Kennesaw State University Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice CRJU 4499 Spring 2013

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1 1 Kennesaw State University Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice CRJU 4499 Spring 2013 Classroom: SO 3010 Class Meetings: Fridays, 11:00 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Instructor: Dr. Tanja Link Office: SO 4066 Office hours: Course Description This course is a seminar designed for Criminal Justice majors in their senior year. It is organized as a capstone class with the goal of serving as a comprehensive and critical review of the criminal justice curriculum with a focus on specific contemporary issues in criminal justice. In addition, this seminar will help students explore and prepare for a career in criminal justice. Class will be conducted primarily in form of discussions of critical criminal justice issues and informative how to sessions, including guest speakers from various criminal justice related fields. Students will work on a research project as well as practical assignments that will help their overall preparedness for the job market. Students are expected to show self-motivation and initiative throughout the semester. Learning Objectives A. To expose the student to a more in-depth and critical examination of the American criminal justice system and its interrelated branches, namely the police, the courts, and corrections. B. To encourage the development of scholarly and intellectual appreciation for the problems confronting the field of criminal justice. C. To help the student develop critical thinking skills in the exploration of innovative solutions to the problems confronting the field of criminal justice. D. To assess student-learning outcomes in fulfillment of the program mission, goals, and objectives. E. To help the student develop important skills in reaching his/her career goals and achieving professional success. Course Prerequisite CRJU 1101, 3301 Research Methods in Criminal Justice Textbooks and Readings Pollak, Lindsey Getting from College to Career, Revised Edition: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World. Harper Business. ISBN:

2 2 Robinson, Matthew B., Justice Blind? Ideals and Realities of American Criminal Justice. 3rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Careers in Criminal Justice Website: &eISBN= &pid= Recommended CJ-related literature: Police Unbound: Corruption, Abuse, and Heroism by the Boys in Blue by Anthony Bou Inside the Criminal Courts by David R. Lynch (2009, 2nd Edition) Crazy in America: The Hidden Tragedy of Our Criminalized Mentally Ill by Mary Beth Pfeiffer Smith, C.E., (2004). Constitutional Rights: Myths and Realities. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth Beckett, K. and Sasson, T. (2000). The Politics of Injustice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. Braswell, M., McCarthy, B., and McCarthy, B. (1996) Justice, Crime and Ethics, 2nd Ed. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing Company. Ethic and the criminal justice curriculum. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 4: , Harr, J. Scott & Karen M. Hess Seeking Employment in Criminal Justice and Related Fields, 2nd edition. Minneapolis, MN: West Publishing Company. Recommended career/job search related literature: DeLucia, Robert C. & Thomas J. Doyle Career Planning in Criminal Justice. 3rd Edition. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing Co. Henry, Stuart (ed.) Inside Jobs: A Realistic Guide to Criminal Justice Careers for College Graduates. Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Company. Planning Job Choices: A guide to the job search for new college graduates th edition. National Association of College and Employers. newest issue free online Taylor, Dorothy Jumpstarting Your Career: An Internship Guide for Criminal Justice. New York, NY: Prentice Hall, Inc. Goleman, Daniel. (2005). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books. Johnson, S. (1998). Who Moved My Cheese? (1998). City: G.P. Putnam.

3 3 Schmalleger, Frank. (2002). Your Criminal Justice Career: A Guidebook 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Covey, Stephen R. (1990). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster. Greenhaus, J., Callanan, G., and Godshalh, V. (2000) Career Management, 3rd Ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers. Class Format: This course is delivered in a hybrid format, which includes a combination of 5 on-line learning activities and assessments, 10 face-to-face class meetings, and one individual face-to-face meeting with the instructor (scheduled at the beginning of the semester). Progress toward completion of the research study or theoretical paper will be discussed at the individual student and instructor meeting. Students are required to attend all face-to-face meetings. Nota Bene: KSU defines a semester credit hour as one hour (50 minutes) of classroom or direct faculty instruction and one hour forty minutes of out-of-class student work each week for 15 weeks in a semester (a minimum of 750 minutes of class plus 1,500 minutes of out-of-class academic engagement to equal 2,250 engaged minutes per semester credit hour), or an equivalent amount of laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, field experience, and other academic work. Educational activities that involve no classroom or direct faculty instruction require an equivalent amount of work as stated above. CLASS REQUIREMENTS 1. Resumé and Mock Interview Students will schedule one appointment with the KSU Career Services Center at in order to create a professional resume and participate in a digitally recorded mock interview. All appointments must be scheduled by January 25 and must be completed by April 5. Once the appointments have been made students will not be permitted to reschedule for any reason. Students must dress appropriately for the interview. The grade for the interview will be determined by the evaluation of the Career Services representative. 2. Critical Review of Core Classes This portion of the course is devoted to an overview and critical examination of the subject matters covered in the core areas of the curriculum: the American system of justice, criminal law, theoretical perspectives, research methods, police, courts, corrections and race and gender issues. These exercises are designed to serve three purposes: A. To refresh the student s memory relative to the materials he/she has learned in the core areas of the curriculum; B. To promote the student s critical thinking skills in dealing with issues of crime and justice; and C. To help the student expand his/her intellectual curiosity in addressing issues of crime and justice scholarly and intelligently.

