Criminology--Syllabus

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY

Five Week Summer Session

May 18 through June 18   2004

9:00 – 11:10 am

Lawrence Campus      Room L145

SYLLABUS

Instructor: Mary E. Wilson, Esq.

Office Location: Lawrence Campus – Dimitry Building   L216C

Office Hours: By appointment – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:10am–12:00 pm

Email: mwilson@necc.mass.edu

Telephone: (978) 388-0847

Website: http://faculty.necc.mass.mass.edu/mwilson

Catalog Description of Course: This course is a survey of the patterns and trends in adult criminal behavior and juvenile delinquency analyzed in terms of various theories of such behavior. Students will also examine types of crime and the administration of criminal justice.

Text: Crime and Criminology, Sue Titus Reid, Tenth Edition, McGraw Hill, 2003.

Course Objectives: It is anticipated that the student will achieve the following general objectives as a result of satisfactorily completing this course. The student should be able to:

1.      Discuss the concept of crime.

2.      Describe the science of criminology.

3.      Identify the basic research methods and data resources used by criminologists.

4.      Identify a variety of crime trends and describe their relationship to such variables as culture, gender, age, ethnicity and social class.

5.      Identify the basic psychological, biological and sociological explanations for criminal behavior and apply them to a series of fact patterns.

6.      Describe the nature, extent and costs of various kinds of crime.

7.      Identify strategies for preventing and controlling crime used by various components of the criminal justice system.

8.      Exercise critical thinking skills essential to the development of informed positions with respect to controversial criminal justice issues.

Instructional Methodology: A variety of instructional methods will be used including but not limited to in-class exercises, discussion, oral reports, guest speakers, audiovisual presentations, case studies, test and written assignments. Supplemental materials will be distributed in class and via the professor’s web site.

Note: Any student in the class who requires assistance because of a disability or who is Hard of Hearing should contact the college’s Learning Accommodations Center located on the Haverhill Campus (temporarily housed in Section C of the Library – (978) 556-3654, (978) 556-3673 TTY).

Course Requirements: Each student is expected to complete assignments potentially worth a maximum total of 100 points. In recognition of the fact that students have varied interests and learning styles, with the exception of attendance and an examination (which is mandatory and worth a maximum of 50 points), students may choose to satisfy the remaining 50 points worth of course requirements from a variety of elective assignments provided.

            Attendance and Participation: Regular attendance and active participation are highly recommended to insure successful completion of this course. Absent excuse, students should plan to attend each class, arrive promptly and remain for the full class period. It should be noted that based on college policy, excessive absences may result in a student being dropped from the course for nonparticipation. It is expected that students will ask and respond to questions, engage in focused discussions, and complete exercises on a wide range of topics. Students are also urged, but certainly not required to meet with the professor individually or in small groups to explore questions, discuss issues of special interest, and/or offer feedback with respect to the course. For example, it is highly recommended that students complete the “quizzes” posted on the professor’s website and raise any related questions with the professor prior to the examination.



            Examination                                                     Mandatory                         50 points

The examination will take place during the last class (Friday, June 18^th) from 9:00-11:10am. It will be entirely objective in nature and will consist of 100 questions selected from among the quiz questions posted on the professor’s website. The questions are organized by chapter topic and ideally should be completed as the student progresses through the course. (To access quizzes, go to the professor’s website home page, click on Introduction to Criminology, then Study Materials followed by the specific quiz you are seeking. You can then download the quiz and print it out.)

            Paper on a Related Text                                Elective                                50 points

                     Due on June 8th

The student will read and prepare a typed paper of approximately five (5) pages in length which addresses questions provided by the professor on one of the following related texts:

                        Fist, Stick, knife and Gun, Geoffrey Canada, Beacon Press (1995)

                                    (paperback)

                        Gone Boy:A Walkabout, Gregory Gibson, Anchor Books Division of

                                    Random House Inc, New York, 2000 (paperback).

                        Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Sanyika Shakur,

                                    aka Monster Kody Scott, Penguin Books, 1993

            Paper on a Related Feature Film                 Elective                                 30 points

                     Due on June 8th

The student will view and prepare a typed paper of approximately five (5) pages in length which addresses questions provided by the professor on a related feature film, “Hurricane,” the story of Rubin Carter.

            Paper on a Related Controversial Topic     Elective                                50 points

                        Due on June 1^st

The student will research a controversial topic related to criminology, the criminal law and/or the criminal justice system. The student will then prepare a paper on the topic describing various views on the issue and adopting and supporting a personal position. It is expected that the paper will be from 5-10 pages in length. Possible topics include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

            Should all convicted felons be required to furnish blood samples for DNA

            printing and storage in a statewide (and potentially national) database?

           Should the state be allowed to indefinitely restrain the freedom of sexually

           dangerous persons who pose a potential threat to the public but against

            whom there are no pending charges?

            Should pre or postnatal substance abuse by a mother be criminalized?

           Should there be a parental responsibility law under which parents are held

          vicariously liable for the criminal/delinquent acts of their children?

