Sexual Offenses
CRIJ 4360 Section 061–Fall 2014
Website:
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Professor: Jennifer Klein, Ph.D.
Office Number: BUS 229
Office Hours: In person: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00am – 1:00pm, or by appointment
Office Phone: (903) 565-5680
Email:
*In your emails to me, please put CRIJ 4360, Sexual Offenses in the Subject Line. See email policy in the later part of the syllabus.
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Course Objectives: Sexual offenses are a specific type of offending that most citizens are aware of either through personal experience, the experiences of others, through media coverage or from word of mouth. For the purposes of this course, we will examine multiple types of sexual offending, victims and offenders, short and long-term ramifications of sexual offenses and the legal consequences of committing a sexual offense. There are three main objectives to this class: 1) to educate you on as much information associated with sexual offending as possible, 2) to show the different perspectives of all individuals involved in sex offenses (the offender, victim, family members, legal authorities and community members) and 3) for you to critically think about these issues – not just memorize the given information – and be able to examine the multiple sides of sexual offending. Due to the real life applicability of these types of offenses, current events and legal stories will be presented on a regular basis.
Required Materials:
1) Sex Crimes: Patterns and Behavior, 3rd Edition. Stephen T. Holmes and Ronald M. Holmes. Sage Publications. ISBN# 978-1-4129-5298-9.
2) The Invisible War, PBS Documentary by Kirby Dick. (2012). Available on Netflix (You can watch instantly), on Amazon ($3.99 for instant download to rent) or iTunes ($4.99).
There will also be other book chaptersand scholarly articles that will be posted on Blackboard. I also post current event newspaper articles on Blackboard that you will be responsible for reading, so please check the website periodically. While you do not have to purchase these online readings, they will still be required for the course.
Assignments and Grading:
Unlike traditional courses in a classroom setting, an online course presents a new set of challenges for both the instructor and the student to assess the quality of learning achieved. For this class, there will be no exams like there would be in a standard classroom. Instead of making you pay for an exam monitoring service – or requiring you to take the exam in person somewhere – I have decided to implement written assignments and timed quizzes to assess your progress through my class. This course is designed so that you might read the text and watch the lectures at your own pace. However, there are assignments that are due at various times throughout the units. Time yourself accordingly.
Assignments: This semester you will have to complete three written assignments that will each be based on a documentary related to a specific topic contained within the modules. You will be required to watch the documentary and write a 2-page response paper that addresses the prompts contained in the assignment description. Each paper will be worth 30 points of your grade.
You will also be required to complete an end of the semester research paper that is worth 50 points. For this assignment, you will have the option of writing your papers on one of two optional topics. 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. If you are in doubt regarding proper citation style, please get in touch with before the assignments are due. I will be happy to help you out.
All of your assignments are listed at the end of the syllabus. Please keep track of when everything is due, as I do not accept any late submissions. If you fail to turn in any of the assignments on time, then you will forfeit any of the points available to you and your grade for that assignment will be recorded as a zero in the grade book.
Quizzes: Throughout this semester, you will be required to take several online quizzes that cover material from each of the modules. You will have 6 quizzes that you will take online through the Blackboard website. These quizzes will be timed, so you will need to know the material ahead of time. However, you will still be able to use whatever materials are at your disposal. Just know that if you do not review and study the material beforehand, you will not have enough time to search for the answers while you are taking the quizzes. The dates of each quiz can be found in the Class Schedule portion of the syllabus. The times of each quiz will be announced later, but each quiz will be open for 24 hours. Each quiz is worth 20 points towards your final grade. You will be given 20 attempts to get all 20 questions correct. You have 30 minutes to complete each quiz. You must inform me ahead of time if there are any conflicts with the quiz dates. If you do not alert me ahead of time and miss the quiz, you will not be given the opportunity to make it up.
Discussion Activities: To keep you engaged and thinking about the topics that we will cover in this class, I am requiring you to engage in four discussion activities. The first will be a basic introductory activity where you get to know your classmates. The other three discussion activities will be focused on class topics where you will have the opportunity to express your opinions and thoughts about lecture materials and your text. Each discussion activity will be worth 10 points towards your final grade. Your discussion activities are listed at the end of the syllabus.If you fail to complete these discussion activities on time, then you will forfeit any of the points available to you and your grade for that assignment will be recorded as a zero in the grade book.
