Course Syllabus
for CRIJ 1307 Section 090
Crime in America
2010 Spring Standard Semester
Note to Students: This may not be the most recent syllabus for this course, and any dates shown may apply to a previous semester. Any assignments included in this syllabus may change in the syllabus distributed on the class start date. Textbook information in this syllabus may also change. For current textbook information, refer to the Course Details accessed by clicking the course title in the online Course Schedule.
CRIME IN AMERICA (CRIJ 1307.090)
PALO ALTO COLLEGE
SPRING 2010
INTERNET COURSE
INSTRUCTOR:
STEVE MARDOCK
Phone: 210-486-3067
E-mail: smardock@alamo.edu
Fax: 210-486-3067
Mailing Address: Department of Behavioral Sciences, 1400 W. Villaret, San Antonio, Texas 78224
Office Hours: call or email for appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a study of American crime problems in historical perspective. Included are social and public policy factors affecting crime, impact and crime trends, a multidisciplinary survey of major criminological theories and the prevention of crime. Prerequisite: None
TEXT: CRIMINOLOGY: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies, 10th ed., 2010, Siegel, Larry
In addition to the text, you will need to read the lecture notes and material in assigned web sites or other reading.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
ATTENDANCE:
Since activities are presented online and discussions are asynchronous, students may attend class at their leisure that may be in your home, school, workplace, etc. However, even though there are no formal class sessions you should participate in discussions by way of the Discussion board. See Discussion Board below.
COURSE ORGANIZATION:
This course is arranged in a series of weekly assignments. Each weekly assignment will begin with instructions designating the required reading, web sites to access, quizzes and exams to be taken for that week, etc. Click on Course Content and Assignments. You will notice that there is a table of contents with assignments arranged by week along with the quizzes and exams. Each week we will begin a new chapter. Assignment Week One begins with chapter one on January 18. Assignment Week 2 begins on January 25 and so on. DO NOT begin "working" the assignments before the scheduled date unless I notify you otherwise because I will be updating these assignments during the week before. However, you may, for purposes of orienting yourself, view these files at will. After you enter a particular Assignment, you will find the initial instructions coded in red. Following these instructions are the Lecture Notes. These notes are the instructors lecture for that particular week. They may include information that is not found in your text but you will be responsible for the information contained in them on subsequent tests. Also, the lecture notes are designed to help you to understand the material from the instructor's perspective. Between reading the material in the book and the lecture notes, you should have enough information to assist you in your understanding. Chapters 5-10 are the criminological theories that can be difficult to understand and there is quite a lot of information to absorb. The lecture notes are designed to help you to concentrate on particular theories and should help you to understand them.
Clicking on underlined words or phrases in the lecture notes will access the Glossary. The glossary is designed to provide you with a definition or additional information to help you understand the concept. You will also be instructed on occasion to access a particular web site. By clicking on “Web Links” on the Navigation Links at top of the assignment page, you will open up a list of web site addresses and just click on the one that you have been instructed to read. Some of the weekly assignments will instruct you to take a Quiz or an Exam that you will access by clicking on Assessments in the Navigation Links at the top of the page or under Course Tools. For more information on quizzes and exams see below.
COMMUNICATION:
Discussion Board: The Discussion Board link can be found under Course Tools on the left hand side of the course. The Discussion board has three purposes. First, you must post a message on the Discussion board at least once during each week letting me know how you are doing. This takes the place of actual class attendance. Secondly, it is a place in which I will periodically post messages. These messages may advise of changes in the course or dates or other very important information. Therefore, it is imperative that you access this regularly. Historically, students who fail to maintain such communication do poorly in the course. Finally, The Discussion board will be used for purposes of discussion. Any student or myself may initiate a discussion. It may be about something you have read about in the text or about a current criminal justice related event. I expect that all interested students will take this opportunity to discuss the issues. This is an excellent way for you to learn new ideas. A word of caution: Please respect other student's opinion. You may disagree and that is okay but do so in a courteous, respectful and objective manner.
E-Mail: This is the best way to contact me. I check my e-mail regularly and I will get back with as soon as possible. In most cases, you will receive a response within the same day the message is received. You should use the email at the top of the page until the course starts. Once the course begins you should email me using “Mail” under Course Tools on the left hand side of the course page. If you receive an e-mail from me, please respond to it as soon as possible. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS REGULARLY.
Phone: This is not a good method to contact me because I am not in my office most of the time. It does have voice mail in which you may leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can but it probably won't be as fast as email.
Unscheduled Absence of Instructor: In the event that I will not be available for at least a couple of days, I will post a message on the discussion board letting you know of my absence and when I will be back.
EVALUATION:
Your performance in this course will be evaluated through examinations and quizzes as follows:
EXAMS:
There will be four exams, all multiple choice and all online. The point value for each exam is noted below. The first three exams will be given upon the completion of each section as outlined below. The final exam covers chapters 10-14. Unlike the first three exams, the final will be available for two hours. This will allow you time to utilize our text to answer the questions. You should use the few days before the final to read these chapters after you complete exam 3. Questions for all of the exams will be multiple choice. Questions will be taken from the material found in your text, lecture notes, homework, web sites and any other material as noted throughout the course.