4 4 During the first class meeting, the professor will provide an outline on each of the subject matter to be reviewed and discussed. Students are required to gather information from past lecture notes, the existing literature (books and scholarly journals), and materials from credible internet sources (e.g. government web sites, professional magazines. newspapers, etc.) for meaningful participation in class discussions. These discussions are not meant to be a regurgitation of what has been instructed; instead, they are structured to promote independent thinking and deep intellectual understanding of criminal justice issues. To that end, it is the student s responsibility to play an active role in class discussions through self-initiation instead of waiting to be called upon to do so by the professor. For each class meeting on this portion of the course, a maximum of 10 points can be earned by each student. Criteria such as accuracy and relevance of material presented by the student, level of critical thinking involved in the presentation, and intellectual and scholarly appreciation for the subject matter will be used to determine what score a student will receive for each class meeting. Any student who chooses not to participate will receive zero point for that class meeting. 3. Online reflections For this course requirement, the class will be divided into two groups, and each group will be assigned alternate chapters of Getting from College to Career. You will write a one page reflection paper on the assigned chapter discussing in detail which of the author s tips you found relevant and how you might specifically put them into action. You should also discuss which tips you would not be likely to utilize, and describe why not. You should also suggest additional tips not included in the book that you think might also be appropriate for the chapter topic. Students need to post this reflection will as an attachment to the D2L Discussion Board. [Please make sure you put your group number and the chapter number in the subject line of your post]. Reflection papers must be posted by 5:00 pm on the following dates: January 23, February 6, February 20, March 20, and April 3. In addition, you must reply to two reflection papers posted by members of the other group. In your reply you should state whether you agree or disagree with your colleagues assessments of the author s tips and describe why or why not. Replies must be posted by 5:00 pm on the following dates: January 25, February 8, February 22, March 22, and April 5. January 23 February 6 Group 1 Chapter One Group 2 Chapter Two Group 1 Chapter Three Group 2 Chapter Four February 20 Group 1 Chapter Five Group 2 Chapter Six March 20 Group 1 Chapter Seven Group 2 Chapter Eight April 3 Group 1 Chapter Nine Group 2 Chapter Ten 4. Students will present a 1-2 page overview of the career assigned to them at the beginning of the semester. The overview should include available career opportunities, requirements, and procedures to getting hired (e.g., application and testing procedures), along with a separate handout (available for all students) that includes a minimum of 5 Internet web sites that can serve as a resource to the class relative to the

5 5 respective profession/career. Reports must include job requirements, training, salary expectations, retirement eligibility, special benefits and challenges. Describe the duties and responsibilities of the job and opportunities for advancement. If you focus on one office or department, make sure it is near where you live or near the school. Make the report relevant to your own expectations and those of your fellow students The report will also include a listing of the search terms used and how they developed. 5. Senior Project Each student will be required to complete a senior project. The purpose of this project is to provide the student with an opportunity to demonstrate what she/he has learned and developed throughout her/his course of study in the major (practical knowledge, theoretical understanding, critical thinking skills, and intellectual curiosity) and apply it to a real world problem of crime and justice, which is of immense interest to the student. Students will choose their top three choices from a list of topics generated by class on the first day of class. Students are encouraged to propose their own topic. The list of possible topics is due Friday, February 1, 2013 at the beginning of class. Students are required to submit their proposed projects with clearly delineated outlines and five references to the professor on Friday, March 1, 2013 for review and approval. The final paper is due on May 2, 2013, 5 p.m. Project Guidelines: i. Discuss why you chose the topic and issue a statement of the problem. Where possible, make reference to a specific news story, agency, jurisdiction, legislative act, court ruling, etc. ii. Provide a thorough/exhaustive review (research studies, pros and cons, in-depth analysis, etc., if appropriate) of the existing literature relative to the issue you are addressing. iii. iv. Apply relevant theoretical explanation to the unique issue in question. Devise strategies (strategic plan, research-based programs, new and innovative initiatives, etc.) to deal with the problem: you must justify the relevancy of the programs you recommend. v. Propose evaluation methods: How will the effectiveness of the plan be measured? (What are the goals and objectives of your plan? What are your outcome measures? What are your success indicators?) The final version of the paper must be at least 12 pages in length (excluding cover page, maps, diagrams, attachments, and references), double-spaced, type written, with 1-inch margins, and include at least 12 scholarly references. Failure to have the mandatory 12 pages and references will result in a deduction. All references should be made in conformity with the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style. All scholarly sources must be cited within the body of the work. All sources must be referenced in the APA format. Failure to do so could result in an F grade. An emphasis will be placed on being grammatically correct. Any paper that has more than six grammatical errors will automatically go down to a C grade and will get worse from there. Note: Please make sure to keep separate copies of all your papers that have been turned in for a grade. If you choose to conduct a research project that includes human subjects, you are required to complete a Human Subjects Research Certification. The KSU Institutional Review Board is responsible for ensuring that research participants are treated ethically. The certification process requires one to two hours to complete. 1. Read the CITI Registration instructions posted on the course website.

