Criminal Justice & Practitioner Stress

Transcription

1 Criminal Justice & Practitioner Stress COURSE SYLLABUS Fall 2015 Instructor: Dan Taravella, Lt., Nacogdoches Police Department Office: N/A Office Hrs: N/A Phone: Class: CJS 307: Criminal Justice Practitioners and Stress Time: Monday& Wednesday, 1p-2:15p Location: Math & Science 357 Course Description This course will cover sources of, manifestations of, and possible solutions for, stress in criminal justice practitioners. Specifically, the stresses of police officers, attorneys, judges, and correctional officers will be examined. Course Materials The textbook is required! Stevens, D. J. (2008). Police officer stress: Sources and solutions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. (ISBN-13: ) Additional Readings Will vary and as assigned (and posted on D2L) Course Objectives Program Learning Objectives This course meets the following CJS Program objectives: 1. The student will demonstrate critical reasoning, problem solving abilities, communications skills, and technology skills. 2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the functions of policing in the United States in terms of its historical roots, structure, and contemporary issues. Course-Specific Student Learning Outcomes This course meets the following CJS Course objectives: 1. The student will demonstrate an understanding of general components of police stress. 2. The student will be able to identify stressors unique to attorneys, judges, and other courtroom workgroup members. 3. The student will demonstrate knowledge of correctional officer stress. 4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of barriers to CJ practitioners seeking professional assistance with stress and mental health issues. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 1 of 8

2 5. The student will demonstrate an understanding of current trends in addressing criminal justice practitioner stress by administrators and mental health professionals 6. The student will develop critical thinking and writing skills through interviewing past/present practitioners and presenting their findings in a presentation before the class. Attendance and Participation It is expected that students will regularly attend class, will refrain from being tardy, and will come to class prepared to discuss the scheduled topics. Attendance will be recorded by the taking of roll at some point during each class. Class attendance requirements for this course are in accordance with SFA s Class Attendance and Excused Absences Policy in the General Bulletin (pp ). Please note that classes in summer are roughly equivalent to two regular classes in the long semesters. Because of this, a one-day absence in summer will count as two absences. Absences and Excused Absences Attendance in this class is critical! Unexcused absences will affect your final grade significantly. Students have the misconception that excused absences in college are the same as excused absences in high school. Please understand that is not the case. Especially in criminal justice coursework, college attendance is regarded much like work attendance. The only excused absences are for three reasons: health-related (hospitalization ONLY); family emergencies (MUST be documented); and university-sponsored events (MUST be approved in advance). If you have a sore throat, bronchitis, a sprained ankle, etc., these will NOT be excused even with a doctor s note! I will be here when/if I am sick; I expect the same from you. (Remember, you are allowed to miss 3 hours without penalty, but I implore you to use those absences wisely if you must use them at all!) Examinations Four examinations will be given during the semester. All exams will cover only the material studied since the previous exam. The exams may consist of an objective section (multiple choice and true/false) and subjective (short-answer and essay) sections. If there is an essay section, students will select a certain number of essay topics from those provided. Essay responses will be graded upon content, critical thinking skills, and grammar. Bluebooks will not be required. Scantrons (Form 882) will be required, and they shall be provided by the student. Additionally, although laptops have their utility, they will not be permitted during examinations; all responses must be handwritten. Students must complete all four exams for the semester. No grades will be dropped! Please keep in mind that material from the textbook may not cover all of the required information; a portion of any examination material may come from other sources as presented or discussed in class. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 2 of 8

3 Make-Up Exams Students with legitimate reason and prior approval of the instructor can make up ONLY ONE exam at the end of the semester. Date and time will be announced and that will be based upon the instructor s schedule and convenience. Grading Student grades will be earned according to the following table: % A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D Below 60% Below 300 F The cumulative semester grade will be based upon the following weights: Exam One Exam Two Exam Three Final Exam Interview/Presentation Make-Up Grades and Extra Credit Make up grades on a case by case basis. Extra Credit TBD. Presentation You will have two options for your final presentation. You must choose one of the two. Both options are outlined below, but more information will be given for each as the semester gets underway. Option 1: You may interview a criminal justice practitioner (this could include past or present police officers, attorneys, judges, prison guards, probation or parole officers other CJ professionals may be allowed with prior approval from the professor), regarding sources of stress in their work. I must approve your questions in advance, in order to ensure that you will not accidentally be asking questions that are potentially traumatizing to the individual. You will need to produce a one page form, signed by the interviewed individual, giving you permission to interview them and to display the information in a class presentation (examples of these forms will be shown in class and/or posted on D2L). In addition, your presentation should include a picture of you and the individual (so I know you didn t interview your imaginary friend). You will produce a PowerPoint presentation detailing what you learned from this individual regarding the sources of stress in their work and the ways they deal with it. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 3 of 8

