Class Time: / Tuesdays & Thursdays1:00PM-2:15PM
Office: / Founder’s Hall, Room 217N
Office Hours: / Tuesdays 11:00AM-1:00PM/2:30PM – 4:30PM; Thursdays 11:00AM – 1:00PM
Email: /
Students must email me from their TAMUCT issued email account. I do not reply to emails sent from personal email accounts (ex. ).
Communication: / You may reach me through email or Blackboard.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Methods of Criminal Justice Research. (3-0-WI)
This course is an introduction to themethods of criminological and criminal justice research, with emphasis on researchethics, researchdesign, and methods of data collection and analysis.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
- Students will demonstrate writing skills appropriate to the discipline of Criminal Justice.
- Students will understand, value, and practice ethical behaviors associated with social science research.
- Students will understand basic social science research methodologies as applied to research in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
- Students will demonstrate basic research skills by developing research projects.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Withrow, B.L. (2014). Research Methods in Crime and Justice. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 0415884438; ISBN-13: 9780415884433.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Students may receive handouts and additional reading materials throughout the semester. These materials are distributed during class or posted on Blackboard.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is primarily a lecture-based class, with some web-based components. Students complete one quiz per week on Blackboard. Midterm and final exams are also completed on Blackboard. All other material is delivered in class through lecture, discussion, and hands-on exercises. To fulfill the writing intensive requirement, students submit written assignments throughout the semester. Students are encouraged, and may be required, to seek additional writing assistance from the university tutoring center.
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ATTENDANCE & DEADLINE POLICY
I do not take attendance, so I do not need to know when or why you will miss class.If you miss class, it is your responsibility to keep up with the reading, assignments, and any additional materials provided throughout the semester. I do not provide my lecture notes or PowerPoints.
All assignments and required reading are listed in the course outline. Additional materials are distributed in class or posted on Blackboard. There will be no optional assignments for extra credit and late writing assignments are not accepted.
All exams and quizzes are on Blackboard andaccessiblefrom any location with internet access. Make up quizzes or exams are not available and I do not “reopen” quizzes/exams once the due date has passed. Quizzes and exams are reviewed in class.
REQUIRED COURSE WORK & GRADING CRITERIA
Students enrolled in Research Methods for Criminal Justice are expected to complete the following assignments. I have included links in the syllabus and on Blackboard to help you with your assignments. It your responsibility to review all of the links in the syllabus and on Blackboard to ensure you are completing assignments correctly.
COURSE WORK / POINT VALUE / ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONQuizzes / up to 100 points each / Students are required to complete 10 quizzes over the reading material.
Exams / up to 100 points each / Students will complete a midterm exam over material from the first half of the course and a comprehensive final exam.
Writing Assignments / 0 or 10 points each / Students will complete short written assignments that will assist them in developing their research project.
Research Proposal / up to 100 points / Students will develop a research question and hypothesis, conduct a literature review, and propose a methodology to test the hypothesis. Students must also address ethical issues relevant to their research. Students are encouraged to submit drafts* of their research proposals throughout the semester.
* Drafts must be received no less than 3 weeks before research proposal is due.
POINT SCALE / PERCENT CONVERSION / LETTER GRADE: Significance
360 - 400 / 90% - 100% / A: Outstanding work and mastery of material
320 - 359 / 80% - 89% / B: High quality work
280 - 319 / 70% - 79% / C: Satisfactory work
240 - 279 / 60% - 69% / D: Minimally acceptable performance
<239 / <59% / F: Does not understand basic elements of course
C is average, to earn an overall grade higher than a C a student must consistently produce outstanding or above average work
Students submit assignments via TurnItIn. Any assignments containing information from other sources not cited or cited incorrectly, will receive a 0. Students will NOT have an opportunity to revise and resubmit.
Grading Criteria for Quizzes and Exams
Quizzes and exams are multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, or any combination of these. Exams are completed on Blackboard, during class time. Students may complete the exam from any computer with internet access.Students are encouraged to complete exams on campus in the library or computer lab.
/ demonstrates material was read/viewed / provides informed and accurate response to the question
/ answers the question completely
Paper Requirements
Students are required to submit a research proposal. Proposals must address a research question, present a hypothesis, contain a literature review, and proposed methodology. Students will receive instructions how to complete the research proposal throughout the semester.
/ APA format (6th edition). / Double spaced & 12 point font
/ All material is properly cited
/ 10 pages (no more, no less). Cover page, introduction, and bibliography do not count
/ 20 sources minimum (sources must be peer reviewed and/or legitimate websites)
/ All sources must have been published in the last 16 years 2000-2016
/ Writing appropriate to the level of the course.