6 6 2. Go to 3. Create a personal profile with your username and password. Do not forget to add your affiliation to KSU. You role is Student Researcher Undergraduate. 4. Complete the Students in Research module, and the associated quiz. 5. Save a copy of the Course Completion Report with your name, and print one copy and bring it to class. Turnitin.com All students must submit their Senior Project to for review. Failure to do so will result in an automatic one grade reduction. You will need the following information in order to submit your paper to the site: Class name: Senior Seminar Enrollment password: SenSeminar Class ID number: Late Papers If your paper is not turned in on or before the due date, it will be marked down. Each day that the paper is late will result in a five point deduction from the total score. After seven days, the assignment is worth 0 points. Additionally, when you turn in a late paper you must hand personally, so that the date and time can be noted on the paper. Please note: I will not accept any papers that are left under my office door. 6. Research Presentation Students will present the results of their senior project in class on April 19 or 26, as assigned. All students must attend these presentations. Students not presenting should listen intently to their colleagues presentations and provide constructive criticism. The presentation should last minutes and generate discussion with the class. Students are strongly encouraged to use instructional aids such as PowerPoint slides, video clips, etc. Video clips cannot take more than three minutes total and must add to the presentation. Presentations lasting less than 15 minutes will not receive full credit. Although your paper is not due until May 2, it is expected that the majority of your research will be done by the time of your presentation. In other words; do not treat the presentation as a proposal of what you plan to do, but what you have done. Class Requirements and Grading: Resume & Interview 10 % Class discussions 20 % 5 % Online Reflections 15 % Research Presentation 15 % Research Paper 35 % IMPORTANT: Failure to complete any of the required assignments will result in failure of the class.

7 7 Grading Scale = A; = B; = C; = D; 59 and below = F ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings. Please make every effort not to arrive late; late arrival distracts the professor as well as the students. Similarly, anyone who wishes to leave the class early must obtain the professor's permission before class. Any student who fails to return to the classroom after the class recess will be considered absent from the entire class period. In the event that absence from a particular class session is necessitated by legitimate reason(s), the professor should be notified in advance. Only one EXCUSED absence is allowed for the semester. Academic Honesty You are required to adhere to the tenets of the Kennesaw State University Policy on Academic Honesty. This policy can be found at: Accommodations This course will be conducted in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are a student with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and make the appropriate arrangements with Disabled Student Support Services located in Suite 267 of the Carmichael Student Center Addition, Tentative Class Schedule (Subject to change) Important Note: Please note that this syllabus is subject to change contingent on class size, progress, activities, guest speaker s availability, and other unanticipated factors.

8 8 Date in-class/online Topic Due 11-Jan in class Introduction to the course Career Services Course Introduction and Overview. Review of Syllabus. Intended Learning Objectives. Academic Challenges and Expectations. Synthesis of Criminal Justice curriculum. Student self-assessments, critiques, and career plans. Assignment of research Guest projects. Speakers: KSU Career Center January 29: KSU Career Center How to write a personal statement Documentary: Careers in Criminal Justice ( ewvideo.aspx?xtid=29135&loid=24867&psid=0&sid =0&State=&title=Careers%20in%20Criminal%20Just ice&issearch=y&parentseriesid=) 18-Jan in class Overview of the CJ System Review the CJ System & Crime Theories for Class discussion Theoretical Perspectives Robinson, Chapters 1 & 2 25-Jan online Pollack Chapters 1&2 Critique & online discussion Interview with Career Center scheduled 1-Feb in class The Police Review Law Enforcement for Class discussion Guest Speaker: Dr. Fenton Robinson, Chapter 6 List of topics for Senior Project 8-Feb online Pollack Chapters 3&4 Critique & online discussion 15-Feb in class Criminal Law Review Criminal Law for Class discussion Guest Speaker: Dr. White Robinson, Chapter 3 & 4 22-Feb online Pollack Chapters 5&6 Critique & online discussion 1-Mar in class The American Court System Review the Courts for Class discussion 8-Mar NO CLASS Robinson, Chapter 7 Documentary: And Justice For All? ( Guest Speaker: TBD SPRINGBREAK Senior Project outline and 5 references 15-Mar in class Corrections Review Corrections for Class discussion Guest Speaker: TBD Robinson, Chaptre 8 & 9 22-Mar online Pollack Chapters 7&8 Critique & online discussion 29-Mar in class Race and Gender issues (Michelle Alexander lecture) Robinson, Chapter 12 Special Issue in CJ: Death Penalty Review the Death Penalty for Class discussion Robinson, Chapter 10 5-Apr online Pollack Chapters 9&10 Critique & online discussion Interview with Career Center completed 12-Apr in class Juvenile Justice Review JJ for Class discussion 19-Apr in class 26-Apr in class 2-May 5 p.m. Special Issue in CJ: The War On Drugs Reading TBD Review the War on Drugs for Class discussion Robinson, Chapter 11 Summary and Conclusions Robinson, Chapter 13 Guest Speaker: TBD Class presentations Class presentations Senior Project