HODGES UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE Please Print COURSE SYLLABUS Course Title: Introduction to Criminal Justice Course Number: CCJ 1400 Term & Dates: Instructor: Marian Mosser, PhD. Phone: Email: Office Hours: Hours Credit: 4 Credit Hours Required Texts: Text 1: Siegel, L. & Senna, J. (2008). Introduction to Criminal Justice. 11 th Edition. ISBN: 0 495 095419. Other Course Materials: As introduced in class. Instructor Autobiography Hello, Welcome to Hodges University Introduction to Criminal Justice Course CCJ 1400. I am Marian Mosser your instructor and I look forward to an exciting learning experience and to sharing with each of you. A little about me, I live in Florida and I have an extensive background in the criminal justice area and emergency management. I have two master s degrees, one in Military History and the other in Criminal Justice. I teach full time Criminal Justice studies courses at Hodges University, Naples, FL. I have a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences from Walden University. My dissertation
topic was titled Law Enforcement Preparedness Against Terrorism in the State of Florida (2007), which we will discuss in this course. I am actively involved in developing emergency management, criminal justice and terrorism courses and teaching is my passion. I enjoy hiking, tennis, golfing, and reading a good book. I lived in Germany for about eight years and understand enough German to order a beer and find the bathroom. I also enjoy traveling and meeting interesting people, as I just returned in July from visiting Israel, and will share some of what I saw and learned. Lastly, I enjoy a good meal with a light hearted conversation and a stroll on the beach. I live one mile from the beach and the sunsets are spectacular. I am looking forward to this class and learning from everyone. So let s get started. COURSE DESCRIPTION The course represents an introductory level of study in the areas of criminal justice. The course will provide an overview of police, courts, and corrections, both from the historic and contemporary perspective. The study will include local, state, and federal systems, legal basis, and jurisdiction. This course is a prerequisite to all upper level CCJ courses. COURSE OBJECTIVES The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a general introduction of the criminal justice system. The student will be introduced to the foundations of crime and justice, followed by the police, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice in succession. The material is presented from a legal, criminological, historical and social systems perspective. The course elaborates on each of these primary sectors of the criminal justice system and also provides a brief background in the behavioral aspects of crime and criminology. Demonstrate an understanding of the Criminal Justice System in America Describe the nature of crime and the law Illustrate an understanding of the extent and measurement of crime Demonstrate an understanding of the history and structure of police systems Demonstrate an understanding of procedural law and how it is applied Describe the American court structure and the courtroom work group Illustrate an understanding of due process and the stages of the court process Describe the history of punishment and corrections Illustrate an understanding of the juvenile justice system. Instructional Methods The class is grounded in broad based objective inquiry of discussed differences. Students are expected to engage with the class in the various discussions, to properly present ones point of view, outside material and resources should be employed, for all in class discussions.
Course Requirements Attendance Students are expected to be in class at the posted class starting times. If you are more than 30 minutes late for class you will be marked tardy and will not receive full credit for participating. Missed classes will count against your participation grade, as it is impossible to participate if you are not present. Participation Learners are expected to actively participate in and contribute to their own learning experience. Participation means providing substantive comments, questions, and contributions that advance the learning process for that learner as well as the other learners in the course. 10% of your grade will be class participation. Examinations: Two exams will be given through out the course. Each exam is valued at 100 points. Exams may consist of true/false, fill in the blank, multiple choice, and short answers items. (Note: the final exam may be an essay). All make up exams will be essay and/or or short answer. Makeup exams are discouraged. Students will be penalized five points per day until the makeup exam is taken. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor for any makeup work. During this course you will also be asked to complete written or other homework projects that will count one letter grade. Grading Criteria Based on presentations by the instructor and guest lecturers, assigned readings, participation in classroom discussion, and case studies, the student will demonstrate a working knowledge and understanding of the objectives by scoring an average of 70% on written examinations and classroom assignments, and demonstrating the ability to discuss and apply theoretical concepts in a practical manner. The following tables provide an overview of the assignments, their weighting, and due dates. Please note that participation (as discussed earlier) is part of your final grade. Final course grades are based on participation and completion of the assignments listed below. The grade of a learner for each course is based solely on the achievement of the learner as defined and determined by the individual faculty member. The following grades area awarded for undergraduate courses: A, B, C, D, F, I, W, and AW. Hodges University does not use plus or minus grades. Grades reflect the following standards:
A Work at this level is exemplary. An "A" learner is clearly superior in performance compared to typical graduate learners. B In the graduate program, a "B" learner meets expectations. C At the graduate level, this work is typically not expected and is not satisfactory. D Work that is not acceptable as graduate level work. F Work that is unsatisfactory. An "F" learner, on balance, does not meet minimum course requirements. The grading scale used in this course is illustrated in the table below Grade Weight A 90 100 B 80 89 C 70 79 D 60 69 F < 59.9 Exam Schedule: Midterm exam Week 8 Final exam Week 15 Evaluation: The method of evaluation will include written examinations (each exam one third of the overall grade), written case problems, classroom discussion (10%) of the study questions and homework assignments. The first day of class all requirements will be fully explained. Students must read and be prepared to discuss all assigned material. Remarks: All material covered by class lecture, guest speakers, videos, projects are subject to be on any test given. Extra credit may be available at the discretion of the instructor. 1. The professor reserves the right to change the syllabus at any time. 2. Absence or tardiness is equivalent to inability to participate fully in classroom discussion. 3. Appropriate dress is mandatory. 4. Eating, drinking, smoking, and gum chewing are not permitted during class discussion. 5. Leaving the classroom during the class period should be avoided.
