SYLLABUS
Course?CJ400: Applied Ethics in Criminal Justice
When/Where?TR:2:00-3:15pm;Smith Hall 418
Credits? 3 credits
Prerequisite?CJ200 or permission
Facilitator? Dr. Angela Crews
Office? Smith Hall736
E-mail address?
Office phone?304-696-3082
Office Hours? MWF: 8:30-9:30am; M-F: 11:00am-12noon, and by appointment
What is This?
Course Description:Examines ethical issues and moral dilemmas faced by criminal justice professionals. Traditional ethical theories and practices designed to foster public trust in the criminal justice system are examined and applied.
What Do I Need?
Required Texts:
1)Braswell, M.C., McCarthy, B.R., & McCarthy, B.J. (2008). Justice, Crime and Ethics (6th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: LexisNexis.
2)McDowell, L. & Mongold, J. (2008). Justice, Crime and Ethics: Study Guide. Cincinnati, OH: LexisNexis.
You also are responsible for knowing material from class discussions, and from any Power Point presentations that I may post.
Other Required Readings: Various articles distributed or assigned in class, or on reserve.
Computer Requirements: Students must have a computer or access to one, as well as access to the Internet to send and receive email messages. If you are using an email account other than your Marshall Email account, you must set your Marshall Email account to forward to your other account. Students also should have Microsoft Word (.doc version, 97-2003 or .docx version, 2007) and Powerpoint (at least the ability to read Powerpoint files. You can download a free Powerpoint Reader here:
Communication
Below is an actual transcript from a conversation between Dr. Crews and one of her former students, Ima Slacker (WARNING: What you are about to read is graphic and not suitable for young children):
Dr. Crews: “Ima, why didn’t you turn in your assignment?”
Ima:“Well, Dr. Crews, I have been trying to reach you for about a week now and never can catch you in your office.”
Dr. Crews: “Did you come during my office hours?”
Ima: “No, but I called and you didn’t answer.”
Dr. Crews: “Did you leave a message?”
Ima: “No, but I really wanted to tell you I was having trouble with the assignment.”
Dr. Crews: “Did you send me an email?”
Ima: “No, but I don’t have the assignment done and was wondering if I could get an extension.”
Dr. Crews: “Well, Ima, someone told me you were having difficulty, and I was going to give you an extension, but I visited your home when I knew you wouldn’t be there, didn’t email you, and didn’t leave you a voice message to tell you, so I guess you are out of luck!”
The above transcript illustrates how NOT to communicate with your professor and the likely ramifications of doing so!
E-mail: Email is my preferred method of communication! If you cannot reach me by phone, you can always use e-mail (listed above). I welcome your feedback on the course, my teaching, the classroom environment, or on anything you feel a need to discuss with me. I will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible, usually within a few hours of when you send it (Having a Blackberry is a blessing and a curse!). However, I am trying to set some boundaries between my work life and my home life, so if you contact me after 12:00pm on Friday and before 8:30am on Monday morning, I will probably not respond to you until after 8:30am on Monday morning. I wouldn’t contact you on the weekend expecting you to do something for me, so I ask the same consideration!
Telephone: My office number is (304) 696-3082. You should call me whenever you have a question about our class work, assignments, or personal concerns about your progress in the course. It is best to call during my OFFICE HOURS (listed above), or you can leave a voice mail for me at any time. I will return your call as soon as possible.However, the same boundaries apply to phone messages as to email (any voice mail left between 12:00pm on Friday and 8:30am Monday may not be heard until after 8:30am on Monday morning).
Why Are We Here?
Every course you take as you make your way toward graduation should contribute in some way to your development in your chosen path. You shouldn’t look at classes as just hurdles to clear before you are allowed to graduate! Each department or program should have goals for students who graduate with that particular degree. Similarly, each course should have goals for students who complete that particular course. Each course should cumulatively help you reach the departmental/program goals. Below are the goals for the Department of Criminal Justice, followed by the Course goals. These are expressed in terms of “Student Learning Outcomes” because we hope that course outcomes and program outcomes will reflect the degree of student learning in each of these areas. These are important because our success should be measured by how well (or not) you meet these learning outcomes.
Department of Criminal Justice Program Student Learning Outcomes
Successful graduates of the Department of Criminal Justice will be able to:
- Describe and apply basic criminal justice information and concepts
- Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills relevant to criminal justice
- Use appropriate social science and/or legal research and skills and resources to complete original research in criminal justice
- Effectively communicate in both oral and written formats using discipline-appropriate vocabulary and dialogue
- Recognize and apply ethical principles of the discipline in regard to research, use of sources, collaboration with colleagues, and principled decision/policy making
- Successfully enter into discipline-appropriate employment as a professional in criminal justice or, if desired, continue education in graduate and/or law school
- Demonstrate comprehension of discipline-appropriate technology, including computer hardware and software
This coursecontributes to student success in Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will be able to:
1.Define and explain his or her own personal ethical philosophy
2.Differentiate between ethics/ethical behavior and morals/moral behavior
3.Evaluate major ethical issues in law enforcement, courts, corrections, and related areas
4.Evaluate major ethical philosophies
5.Identify the origins of contemporary ethical philosophies (i.e, the history)
6.Define the peacemaking perspective and apply it to various scenarios
7.Evaluate the restorative justice movement
8.Apply various ethical principles and philosophies to various situations in the criminal justice system and process
9.Describe the impact of myths on ethics within the criminal justice system and process
10.Analyze how ethics (or lack thereof) impacts politics, government, media, and other general areas of society
11.Evaluate criminal justice research in terms of its ethics (e.g., treatment of human participants, confidentiality of data)
12.Apply ethical reasoning to current controversial issues (e.g., terrorism)
13.Develop a scholarly research paper.
