
May / 1 / Course review
May / 8 / TEST 3 (THURSDAY) at 8:00am

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