Exams will be taken at the end of each designated segment as noted below. For example, Assignment Week Five will have instructions to take Exam 1 by clicking Assessments found in the Navigation Links on the top of the page. You can also access the exams through the Course Content and Assignments and in Assessments found under Course Tools on the left hand side of the page. Exam values are also noted below. You will have a specified period of time to take the exam which will usually be an hour. This means that you will not have enough time to search your text and the notes for answers to each question. Therefore, you should study for these exams as if you were taking an exam in a traditional classroom setting. The exams will be available only during that week of the assignment which begins on Monday at 8am and ends the following Monday at 8am. It is recommended that you not wait until the last minute to take this exam. At the same time, make sure that you are well prepared before you take it.
Once you have taken the test and clicked on Finish, you can find out how you did by clicking on View Attempt. You should try taking the Practice quiz to learn about how quizzes work. The Practice or Sample Quiz DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS YOUR GRADE. It will be available for about a week beginning January 11.
After you have taken your first test you will be able to keep track of your grades by clicking on My Grades.
Review for exams: In order to help you to prepare for an exam, you may click on “File” found in the navigation links at the top of each page and then click on goals and study the material indicated.
Make-up exams: You should contact me in advance if you are unable to take the exam within the scheduled time. Since you have a seven-day window in which the exam can be taken, this should not happen except in extreme cases. If you have a legitimate excuse then I may allow you to take a make-up at a designated time. This will be decided on a case by case basis. Also, if you have a computer disruption of some kind while taking the test, you may get locked out and you may not be able to finish it. In such a case, I can access the exam and re-set it to allow you to do it over again. However, it must be apparent to me by looking at the exam itself and the time spent on the exam, etc., that the failure to finish was out of your control. If either of these occur, you must contact me IMMEDIATELY by email letting me know what the problem is. Failure to contact me within three days after a test is no longer available may forfeit your chance for a make-up.
RESEARCH PAPER:
You will be required to write a research paper on a topic from Chapters 10-14. The paper should be no less than five word-processed pages doubled-spaced, with one-inch margins and size 12 font. You must have at least three references in your reference list and you must cite your references using the APA style. Failure to cite your references using APA will result in a significant deduction from your grade.
If you need help in writing a research paper go to Writing a Research Paper. Here are three more sites that may be helpful: APA Style Essentials , Citing Web Pages in APA Style and, http://www.citationmachine.net.
This is a research paper meaning that you have read relevant material primarily from journals, books and appropriate websites. Be careful in choosing the website for your research as many are not providing objective information. Topics can be found by clicking on the Research Paper Topics icon on the homepage. If you choose a topic from this list you don’t need to notify me. If you want to write on another topic you must get my permission first. You should contact me by email with your paper proposal in that case. You also cannot plagiarize but if you do, you will receive an F grade for the paper.
Since this is a research paper, and not a position paper, do not include your opinions and do not use personal pronouns such as "I", "we" and "you".
The completed paper must be emailed to me in an within the course email no later than April 30, 2010. NOTE: You must use either Microsoft word or Word Perfect word processing software. (Microsoft Works does not work). Otherwise, you must mail your paper or bring it by my office address.
QUIZZES:
There will be 4 quizzes worth 5 points each and will be extra credit. You can access the quizzes by clicking Assessments found in the Navigation Links on the top of the page. You can also access the quizzes through the Course Content and Assignments and in Assessments found on under Course Tools on the left hand side of the page. You will have a specified period of time to take the quiz which will usually be 20 minutes. This amount of time, unlike the exams, will allow you the opportunity to access your text and notes for answers. Like the exams, the quizzes will be available only during the week of that assignment. It is highly recommended that you take the quiz before you take the exam.
My progress:
My grades icon on the homepage is one way to monitor your progress as mentioned under Exams above. Another way is to click on My Progress on the homepage and you will be able to see what assignments you have accessed and how many minutes you are spending on each assignment or page, etc.
EXAM CHAPTERS POINTS
Exam 1: Chapters 1-3………… 40
Exam 2: Chapters 6-7 ………… 25
Exam 3: Chapters 4,5,8,9 ……. 25
Final Exam: Chapters 10-14 .…. 40
Total Exams ......................……. 130
RESEARCH PAPER …………. 50
Total for course ...…….....…… 180
GRADES:
162-180 = A
144-161 = B
126-143 = C
108-125 = D
< 108 = F
Per section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, if a student needs an accommodation, contact Disability Support Services at 921-5287.
The Alamo Community College District, including its affiliated colleges, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability with respect to access, employment programs, or services. Inquiries or complaints concerning these matters should be brought to the attention of:
Director of Human Resources
Title IX Coordinator
210-208-8051
Human Resources Department
201 W. Sheridan, Building AA
San Antonio, TX 78204
For special accommodations or an alternate format, contact the Palo Alto Disability Support Services at 210-921-5287.