What Do I Have to Do?
Students will be graded on the extent to which they demonstrate that they have met the Student Learning Outcomes (listed above). The Outcomes listed above are “minimums.” You MUST demonstrate to me that you have minimally met each outcome listed above. That is, if you successfully demonstrate to me that you have met each of them, you will receive an “average” grade for this course (i.e., C). If you demonstrate to me that you have met each of them at a “better than average” level, you will receive a “better than average” grade (i.e., B). If you successfully demonstrate to me that you have met (and perhaps gone BEYOND) each of them at an “excellent” or “exceptional” level, you will receive an “excellent” or “exceptional” grade (i.e., A). On the other hand, if you demonstrate accomplishment of the minimum requirements of the course at a “less than average” level, you will receive a grade that reflects “less than average” accomplishment (i.e., D). Finally, if you fail to demonstrate accomplishment of the outcomes at any level, you will receive a grade that reflects “failure to meet outcomes” (i.e., F). For more about the grading, see “Grading” below.
I use a holistic method of grading that evaluates the “whole” of the product that you submit. For “objective” exercises with clear “right” or “wrong” answers (e.g., exams and quizzes), your answers will be compared to my key to determine percentage correct. For “subjective” exercises requiring my subjective judgment (e.g., papers, essay questions), your answers will be graded with clear criteria (i.e., a grading “rubric”).
Your assignments are designed to reflect specific learning outcomes, as listed above. Some assignments may only measure your performance on ONE of the outcomes, while other assignments may measure several of them. I have listed the Course Requirements below and indicated which of the outcomes may be measured with each one.
Course Requirements
- Weekly Reading Assignments: Each student is required to read the assigned readings each week. A Course Schedule is contained below in this syllabus (subject to change and revision).
- This Course Requirement is necessary to accomplish Outcomes 1-13.
- Weekly Quizzes/Exercises (40% of grade): Each student will complete quizzes and/or exercises each week. Quizzes will be completed in class. Exercises may be completed in class or completed as homework. Ten of these quizzes, each worth a maximum of 4 points, will “count” toward your Weekly Quiz Grade. This course requirement will be weighted and constitutes 40% of your course grade.
- Student performance on quizzes will demonstrate Outcomes 1-12.
- Midterm Exam (20% of grade):Each student will complete a cumulative MIDTERM EXAM onFriday, October 17. This exam will cover all readings and in-class materials (lectures, speakers, films, etc.) presented prior to the date of the exam. Anyone missing the MIDTERM without a verifiable(excused) emergency must complete a MAKE-UP exam on Tuesday, December 9 (if you did not miss the Midterm, this is a “Free Day” for you! No class!). The Midterm Exam is worth a maximum of 4 points, which will be weighted as 20% of your course grade.
- Student performance on the Midterm will demonstrate Outcomes 1-12.
- Final Exam (20% of grade):Each student will complete a comprehensive FINAL EXAM on Thursday, December 11, from 12:45pm-2:45pm. We will have a Final Exam review on Thursday, December 4. The final is worth a maximum of 4 points, and will be weighted as 20% of your course grade.
- Student performance on the Final will demonstrate Outcomes 1-12.
- Applied Ethics Paper(20% of grade):
Each student will be required to develop an Applied Ethics paper. Students will receive a document that describes the framework of the paper and provides an outline of required sections. These papers also must follow specific guidelines for length and academic content. That is, each paper must be a minimum of 8-10 pages, typed, double-spaced, with a maximum of 12 pt. font, Times-New Roman or Courier font, with 1” margins all around, page numbers beginning on the first page of text, centered at the bottom of the pages, and a MINIMUM of 6 academic sources (maximum of 2 books, NO textbooks, NO unauthored, undated WEB PAGES and absolutely, without question, NO WIKIPEDIA!!). I will distribute more information about this requirement shortly. The Applied Ethics Paper is worth a maximum of 4 points and will be weighted as 20% of your course grade. It is due in class onThursday, December 4. Students may, at any time, submit drafts to me for review! I also require submission of an electronic version of your paper to Turnitin.com, a plagiarism-prevention website. I will explain how to do this at a later date! Papers should use the citation style of the American Psychological Association (APA). You can get a quick guide to APA style here:
- Student performance on the Paper will demonstrate Outcomes1-13.