4 Option 2: Choose a topic that pertains to criminal justice practitioners and stress (i.e. depression in attorneys, or suicide in police officers). You will be required to use 10 outside sources (5 academic sources) and create a research presentation on your topic. This is similar to a research paper on your topic, in that you must introduce the topic, tell the class why it is an important topic, explain what others have said about the subject (your sources), and then give a brief summary (except all of this will be done in PowerPoint slides). Examples of topic ideas will be discussed as the semester begins. Regardless of which option you choose, presentations should be in PowerPoint format and between 5 and 10 minutes each. Examples of the format of these presentations will be provided. Video clips will be allowed in either type of presentation as they are often useful in introducing a topic, explaining a certain type of career, displaying dangers involved in certain jobs, etc.; however, they cannot take up more than a minute or two of your presentation. Some of you may also find that your interviewee is willing to come to the classroom with you for your presentation. If that happens, please come and talk with me in advance so that we can make arrangements and discuss what you need to do. No one will be given EXTRA credit for bringing a guest speaker to class. Those that do an interview will need to turn in their signed informed consent sheets, when they present. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 4 of 8

5 Course Calendar Please note that this schedule is tentative as we may need to spend more time on some topics than others. Day Date Reading Topic Week Day M 8/31/2015 N/A Introductions & Syllabus Review 1 1 Overview of D2L; Library; Student Services Explanation of Research/Presentations W 9/2/2015 Text, Chapter 2 Police stress defined 2 M 9/7/2015 NO CLASS No Class Labor Day 2 3 W 9/9/2015 Text, Chapter 3 Occupational stressors (overview) 4 M 9/14/2015 Text, Chapter 5 Critical incident stressors 3 5 W 9/16/2015 Text, Chapter 6 Family stressors in policing 6 M 9/21/2015 Overview Ch 3, 5, 6 Stress 4 7 W 9/23/2015 Third Watch Occupational/Crit-Incid/Family Stressors 8 M 9/28/2015 Review for Exam 1 Exam W 9/30/2015 Guest Speaker LEO 10 M 10/5/2015 Text, Chapter 8 The stress of policing terrorism 6 11 W 10/7/2015 Text, Chapter 9 Stress of small town policing 12 M 10/12/2015 Guest Speaker LEO 7 13 W 10/14/2015 Text, Chapter 10 Person centered initiatives 14 Text, Chapter 12 Changes in professionalism & hiring M 10/19/2015 Review for Exam 2 Exam W 10/21/2015 Guest Speaker Law 16 M 10/26/2015 Create Camaraderie Why is practicing law stressful 9 17 CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 5 of 8

6 Day Date Reading Topic Week Day Stresses of being young, female, and W 10/28/2015 Stress-The Elephant practicing different types of law 18 M 11/2/2015 Beyond Burnout Solutions to Attny Stress W 11/4/2015 Courtroom Stress Judges and Stress 20 M 11/9/2015 Courtroom Stress Judges and Stress W 11/11/ Angry Men Jury Stress 22 M 11/16/2015 Review for Exam 3 Exam W 11/18/2015 Guest Speaker Judicial 24 M 11/23/2015 NIJ Study(assigned) The extent and sources of CO stress Programs to deal with CO stress W 11/25/2015 NO CLASS Thanksgiving M 11/30/2015 Presentations x W 12/2/2015 Presentations x 6 27 M 12/7/2015 Presentations x W 12/9/2015 Presentations x 6 29 M 12/14/2015 Presentations x W 12/16/2015 Review for Exam 4 Final Exam 31 Sat 12/19/2015 GRADUATION!! (Please see next page and following for additional, and very important, information) CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 6 of 8

7 Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (see the Student Conduct Code, policy D-34.1). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full discretion over what behavior is appropriate/ inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the Early Alert Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is available to help SFA students succeed. Rules of the Classroom 1. No cell phone usage this includes texting. You will be asked to leave so don t do it. 2. The wearing of hats, caps, or other head wear is not acceptable in the classroom. No tobacco use whatsoever in the classroom. 3. Maturity Certain topics within this course may stir emotional reactions in some. So as not to distract others or derail the lecture, mature behavior is required. Please treat others with respect and courtesy. If you distract my class or if you disrespect others opinions, feelings, or beliefs you will be asked to leave. 4. When others are speaking, you are expected to listen and to be respectful of the person s right to have an opinion that may differ from your own. 5. I do not give grades, I merely report them. You are in complete control of your final grade. Everyone starts with an A; where you go from there depends entirely upon you. Do NOT come to me at the end of the semester asking me to give you anything. 6. The tentative class schedule is a general guide. Coverage of the material may be accelerated, decelerated, rearranged, augmented, diminished, or otherwise modified when the professor believes such change would be to the benefit of the class or remaining semester time dictates a change. 7. This syllabus will act as the final word in the event of a discrepancy, error, or misunderstanding. Make sure you read and understand it completely and make sure you keep a copy for reference during the semester. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 7 of 8

8 SFASU Policy Statements Academic Integrity Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Definition of Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at Any occurrences of cheating or plagiarism will be dealt with according to University policy, provided to you in your student handbook. (A 9.1) Specifically, we will first meet together to discuss same in my office where you will be given the opportunity to explain your position. If it is determined that academic dishonesty has occurred, I will then make a decision as to the penalty therefore. Penalties may include reprimand or no credit for the assignment or exam, or re submission of the paper, or make up exam, or failure of the course. I will then refer the incident to the Chair of the Department and the Dean of the College. This Report of Academic Dishonesty form, along with supporting documentation shall be made a part of the student s record and remains on file with the Dean s office for at least four (4) years. A second or subsequent offense shall be referred to the Committee on Academic Integrity pursuant to policy. Students with Disabilities To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, / (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. Policy: For additional information: Withheld grades Semester Grades Policy (A- 54) Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average. CJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice Page 8 of 8