Writing is important. If you are unable to communicate your findings in language that is understandable and in a well organized fashion, you may be required to seek tutoring assistance. TAMUCT offers free writing assistance through the writing center. Students also have access to writing tutors through Tutor.com for free. You can access Tutor.com directly from Blackboard.
Writing Links
I included the following links to help you with your writing assignment:
Writing an annotated bibliographyGuide to writing a literature review
Sample APA paper
APA citation information
General academic writing information
COURSE OUTLINE AND CALENDAR
Below is our tentative course outline and calendar. I do not anticipate this order changing. However, I will adjust the outline/calendar if we need to take extra time to cover one section or need less time to cover another.
WEEK / CHAPTER / READING/ASSIGNMENTS1/19 / Introduction to Course; the Practice of Research / Reading: Chapter 1
1/26 / The Process of Research / Reading: Chapter 2
Quiz 1
2/2 / The Ethics of Research / Reading: Chapter 3
Quiz 2
2/9 / Finding Peer-Reviewed Sources / We will meet at the library this week
2/16 / Defining Research & Finding Causes / Reading: Chapters 4 & 5
Quiz 3
2/23 / Measuring Social Concepts / Reading: Chapter 6
Quiz 4
3/1 / Variables and the Structure of Research / Reading: Chapter 7
Quiz 5
3/8 / Sampling / Reading: Chapter 8
Quiz 6
3/15 / SPRING BREAK. NO CLASS. / NO ASSIGNMENTS
3/22 / 1st half course wrap up; Midterm (Chapters 1-8)
3/29 / ACJS Conference NO CLASS THIS WEEK / Submit literature review draft.
4/5 / Experimental Design Research Methods / Reading: Chapter 9
Quiz 7
4/12 / Survey/Interview Research Methods / Reading: Chapter 10
Quiz 8
4/19 / Non-Reactive Methods / Reading: Chapter 11
Quiz 9
4/26 / Qualitative Research Methods
Last week to submit draft of proposal / Reading: Chapter 12
Quiz 10
5/2 / Evaluation Research; Course wrap up / Reading: Chapter 13
Research proposals due on Blackboard 5/5 BY 11:59PM
5/10 / Exam 3 Cumulative / EXAM DUE BY 11:59PM
COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
UNILERT / Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via email, text message, and social media. All students are automatically enrolled in UNILERT through their myCT email account. Connect at to change where you receive your alerts or to opt out. By staying enrolled in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related information, regardless of your location.
Academic Integrity / Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students found responsible of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of academic dishonesty and report the incident to the Associate Director of Student Conduct. More information can be found at
Plagiarism / Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, most simply defined, is not properly crediting your sources of information through the use of textual citations and the provision of a works cited list. If something is not your own original idea, thought, words, or the product of your original data collection and analysis, you need to cite your source in the text. You may expand on work you have submitted in other classes. If you would like to do so, please contact me to discuss the terms. To learn more about plagiarism, please visit
Disability Support Services / If you have or believe you have a disability and wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing documentation to the Disability Support Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about accommodations to help assure success in their courses. Please contact Vanessa Snyder at (254) 501-5836 or visit Founder's Hall 114. Additional information can be found at
Tutoring / Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA). Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Founder's Hall, Room 204, and also in the Library in the North Building. Visit and click "Tutoring Support" for tutor schedules and contact info. If you have questions, need to schedule a tutoring session, or if you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-501-5830 or by emailing . Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on your computer! Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To access Tutor.com, click on
The University Writing Center at Texas A&M University-Central Texas is a free workspace open to all TAMUCT students. The UWC is located in 416 Warrior Hall. The center is open 11am-6pm Monday-Thursday during the spring semester. Students may work independently in the UWC by checking out a laptop that runs Microsoft Office suite and connects to WIFI, or by consulting our resources on writing, including all of the relevant style guides. Students may also arrange a one-on-one session with a trained and experienced writing tutor. Tutorials can be arranged by visiting the UWC. Tutors are prepared to help writers of all levels and abilities at any stage of the writing process. Sessions typically last between 20-30 minutes. While tutors will not write, edit, or grade papers, they will help students develop more effective invention and revision strategies.
Library Services / Information Literacy focuses on research skills that prepare individuals to live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library resources are outlined and accessed at
Drop Policy / If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the form must be returned, completed, and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into DuckTrax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, you must FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
Graduation Application / Graduation Date / Deadline to Apply for Degree & Commencement / Deadline to Apply for Degree Conferral Only / Ceremony Date
Spring 2016 / January 22, 2016 / March 4, 2016 / May 14, 2015
Summer 2016 / June 3, 2016 / July 1, 2016 / August 13, 2016
Fall 2016 / September 2, 2016 / October 7, 2016 / December 9, 2016
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