6. Failing to return an assignment, missing a quiz, or a test is equivalent to a zero on a test. 7. after the deadline will be penalized 5 points per day. 8. It is not permitted to leave the classroom during a quiz or exam. 9. No hats will be worn in class. 10. No recording devices are allowed in class unless approved by the instructor 11. Except for on duty personnel all cell phones and pagers must be turned off or placed on the silent mode Class Outline (Fall 2007) Week 1 9/10 9/16/07 Week 2 9/17 9/23/07 Week 3 9/24 9/30/07 Week 4 10/1 10/7/07 Topic: Crime and Criminal Justice Chapter 1:. Introduce Criminal Justice What is crime? Who are crime rates in your area? Topic: Nature and Extent of Crime Chapter 2: Topic: Understanding Crime and Victimization Chapter 3: Topic: Criminal Law: Substance and Procedure Police in Society: History and Organization
Week 5 10/8 10/14/07 Week 6 10/15 10/21/07 Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Topic: The Police: Organization, Role, Function Chapter 6: Topic: Issues in Policing, Police and the Rule of Law Chapter 7: and Ch 8. Week 7 Topic: 10/22 10/28/07 The Courts and the Judiciary, The Prosecution and the Defense Chapter 9: Chapter 10. Exam # 1 Week 8 10/29 11/4/07 Topic: Terrorism
Week 9 11/5 11/11/07 Week 10 11/12 11/18/07 Week 11 11/19 11/25/07 Week 12 11/26 12/2/07 Week 13 12/3 12/9/07 Topic: Pretrial Procedures The Criminal Trial Chapter 11: Chapter 12: Topic: Punishment and Sentencing Chapter 13: Topic: Community Sentences Chapter 14: pp. Topic: Corrections: History: Institutions & Prisons Prison Life: Living in and Leaving Prison Chapter 15: Chapter 16: Online Research assignment Topic: Juvenile Justice System
Week 14 12/10 12/16/07 Week 15 12/17 12/22/07 Chapter 17: Topic: Careers in Criminal Justice Review for Final Exam Topic: Final Exam and Conclusion Articles as assigned in weekly syllabus Final Exam Resources: The mission of the Informational resource Center is to support the university in providing the best educational programs possible, to provide assistance to faculty and students in accessing information both at the University and at other remote sites, to provide opportunities for the student to learn from any different formats of information, and to provide life skills in access to information and resources. The Information Resource Center at the Naples and Fort Myers campuses are part of the university wide network, which provides access to the various databases, CD ROM and online resources. The online catalog provides access to the print and audio visual collection for the networked libraries. Document delivery is provided daily by print, fax, or e mail. Inter library loan services are available by request for books or full text articles. Through the IRC s reciprocal borrowing agreement, students can borrow items from other libraries. The IRC subscribes to various online databases to assist students in their area of study. Westlaw, Loislaw and Lexis Nexis are legal databases. Students may do research from remote sites from the IRC s web page using assigned ID codes to search databases such as Electric Library; Searchbank Infotrac; Academic, and Health Indexes; and Proquest Direct. Medline accesses medical information and dialog offers approximately 600 databases with a wide range of topics. Data Bases available just for graduate students
include; Commerce Clearing House, STAT USA, and Standard & Poors. Also available for research needs are the Internet and various web pages on specific subjects maintained by the IRC. The CD ROM titles provide the access to hundreds of journals and newspapers through EBSCO. Encyclopedia and other CD ROM titles as well as LUIS and First Search are all available to the students to assist in their research needs. The Hodges University Information Resource Center (IRC) has compiled a selected list of on line resources intended to help you find relevant information and complete your under graduate research. Start at the university website or go directly to: http;//www.internationalcollege.edu search using your personal LIRN identification number that was assigned to you by the librarian accessing there are, of course, numerous on line resources available. As you discover other interesting sites, please do two things: (1) bookmark it for your own future reference, and (2) share it with the rest of the class. Students will be given a complete IRC packet at orientation. As a result of the emphasis on electronic delivery of information, high priority is placed by the IRC on students in the new technologies. All students receive training and orientation through classes, handouts, minicomputer sessions or personal training requested from the professional librarian or library staff. It is each student s responsibility to acquire the competency to access the various databases provided through the IRC. Please make an appointment with one of the librarians to gain access to this wealth of research material. Additional Assistance Personal Counseling and Career Advisement Counseling services are available to address student needs on career, academic, social, or personal matters. The Director of Counseling is available to students and can be contacted via email (merickson@internationalcollege.edu) or telephone [Naples campus: 800 466 8017; Fort Myers campus: 800 466 0019]. Contact with a Career Development Coordinator can be arranged by contacting either the Naples or Fort Myers campus or via the Career Development page on the Hodges University web site. Academic Achievement Services (AAS) Students who experience difficulties with course material are encouraged to discuss the matter with the professor. At times, students or professors may feel it is necessary to augment class work with out of class assistance. AAS provides one on one tutoring, virtual tutoring, resource material, and from time to time, scheduled workshops to support students academic success. Students may contact Academic Achievement Services via (a.) visiting the Tutoring Lab at the Naples or Fort Myers campus; (b.) email [aas@internationalcollege.edu]; (c.) telephone [800 466 8017; 800 466 0019]. Americans with Disabilities Act It is the responsibility of the student with special access needs to inform the University of these special needs and to provide the requisite
supporting documentation. The ADA Coordinator for the University is the Director of Counseling who is responsible for the coordination of compliance efforts, in particular, between the student and professors. The End