Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals CJ COURSE SYLLABUS

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1 Class Time: M 1-3:45 PM LAR 237 Office: COM 115 Office Hours: M PM Ph: [email protected] Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals CJ COURSE SYLLABUS Texts: Required: Miller, L.S. and Whitehead, J.T. (2015). Report writing for criminal justice professionals (5th ed.). New York: Routledge. Required: Schwartz, B.M., Landrum, R.E., and Gurung, R.A.R. (2014). An easy guide to APA style (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage. Required: Thurman, S. (2003). The only grammar book you ll ever need. L. Shea (Ed.). Avon, MA: Adams Media. Course Description: Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals focuses on the unique types of writing required in the criminal justice field, including but not limited to research papers, press releases, search warrants, and probation reports. Emphasis will be placed on clear and effective writing. As part of the learning process, students will critique the writing of others. Students will learn and use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. Course Objectives: Successful completion of this course will prepare the student to: 1. Write clearly and effectively 2. Be able to write research papers, press releases, search warrants, and probation reports 3. Employ APA citation style to correctly cite sources Transformative Learning Objectives: The University of Central Oklahoma is a learningcentered organization committed to transformative education through the Central Six, which include Discipline Knowledge; Leadership; Problem Solving (Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities); Service Learning and Civic Engagement; Global and Cultural Competencies; and Health and Wellness. This course addresses two of the university s transformative learning goals: discipline knowledge and problem solving through research, scholarly, and creative activities. Discipline knowledge is covered through the specific reports and other documents written by criminal justice professionals. Problem solving through scholarly and creative pursuits will be addressed through the written communication showcase. 1

2 Course Requirements: Students are responsible for the timely completion of all assignments and are expected to come to class prepared. This course will include lectures, class discussion, reading and critiquing of other s work, and writing. Class discussions will help students to verbally communicate more clearly and effectively. Outside materials will be presented throughout the semester to aid in learning the specific types of writing within the criminal justice field. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Attendance and participation will be counted together. Students who attend class and actively participate in class will receive 100% of the participation points. Reading Assignments: Students are expected to complete assignments and come to class prepared. Written Assignments: Students are expected to complete written assignments and turn them in on time. Throughout the course of the semester, students will write an annotated bibliography, create an APA reference list, and write a: resume, press release, search warrant, crime/incident report, and probation report. Additionally in class students will practice writing by critiquing others writing. All formal written assignments will be turned in both on paper and in D2L, through the turnitin software. Late and Makeup Work: Because we only meet once per week, late and makeup work will not be accepted except under extreme circumstances (i.e. an excused absence for hospitalization), or when previously coordinated with the professor. Plagiarism: All writing assignments that you submit for this course must either be entirely your own, or properly referenced/cited. Violations constitute plagiarism. A case involving plagiarism is usually referred to the Discipline Committee, which can recommend in extreme cases dismissal from the University. There are two major types of plagiarism: 1. Word-for-word copying, without acknowledgement, of another writer. Having another person write or dictate all or part of one s composition is plagiarism. In addition, you should not copy a printed passage, no matter how brief, without acknowledging its source. 2. The unacknowledged paraphrasing of an author s ideas. You should not take credit for another person s thoughts. Any distinctive, original idea taken from another writer should be credited to its author. If you are uncertain about the distinctiveness of an author s idea, it is best to acknowledge the author. Course Grades: 2

3 Course Points Grading Scale Participation/Attendance A = % Peer Review B = 80-89% Initial Assessment 50 points Reference List 50 points C = 70-79% Annotations 50 points D = 60-69% Research Paragraph F = 0-59% Resume Search Warrant Incident Report Probation Report Executive Summary Final Assessment 50 points Total Points 1000 points Course Outline The following reading plan and exam schedule is tentative and subject to revision at the professor s discretion during the semester. Week 1 Introduction *Initial Assessment Due (In Class) Week 2 Criminal Justice Library Research *Library instruction session (one class period) Week 3 APA Formatting, Plagiarism Readings: Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 3-25, *Online plagiarism test through Indiana University Week 4 APA Organization and Mechanics Readings: Whitehead and Miller, pgs , Schwartz, Landrum & Gurung pgs Week 5 APA Tone, and Bias Readings: Whitehead and Miller, pgs Schwartz, Landrum & Gurung pgs Week 6 APA Reference Lists Readings: Schwartz, Landrum & Gurung pgs Week 7 APA Annotations Readings: Annotation handouts, examples, worksheet *Reference List Due 3

4 Week 8 APA In-Text Citations and Essay Structure Readings: Schwartz, Landrum & Gurung pgs , handouts, examples *Annotations Due *Peer Review of Research Paragraph (in-class) Week 9 Preparing for the Job Market Readings: Resume handouts, examples *Research Paragraph Due Week 10 Writing for CJ Basics, Press Release Readings: Whitehead and Miller, 3-38, handout, and example press release *Resume due *Peer Review of Press Release (in-class) Week 11 Writing for CJ: Search Warrants Readings: Whitehead and Miller, 57-89, handout, example search warrant *Press Release due *Peer Review of Search Warrant (in-class) Week 12 Writing for CJ: Crime/Incident Reports Readings: Whitehead and Miller, , handout, example crime/incident report *Search Warrant due *Peer Review of Crime/Incident Report (in-class) Week 13 Writing for CJ: Probation Reports Readings: Whitehead and Miller, *Crime/Incident Report due *Peer Review of Probation Report (in-class) Week 14 - Thanksgiving Break (no classes) Week 15 Pulling it All Together: The Executive Summary Readings: Whitehead and Miller, *Probation Report due Week 16 Written Communication Showcase *Executive Summary Due Week 17 Conferencing Appointments Week 18 Final Assessment Essay Final exam will be held in class on Monday, December 7 th from 1-2:50 PM. 4

5 To access the Student Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment, please go to: 5