Course Syllabus CRIJ Introduction to Criminal Justice Spring 2012 Tuesday & Thursday 2:50-4:05pm

Transcription

1 Course Syllabus CRIJ Introduction to Criminal Justice Spring 2012 Tuesday & Thursday 2:50-4:05pm 1. Course: CRIJ Introduction to Criminal Justice 2. Instructor: Edwin Ueckert, M.S., Criminal Justice, Blinn College-Brenham Campus, Bullock Center Office 126, (979) , Office hours, Monday & Wednesday 7:30-9:00am, 3:00-4:00pm; Tuesday & Thursday 7:30-9:30am, 4:10-4:30pm; Friday by appointment. 3. Course Description: History and Philosophy of criminal justice and ethical considerations; crime defined and its nature and impact; overview of the criminal justice system: law enforcement; court system; prosecution and defense; trial process; corrections. 4. Course Prerequisites: None 5. This is not a core course. 6. Course Objectives or student learning outcomes: 1. Define the nature and impact crime has on society and what statistics tell us about crime in America. 2. Interpret the relationship between the components of the criminal justice system 3. Examine the nature and purpose of criminal law. 4. Explain the basic purpose of policing in America. 5. Define the specialized vocabulary of the criminal justice system. 6. Cite the various stages of the criminal trial. 7. Identify the goals of contemporary criminal sentencing. 8. Explain the nature of due process and the specific constitutional rights of the accused, convicted and imprisoned. 9. List the professional occupations within the criminal justice field.

2 7. Course Requirements: The course may include but is not limited to the following: 1. Lectures; guest speakers from applicable criminal justice agencies; DVD s; group discussion; current events; assigned readings from textbook; handouts and supplemental readings. 2. Completion of learning outcomes, exams, assigned coursework and participation in course will provide students with a comprehensive view of the overall criminal justice system and its components. 3. This course is a required freshman academic course transferable to a BA, BS, BAAS, or BAT. 4. The successful completion of this course is required on the Coordinating Board approved Field of Study in Criminal Justice Associates of Art curriculum. 8. Required Textbooks: Criminal Justice, an Introduction; Adler-Mueller-Laufer, Sixth Edition 9. Grading Scale: A= 90%-100% B= 80%-89% C= 70%-79% D= 60%-69% F= 0%-59% 10. Grading System: Four major grades which may include but is not limited to the following: 1. Chapter examinations, research papers, projects, cumulative assignments or skills/practical s and comprehensive final examination. 2. Student participation points are at the discretion of the instructor but must be 10% of the overall grade. 3. Comprehensive final must be 10%-30% of the overall grade. 11. Assessment: 1. Pre and Post tests will be used-this assessment method will include embedded questions addressing the student learning outcomes. Post test results will be reviewed to ascertain if particular outcomes were mastered by the students; 70% will be used as a mastery benchmark. Curriculum will be reviewed and revised as needed to address outcomes not mastered.

3 2. Grade distribution will be used D, F, and W rate should be equal or less than Blinn college average and the equal or less than the Coordinating Board recommendation of 25%. Courses that exceed 25% for D, F, and W will be reviewed by a panel of instructors that teach on all campuses. Improvement will be documented in the College required action on results form. 12. Civility Statement: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for college property and the physical intellectual property of others. 13. Civility Notification Statement: If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor; it is the student s responsibility to arrange for the conference. 14. Attendance Policy: The College district believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty member, in consultation with the Division Chair, to determine how participation is achieved in his or her class. Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student s name appears on the roster through final examinations. If a student has one week s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulate two weeks worth of unexcused absences, he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class. It is the student s responsibility to officially drop a class he/she is no longer attending. To officially drop a class the student must obtain the class withdrawal form from the

4 Office of Admissions and Records in the Administration Building. Failure to do so will result in a grade of F for the course. 15. Make-Up Examination Policy: As a general rule, there will be no make-up exams. In the event an emergency arises, and the student documents the emergency situation to the satisfaction of the instructor and notifies the instructor in advance or immediately after the emergency subsides, the instructor may give a make-up exam. Your instructor will review each emergency situation separately, and evaluate the circumstances appropriately at his/her discretion. However, any make-up exam allowed may be a different form from that given to the rest of the class, and may be reduced up to 20%. If the student s make-up exam is not taken within the time frame set up by the instructor a grade of F will be assigned for that exam with zero points being awarded. 16. Blinn College Policies: Blinn College policies on scholastic dishonesty; students with disabilities; cell phone and pager; food and drink in the classroom as stated in the Blinn College Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, Blinn College Catalog will be applicable at all times in class, in the building prior to and following class, as well as the surrounding areas. These policies are expected to be followed; failure to follow the policies will result in appropriate disciplinary response. 17. Institutional ADA Policy: Blinn College is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning environment for all students. Support services for students with documented disabilities are provided on an individual basis, upon request. Requests for services should be made directly to the Office of Disability Services serving the campus of your choice. For the Bryan campus, the Office of Disability Services (Administration Building) can be reached at (979) The Brenham, Sealy, and Schulenburg campuses are served by the Office of Disability Services on the Brenham campus (New Administration Building Room 104) and can be reached at (979) Additional information can be found at The following is a tentative schedule of activities and examinations for the semester. The dates and activities are subject to modifications. Any changes will be made with as much advanced notice as possible. Tuesday Jan. 17 th Orientation

5 Thursday Jan. 19 th Chapter 1-Criminal Justice; An Overview Tuesday Jan. 24 th Chapter 1 Thursday Jan. 26 th Chapter 2.. Crime & Criminals Tuesday Jan. 31 st Chapter 2 Thursday Feb. 2 nd Chapter 3..Explaining Criminal Behavior Tuesday Feb. 7 th Chapter 3 Thursday Feb. 9 th Chapter 4..Criminal law Tuesday Feb. 14 th Thursday Feb. 16 th Complete & Review Section I Examination Section I Tuesday Feb. 21 st Chapter 5.History of Policing Thursday Feb. 23 rd Chapter 5 Tuesday Feb. 28 th Thursday March 1 st Tuesday March 6 th Thursday March 8 th Tuesday March 13 th Thursday March 15 th Chapter 6..Police Functions & Culture Chapter 7..Rule of Law/law Enforcement Complete 7.Review Section II Examination Section II SPRING BREAK SPRING BREAK Tuesday March 20 th Chapter 8 The origin & Role of the Courts Thursday March 22 nd Chapter 8 Tuesday March 27 th Thursday March 29 th Chapter 9..Lawyers & Judges Chapter 10.Criminal prosecution & Adjudication Tuesday April 3 rd Chapter 10 Thursday April 5 th Chapter 11..Sentencing Tuesday April 10 th Thursday April 12 th Complete & Review Section III Examination Section III

6 Tuesday April 17 th Chapter 12..Corrections Thursday April 19 th Chapter 12 Tuesday April 24 th Thursday April 26 th Tuesday May 1 st Chapter 13..Institutional Corrections Chapter 14..Alternatives: Community Corrections Review Section IV & Post-test Final Examination & Post-test according to College Examination Schedule, provided for students the first day of class, and is accessible on MyBlinn.edu Final Examination Tuesday, May 8 th 1:30pm-3:30pm