Syllabus

Prerequisite: CRJU 3100. Open to seniors only.

Catalogue Description: One of two capstone courses, either of which satisfies the capstone requirement, this course is an intensive study of selected criminal justice topics. Students will conduct research and present their results orally and in a paper conforming to departmental guidelines for written work.

Purpose of Course: The purpose of CRJU 4910 is to provide a framework for criminal justice majors to emphasize the importance of public service leadership while pulling together in an intellectually meaningful and satisfying way the mass of criminal justice knowledge gained in the program. Rather than imparting new knowledge, the course will stimulate holistic thought about the area: students will see interconnections and patterns not theretofore discerned and gain greater insight into the structure, functions, and processes of criminal justice and how these fit into American society. In essence, the course returns to the synoptic approach of the required introductory survey course, CRJU 1010, but does so at a substantially higher intellectual level.

Minimum Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The successful student in this capstone course will understand and be able to explain the public service leadership ideal and the value of a synoptic view of criminal justice and of its place in society, as opposed to seeing criminal justice as simply comprising the somehow interconnected but essentially discrete areas of law enforcement, courts and corrections.

Minimum Opportunities for Students to Demonstrate Learning: Each student in this course will provide a minimum of twenty hours of community service in a community service organization approved by the instructor for this purpose (10% of final grade). Participation by each student will be certified by the executive director of the respective organization, on a form supplied by the instructor. Each student will write and submit a ten-page paper on the importance to community and society of leadership in such organizations, expressly applying knowledge and experience gained in this particular community service effort (20% of final grade). These papers will be due in the instructor's office by 5:00 p.m. on the date designated by the University as Midterm.
In the classroom, each student will lead discussion of one or more chapters of the text, preparing a written comprehensive outline for prior distribution to the class and formulating written discussion questions. Performance on this will constitute 10% of the final course grade. Each student will also prepare a 40-page-minimum (excluding charts, graphs and bibliography) scholarly research paper on a topic previously approved by the instructor. The paper will in essence be the student's Senior Thesis, and will be evaluated according to breadth, depth and accuracy of content, range and appropriate citation of sources consulted, conformance with A.P.A. style of writing, freedom from grammatical, syntactical and spelling errors, and both level and clarity of expression. Though assistance at the Writing Center is encouraged for those with marginal writing skills, all work must be the student's own -- plagiarism, including purchase or use of a paper written by another but submitted as one's own original work, are grounds for severe disciplinary action under the Honor Code. In addition to researching and writing his or her paper, each student will orally present his or her research findings in a 12-minute-minimum, 15-minute-maximum videotaped formal presentation to the class. (If more than 10 students are enrolled, however, the presentations will be tailored to fit a 10-12 minute window.) The paper itself will constitute 50% of the final course grade and will be due on the date announced in class; the videotaped oral presentation will constitute 10% of the grade and be conducted in reverse alphabetical order as student names appear on the official roll, as announced in class and/or posted on the instructor's office door . ALL research papers will be due on the first day of the presentations. There will be no extra credit opportunities and no excuses accepted for anything less than strict compliance with the foregoing course requirements.

Text: Kappeler, Blumberg & Potter, The Mythology of Crime and Criminal Justice (3rd ed., 2000)