Should murder statutes provide for the killing of two “victims/persons”

when a pregnant woman is murdered and both she and her fetus die?

        Internet Research Assignment(s)           Elective 10 points

       Maximum of Three (3)

                          Due dates vary by topic

The student will select a topic, locate a minimum of three sources, and prepare a 1-2 page typewritten narrative report to be presented in class on a specific date. Hard copies of the sources utilized should be attached to the paper. Students need to notify the professor on the second day of class if they wish to pursue this option. Possible topics and dates include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

                        The student will gather information from the Uniform Crime Reports for

                                 2000 and 2001 regarding his or her state and city/town of residence –

                                 May 21^st

                        The Student will gather data from the 2001 National Crime Victimization

                                 Survey and the Uniform Crime Reports on the crime of rape/sexual

                                 Assault – June 3^rd

                        The student will gather information from three credible websites concerning

                                 gangs and programs designed to prevent or eliminate them – May 27^th

                        The student will gather information on the topic of profiling by the police –

                                 June 11^th

                        The student will research websites designed to help people protect

                                 themselves from becoming victims of crime – June 8^th

                        The student will research a type of computer crime (including online child

                                 pornography, credit card theft, etc) – June 8^th

    Case Briefs           Elective 5 points  (10 points each if report to the class)

                                                                               Maximum of Three (3)

                        Due Dates Vary by Topic

The student will read, prepare a written brief (1-2 pages) and potentially report to the class on a case to be assigned by the instructor on one of the following topics: defenses to crime; arrest, search and seizure; interrogations, confessions and Miranda; and trial rights. – Due June 10^th and 11^th

Grading System: Students will earn points commensurate with their level of satisfaction of the course requirements.

Examination                                          50 points

Elective Assignments                         50 points

                                                           100 points

A      (4.0)     93 – 100 points                                      C     (2.0)    73 – 76 points

A-     (3.7)    90 – 92 points                                        C-   (1.7)     70 – 72 points

B+   (3.3)      87 – 89 points                                        D+   (1.3)     67 – 69 points

B      (3.0)     83 – 86 points                                        D     (1.0)      63 – 66 points

B-     (2.7)    80 – 82 points                                        D-    (0)       below 62 points

C+    (2.3)    77 – 79 points

Extra Credit: Students may earn up to an additional 10 points by completing an additional 10 point assignment on a topic and date approved by the professor.

Plagiarism: For purposes of this course, plagiarism is defined as copying material from a book, article or other source (including the Internet) and presenting it in a paper or other work as one’s own without properly identifying the passage and citing its source. This includes any work that is purchased or prepared by anyone other than the student under whose name it is submitted. Offenses will be viewed seriously and will be treated in a manner consistent with applicable college policy.

COURSE OUTLINE

Date	Topic	Related Materials/ Assignments	Related Class Activities
Tues. 5/18	Introduction to the Course and the Concept of Crime	Syllabus Chapter 1	What is a Crime?
Weds. 5/19	Crime, Criminal Law and the Science of Criminology	Chapter 1 Quiz 1	Video: Sex, Drugs and Consenting Adults
Thurs. 5/20	Research Methods and the Measurement of Crime	Chapter 2 Quiz 2	Victim Survey
Fri. 5/21	Early Explanations of Criminal Behavior and their Modern Counterparts	Chapter 3 Quiz 3
Tues. 5/25	Biological and Psychological Theories of Crime Causation	Chapter 4 Quiz 4	Panel of Volunteers
Weds. 5/26	Sociological Theories: Social Structural Approach	Chapter 5
Thurs. 5/27	Sociological Theories: Social Structural Approach	Chapter 5 Quiz 5	Reports on Gangs
Fri. 5/28	Sociological Theories: Social Process	Chapter 6
Tues. 6/1	Sociological Theories: Social Process	Chapter 6 Quiz 6	Papers Due on Controversial Topics
Weds. 6/2	Violent Crime	Chapter 7
Thurs. 6/3	Violent Crime	Chapter 7 Quiz 7	Reports on Sexual Assault
Fri. 6/4	Property Crime	Chapter 8 Quiz 8	Doug Gaudette, Family Safety Program
Tues. 6/8	Business and Government-Related Crimes	Chapter 9 Quiz 9	Reports on Crime Prevention Reports on Computer Crime Papers due on Related Books and Hurricane
Weds. 6/9	Drugs and Organized Crime	Chapter 10 Quiz 10	Detective Hogan, Lynn Gang Unit
Thurs. 6/10	The United States Criminal Justice System	Chapter 11 Quiz 11	Case Briefs
Fri. 6/11	Police	Chapter 12 Quiz 12	Reports on Profiling Case Briefs
Tues. 6/15	The Court System	Chapter 13 Quiz 13	Field Trip to Juvenile Court Tentatively in Newburyport
Weds. 6/16	Confinement of Offenders	Chapter 14 Quiz 14
Thurs. 6/17	Corrections in the Community	Chapter 15 Quiz 15	Patty Gleason, Haverhill District Court – Probation Officer/Drug Program
Fri. 6/18	Examination	15 Quizzes