Course Grading:
Course Requirements are weighted with the average score from Quizzes worth 40%, and the scores from the Midterm, Final, and Applied Paper each worth 20%. For example, Jane Doe received the following scores:
Quizzes (.4)Midterm (.2)Final (.2)AppliedPaper (.2)
Q#1: 4334
Q#2: 4
Q#3: 3
Q#4: 4
Q#5: 3
Q#6: 2
Q#7: 0
Q#8: 4
Q#9: 3
Q#10:3
------
(Quiz Avg.=30/10= 3.0)
Requirement:Score(Weighting) = Weighted Score
Quizzes: 3.00(.4) = 1.20
Midterm:3.00(.2) = .60
Final: 3.00 (.2) = .60
Paper4.00 (.2) = .80
TOTAL =3.20
In this scenario, Jane receives an average of 3.00 on herQuizzes, 3.00 on herMidterm, 3.00 on her Final, and 4.00 on herApplied Paper. The weighting process multiplies each of these by the percentage of weight it gets in the final score. The Quizzes are 40% (.4), the Midterm is 20% (.2), the Final is 20% (.2), and the Applied Paper is 20% (.2). After weighting each score, the weighted averages are added to get the final weighted average (3.20). The “Grading Scale” below indicates that Jane’s score earns her a final letter grade of “B” for the course.
Grading Scale
A 3.58 – 4.00B3.18 - 3.57
C 2.78 – 3.17
D 2.38 – 2.77
F below 2.375
Due to the difficulty associated with “bonus” points and “extra-credit” points, I do not bother with those. I should not have to bribe you to attend lectures or guest speakers!
*If you are taking this class because you “HAVE” to have a certain grade… (“Dr. Crews, I HAVE to have a C in this class to [keep my scholarship], [get reimbursed for my tuition], [graduate], etc…), then you should plan to WORK for that grade, or drop now and take another class. I cannot guarantee anyone any certain grade.
What are the Expectations?
I expect students to…
- Attend every class. When you enrolled in this class, you made a commitment to me, to yourself, and to your fellow classmates. I expect you to fulfill that commitment to the best of your ability.Please do not inundate me with excuses for why you missed class or why you cannot meet my expectations for performance.
- Arrive on time and stay for the whole class. If you have to leave early, let me know before class.
- Be prepared. Please bring your book, paper, pens, etc. to EVERY class meeting. Also, please read what you are supposed to read before class so you can actively participate.
- Think. You will not do well in this class if you expect to memorize and regurgitate material. You will have to use that gray matter!
- Keep your cell phones tucked away. Silent pagers are allowed if you are working as emergency services personnel (police, fire, EMT).
- Eat at mealtimes, not in class. Smells and noises are distracting!
- Let me know if you have to come to class armed!
- Leave the tobacco products at home (or quit altogether because it isn’t healthy)!
- Turn in things and complete assignments on time. I will not accept late assignments/exercises, etc. (Bona fide and verifiable medical emergencies—excused absences--with proper documentation areexceptions). If you know you will not be here on the day an assignment is due, please turn it in ahead of time.Missed weekly quizzes and exercises cannot be made up. I only count 10 and we will have more than 10, so you can miss a few without penalty. If you miss the Midterm, you may take a make-up essay exam on Monday, December 8.
- Be honest and do your own work.Marshall’s Academic Dishonesty Policy can be found here:
Among the most frequent type of academic dishonesty (after “cheating”) is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated. Please visit this site which
defines plagiarism and provides some tips for avoiding this behavior:
The penalty for the first offense of
plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, will be a 0 on the assignment and reports
to the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, to the Dean of the College of Liberal
Arts, and to the Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs. A second offense will
result in an F for the course and reports to the Chair of the Department of Criminal
Justice, to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and to the Associate Vice-President of
Academic Affairs. I will go over this and defineplagiarismand describe prohibited
behaviorsseveral times throughout thesemester.
You should expect me to …
- Facilitate your understanding of the material. It is not my responsibility to “teach” you the material, per se. That approach implies that you are passive in the process. I believe that you have a significant responsibility in the learning process, with my role as a facilitator. Although I do lecture, a large portion of the course will be student discussion and interaction. On occasion, we will have guest speakers and video presentations. Students are responsible for all material presented in class and assigned readings. Students are expected to complete the reading assignments prior to attending class. Questions are welcomed from students either during or after class.
- Strongly encourage you to think. I will try to help develop the skills to read material and think about it. My focus is on helping you understand how to apply what you learn.
- Keep you informed. I will provide you with a detailed syllabus and schedule that clearly outlines the requirements, my expectations, and important policies. I also will provide regular feedback on your performance (i.e., grades). However, you are expected to keep track of this feedback and be aware when you are falling short of our goals. Please note that, in consideration of privacy rights, I will not post grades, discuss them over the phone, or send them through email.
- Be available on a regular basis. I maintain regular office hours (see above) throughout the semester and students are encouraged to drop by with any questions, comments, or concerns relating to the course.
What are the Important University PoliciesI Should Know?