CRIMINOLOGY 496

ISSUES IN CRIME AND JUSTICE

INSTRUCTOR:
Chris Eskridge
310 Nebraska Hall
472-6755

Eskridge bio sketch
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is a capstone course that will focus on contemporary issues of crime and justice. The course will examine the justice process and the general operations of the criminal justice system.Concepts of crime and deviance, as well as individual rights and discrimination in a democratic society will also be reviewed and critiqued against the backdrop of contemporary issues.The law enforcement, judicial, juvenile justice, and corrections subsystems will be particularly explored, and a number of reform proposals presented and considered. Students will be expected to integrate material in their written assignments that they have learned throughout their college experience.
COURSE READING MATERIALS:
Readings and videos on the course webpage
Articles as assigned in class
Bohm, Death Quest; recommended resource
Jones, Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction; recommended resource

COURSE STRUCTURE:
The course is structured along the lines of the European educational model. While the class will meet only a few times during the semester (class dates and themes are noted below), students will be expected to use their out-of-class time to carefully read and digest course materials found on the web and assigned/discussed in class, search for and read additional relevant materials, and write thoughtful and insightful papers. Students are required to attend all five classes, and will not pass the class unless they do so.
EVALUATION:
As noted above, students are required to attend all five classes, and will not pass the class unless they do so. Students are to complete four term papers that focus on the materials presented in each of those classes. Term paper due dates are noted below. Each paper is to be a minimum of 3,500 words in length, not including endnotes/footnotes (note the word count on the last page of the paper). Each paper will be worth 20 percent of the course grade. Students should incorporate class material as found on the web, material specifically assigned/discussed in class, as well as outside reading materials in their papers. Outside reading materials are particularly expected, and some rough combination of at least 4 to 6 outside journal/magazine articles, books, and web-based articles should be used as sources in each paper. In addition, at least 4 to 6 items from the web-based class materials and/or materials specifically assigned/discussed in class should be utilized as well. In total, the paper should have at least 8 to 10 references incorporated into the substantive body of the narrative. Papers should adhere to a professional format, preferably APA. See –

Students will also be required to attend the presentation of two guest lecturers, and write a paper for each lecture that integrates aspects of your composite undergraduate coursework materials with the speakers’ presentations. Each of these papers is to be a minimum of 1,250 words in length, and is each worth 10 percent of the course grade. Note the word count on the last page of the paper. Three guest speaker presentations have been arranged by the School of Criminology (dates and locations are noted below). You are not required to attend these lecture events, but they are options for you to consider. Students can also check the UNL Calendar of Events for a list of other upcoming campus presentations ( as well as the calendar of events sponsored by the Great Plains National Security Education Consortium ( and the Thompson Forum presentation calendar ( While professional presentations given in any of these venues will usually cover topics that meet this course requirement, students should double check with the instructor if they are unsure if a particular lecture topic is indeed acceptable. This is a Pass/No Pass course, and students obviously need to pass the course to obtain ACE 10 credit.

CLASS DATES, THEMES, AND PAPER DEADLINES:

Section 1 (January 15; 6:00 to 9:00 pm) – Crime, Deviance and Justice; paper due 2/5

Section 2 (February 5, 12: TWO CLASS PERIODS; both 6:00 to 9:00 pm) – Genocide; paper due 3/12

Section 3 (March 12; 6:00 to 9:00 pm) – International Law; paper due 4/9

Section 4 (April 9; 6:00 to 9:00 pm) – The 8th Amendment and Capital Punishment; paper due 4/30.

SPEAKER OPTIONS FOR THE SPRING TERM:
Speaker #1 – February 11 (Monday), Brenda Urbanek, Director of the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center, speaking from 12:30 to 1:30 pm, UNL Student Union Auditorium, with a reception from 1:30 – 2:30 in the Heritage Room.

Speaker #2 - March 11 (Monday), Pat Condon, Lancaster County Attorney, UNL Student Union Auditorium, speaking from 12:30 to 1:30 pm, with a reception from 1:30 – 2:30 in the Heritage Room.
Speaker #3 - April 8 (Monday), Deb Minardi and Jeanne Brandner, Deputy Directors of Nebraska State Probation, speaking from 12:30 to 1:30 pm, UNL Student Union Auditorium, with a reception from 1:30 – 2:30 in the Heritage Room.

SPEAKER PAPER DEADLINES:

Speaker #1 – Paper due 4/30

Speaker #2 – Paper due 4/30

ACE 10

Criminology 496 satisfies ACE Student Learning Outcome 10: Generate a creative or scholarly product that requires broad knowledge, appropriate technical proficiency, information collection, synthesis, interpretation, presentation, and reflection.

Students have the opportunity to achieve ACE Student Learning Outcome 10 through the following:

1)Completing four research papers on contemporary justice topics, synthesizing and integrating material they have learned throughout their academic career to date, analyzing and reflecting upon that material, and presenting it in a coherent and professional fashion.

2)Completing two papers based upon the presentation of guest lecturers, and integrating that information with that which they have learned in their academic careers, reflecting upon those contemporary issues, and presenting that information in a coherent and professional fashion.

The graded assignments which will be used to assess student’s achievement of the Outcome are the four research papers and the two guest lecturer reflection papers. Samples of student work will be collected to assess student learning in the course and program. The purpose of this assessment is to help faculty improve student learning opportunities, not to evaluate individual student work. Any student in this course who is not willing to participate in this process should notify the instructor.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides individualized accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you have a documented disability that is impacting your academic progress, please call SSD at 472-3787 and schedule an appointment with the Director, Veva Cheney, or Assistant Director, Barbara Woodhead. If you do not have a documented disability but you are having difficulties with your coursework (such as receiving low grades even though you study more than your classmates or running out of time for test questions when the majority of your peers finish their exams in the allotted time), you may schedule an appointment with Veva or Barbara to discuss the challenges you are experiencing.