Grading Scale:
For this class, I will be using plus and minus grades. The grades will be broken down based on a point system, as follows:
Assignment / Point Value / Total Points / Grade / GPAAssignment 1 / 30 points / 300 – 260 / A / 4.00
Assignment 2 / 30 points / 259.5 - 220 / B / 3.00
Assignment 3 / 30 points / 219.5 - 180 / C / 2.00
Research Paper / 50 points / 179.5 - 140 / D / 1.00
Quizzes 1-6 / (20 points each)
120 points total / 139.5 and below / F / 0.00
Discussion Activities 1-4 / (10 points each)
40 points total
Total: 300 Points
Grading Policy: You as the student are responsible for making sure that your grades are accurate in the Blackboard system – this means that you should spot check the grades I enter, and make sure they are reflective of your own records. If you think that there are any errors in the system, then please bring this to my attention as soon as possible. I am a person who does not like to leave things to the last minute, so I would prefer you to take care of any issues before the semester ends. For me, the semester ends the moment you turn in your final research paper. I will not give any make-ups or change any quiz grades after that point. Use the whole semester to your advantage and makes sure you keep on track to avoid any confusion or to avoid losing any points unnecessarily.
Email Policy:
I like to keep open lanes of communication between students and myself. If you need to ask any questions or discuss anything class related, please do not hesitate to email me or call me during office hours. As I said before, please include CRIJ4360 in the subject line so I know that it is class related. Please do not send any messages through the Blackboard system itself since I do not spend the majority of my time on the website. Also, it is polite to address your instructors by their chosen title. Do not email and simply say “Hey,” as it does not make me the happiest of professors. Proper introductions to emails and a little professionalism go along way with me and with all of your other instructors and professors as well.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) the University offers accommodations to students with learning, physical and/or psychiatric disabilities. If you have a disability, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, PTSD or ADHD, or you have a history of modifications or accommodations in a previous educational environment you are encouraged to contact the Student Accessibility and Resources office and schedule an interview with the Accessibility Case Manager/ADA Coordinator, Cynthia Lowery Staples. If you are unsure if the above criteria applies to you, but have questions or concerns please contact the SAR office. For more information or to set up an appointment please visit the SAR office located in the University Center, Room 3150 or call 903.566.7079. You may also send an email to
Student Rights, Responsibilities and Integrity: UT Tyler has detailed guidelines regarding issues of integrity that ensure the quality of education provided by the university. Consult the Student Handbook for details. To know and understand the policies, which affect your rights and responsibilities as a student at UT Tyler, please follow this link:
Class Schedule
Module 1 (August 25 – September 8)
CriticalDates / Due on August 29th (Part 1) and September 3rd (Part 2)at 5:00pm / Discussion Activity #1
September 8th / Quiz #1
Lectures and Readings for Module 1 / History of Sex / Chapter 3, H & H
Sexual Behaviors and Crimes in the US / Chapter 1, H & H
Sex Offender Registry / Ackerman Online Reading
Module 2 (September 9 – September 25)
CriticalDates / Due on September 18that 5:00pm / Assignment #1September 25th / Quiz #2
Lectures and Readings for Module 2 / Pedophilia / Chapter 6: H & H
Jerry Sandusky Case Study / Sandusky Online Reading
Nuisance Sex Behaviors / Chapter 4: H & H
Module 3 (September 26 – October 13)
CriticalDates / Due on October 7that 5:00pm / Assignment #2Due on October 3rd and October 8th at 5:00pm / Discussion Activity #2
October 13th / Quiz #3
Lectures and Readings for Module 3 / Dangerous Sex Crimes / Chapter 10: H & H
Sex Trafficking / Kortla Online Article
Prostitution / Sanders Online Article
Taboo Documentary
Module 4 (October 14 – October 30)
CriticalDates / Due on October 22nd at 5:00pm / Assignment #3October 30th / Quiz #4
Lectures and Readings for Module 4 / Rape / Fisher Online Reading
Female Sex Offenders / West Online Reading
Juvenile Sex Offenders / Wolak Online Reading
Module 5 (October 31 – November 14)
CriticalDates / Due on November 5th and 10th at 5:00pm / Discussion Activity #3November 14th / Quiz #5
Lectures and Readings for Module 5 / Sex and the Internet / Chapter 9: H & H
Pornography / Chapter 8: H & H
Child Pornography / Chapter 7: H & H
Module 6 (November 15 – December 5)
CriticalDates / Due on November 19th and December 1st at 5:00pm / Discussion Activity #4Due on December 5that 5:00pm / Semester Research Paper
December 5th / Quiz #6
Lectures and Readings for Module 6 / Sex Offenders In Prison / Folder: 4 Readings
Pharmacological Treatment / No Reading
Sex Offender Treatment / Chapter 14: H & H
*Please note that this syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. If those changes occur, you will be informed and a revised syllabus will be provided to you.