Armstrong Atlantic State University
CRJU 3300 Criminology
Fall 2007
TR 11:30 - 12:45
Adam Bossler, PhD

Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of theoretical criminology from its inception to present-day. Additionally, we will cover crime statistics and discuss crime typologies and patterns.

Objectives of the Course:
1) Students will learn criminological theory through lectures, reading, participating in class, and writing.
2) Students will be able to apply what they are learning in the classroom to their everyday lives, whether it is regarding experiences on the job or current affairs.
3) The knowledge gained from this class will serve as a major cornerstone for all future criminal justice courses.

Texts: 1) Curran, Daniel J., & Renzetti, Claire M. (2001). Theories of crime. 2nd ed.
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
2) Cromwell, Paul. (Ed.) (2006). In their own words: Criminals on crime. 4th ed.
Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing.

Course Requirements and Grading:
In this course, students will take four tests, write one paper, and participate in class. The final exam given on December 6th will be the fourth test and will not be cumulative. The tests' format will be multiple choice, true-false, listing, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer. The paper, which is due December 4th at the beginning of class, is described later in the syllabus.
Each test is worth 20% of your grade, equaling 80% of your final grade. The semester-long paper is the final 20%.
The following grading scale will be used: A = 100-90; B = 89.99- 80; C = 79.99 - 70; D = 69.99 -60; F = 59.99 and below.
Students who plagiarize, cheat, harass, or create a hostile environment for learning will be given an F in the course (no exceptions) and reported to the Honor Court. See Appendix 1 of the undergraduate catalog for an explanation of these offenses and the procedure that will be followed.

Assignment Calendar:

R Aug 16: Assignment: None
Class: Introductions and syllabus

T Aug 21: Assignment: Examine Uniform Crime Reports
(www.fbi.gov/ucr/06prelim/index.html) and Bureau of Justice
Statistics (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/)
Class: Crime trends

R Aug 23: Assignment: Read CR p. 1-4 and Chapter 2: Researching Crack Dealers:
Dilemmas and Contradictions
Class: What is a theory?

T Aug 28: Assignment: Read CR p. 4-15.
Class: Start discussing paradigms. Classical School. Deterrence theory

R Aug 30: Assignment: Chapter 4: The Socially Bounded Decision Making of
Persistent Property Offenders.
Class: Finish deterrence theory and Stafford and Warr's modification.

T Sept. 4th: Assignment: Read CR p. 15-17, 27-35.
Class: Positive School lecture and Lombroso

R Sept 6th: No class!!

T Sept.11th: Assignment: Read CR p. 110 and additional reading provided at later
date.
Class: Routine Activities Theory.

R Sept. 13th: Test 1

T Sept. 18th: Assignment: Read CR p. 991-105
Class: Discuss Chicago school and social disorganization theory

R Sept. 20th: Assignment: Chapter 5: The Reasoning Burglar: Motives and Decision-
Making Strategies.
Class: Systemic social disorganization theory.

T Sept. 25th: Dr. Tom Holt, UNC - Charlotte, will be giving a guest lecture on
cybercrime. (Attendance mandatory)

R Sept. 27th: Assignment: Read CR p. 110-113 and Chapter 7: Stick-up, Street Culture,
and Offender Motivation.
Class: Discuss Durkheim

T Oct. 2nd: Assignment: Read CR p. 114-119.
Class: Discuss Merton and Cohen.

R Oct. 4th: Assignment: Read Chapter 23: Homeboys, Dope Fiends, Legits, and New
Jacks and Chapter 25: Gender and Victimization Risk Among
Young Women in Gangs
Class: Finish up material and discuss chapters listed above.

T Oct. 9th: Test 2

R Oct. 11th: Assignment: Read article provided at later date.
Class: Institutional Anomie Theory.

T Oct. 16th: Assignment: Read CR p. 130-132.
Class: Agnew's general strain theory.

R Oct. 18th: Assignment: Chapter 8: Streetlife and the Rewards of Auto Theft and
Chapter 9: Deciding to Commit a Burglary
Class: Discuss articles above.

T Oct. 23rd: Assignment: Read CR p. 135-142.
Class: Differential Association

R Oct. 25th: Assignment: Read CR p. 143-145.
Class: Social Learning.

T Oct. 30th: Assignment: Read Chapter 12: Dubs and Dees, Beats and Rims:
Carjackers and Urban Violence and Chapter 14: Convicted
Rapists' Vocabulary of Motive: Excuses and Justifications
Class: Discuss above material.

R Nov. 1st: Test 3

T No. 6th: Assignment: Read CR p. 147-156.
Class: Intro to control theories and social bond theory.

R Nov. 8th: Assignment: Read CR p. 160-165.
Class: Self-control theory

T Nov. 13th: Assignment: Read Chapter 15: Creating the Illusion of Impending Death:
Armed Robbers in Action and Chapter 19: Fencing: Avenues for
the Redistribution of Stolen Property.
Class: Discuss articles above.

R Nov. 14th: NO CLASS!! (American Society of Criminology meetings)

T Nov. 20th: Assignment: Read article provided at later date, Chapter 21: Dealing
Careers; and Chapter 30: Getting Out of the Life: Crime
Desistance by Female Street Offenders.
Class: Life-course theories and above articles.

R Nov. 22nd: NO CLASS! (Thanksgiving)

T Nov. 27th: Assignment: Read CR p.158-160 and article provided at later date.
Class: Tittle's control balance theory.

R Nov. 29th: Assignment: Read CR p. 172-179.
Class: Labeling theory.

T Dec. 4th: Assignment: PAPERS ARE DUE!!! Read article provided at later date.
Class: Reintegrative shaming

R Dec. 6th: Test 4

Subject-to-Change Clause:
This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor to accommodate instructional and/or student needs. Changes in the syllabus will be noted during class sessions.

CRJU 3300 Paper
Due: Dec. 4th

Students will write a 7-8 page paper, using at least 5 scholarly sources, describing the nature of a certain type of crime (e.g., armed robbery, auto theft, rape, computer crime, etc). In this paper, students will:
1) Start with a solid introduction that introduces the paper;
2) Describe the extent of the problem using newer statistics from the Uniform Crime Report (www.fbi.gov), Bureau of Justice Statistics (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/), and other relevant sources. Better papers will present the extent of the problem nationally and locally.
3) Discuss how the crime is actually committed, using scholarly sources.
4) Apply two criminological theories discussed in class to this crime. Ideally, students will find scholarly sources that have already applied traditional criminological theories to the problem and have assessed whether the theory adequately explains this type of crime.
5) End the paper with a conclusion that summarizes the paper.
6) Include a reference page of the sources used in the paper using APA style.

These papers should be written to the following specifications:
1) Must have 5 scholarly sources at a minimum, not including websites;
2) APA style for internal citations and reference page (see www.apastyle.org or the Writing Center on campus for help);
3) 7-8 pages with 1 inch margins;
4) Times New Roman with 12 point font;
5) Title page;
6) Must include page numbers;
7) Students must include headers throughout the paper included within the text (i.e. Introduction, Extent of Armed Robbery in US and Georgia, How is Armed Robbery Committed?; Assessing the Applicability of Social Bond Theory and Self-Control Theory in Explaining Armed Robbery; Conclusion).