John Jay College of Criminal Justice s1

New Course Proposal, Page

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

The City University of New York

New Course Proposal

When completed, this proposal should be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Studies-Room 634T for consideration by the College Curriculum Committee.

1. Department (s) proposing this course:

Economics

2. Title of the course:

Seminar in Economics and Crime

Abbreviated title (up to 20 characters):

SEM ECO CRIME

3. Level of this course:

___100 Level ____200 Level ____300 Level _X__400 Level

4. Course description as it is to appear in the College bulletin:

(Write in complete sentences except for prerequisites, hours and credits.)

This course explores the contributions of economics to the understanding of crime and criminal justice. The perspectives and quantitative analytical techniques of economics are used to examine important issues concerning crime and criminal justice. Topics may include: rational-choice criminology, macroeconomics and crime, Marxian criminology, economic justice, measuring the costs of crime, corruption, organized crime, white-collar crime, environmental crime, illicit drugs, human trafficking, gender and race issues concerning crime, recidivism, the prison industry, and special topics selected by the instructor. Prerequisites: English 201, senior standing and at least one 300-level course in Economics. 3 hours, 3 credits.

5. Has this course been taught on an experimental basis?

_X_No

___Yes: Semester (s) and year (s):

Teacher (s):

Enrollment (s):

Prerequisites (s):

6. Prerequisites:

English 201, senior standing and at least one 300-level course in Economics.

7. Number of: class hours__3__ lab hours__0__ credits_3__

8. Brief rationale for the course:

This course will serve as one of the capstone seminars of the new Bachelor of Science in Economics program. This seminar is designed for those students taking specialization tracks A (Economic Analysis) and B (Investigation of Economics Crime). The other proposed capstone course, Accounting 4YY, is designed for specializations B and C (Forensic Financial Analysis). This course will build upon all the skills and knowledge students have acquired in prior courses; it will create an environment for soon-to-be graduates to perfect their analytical and communication skills in their chosen field of expertise.

9a. Knowledge and performance objectives of this course:

(What knowledge will the student be expected to acquire and what conceptual and

applied skills will be learned in this course?)

Students are expected to

· employ the analytical and quantitative skills acquired throughout their economics courses at John Jay College of Criminal Justice to demonstrate their knowledge of the topics assigned by the instructor and chosen for their term project

· demonstrate their ability to research assigned topics

· choose wisely among several topics for in depth research

· lead detailed discussions of assigned topics

· demonstrate professional presentation skills

· write a lengthy research paper incorporating quantitative analysis.

9b. Indicate learning objectives of this course related to information literacy.

The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed, accesses information effectively, efficiently, and appropriately, and evaluates information and its sources critically. The student uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, ethically and legally. (e.g., students demonstrate critical interpretation of required readings; and/or effective searching of appropriate discipline specific bibliographic databases; and/or primary data gathering by observation and experimentation; and/or finding and evaluating Internet resources. For many more examples of classroom performance indicators and outcomes see the ACRL standards for higher education at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm).

For questions on information literacy see the library’s curriculum committee representative.

By the time students reach their capstone course, they should have acquired considerable information literacy skills. The main “value-added” to their information literacy skill is the coalescence of their learning into a lengthy research paper that incorporates quantitative analysis. Students are expected to conduct research using the library’s electronic resources or bound holdings. If students have not learned adequate information literacy skills before this capstone class, the numerous intermediate deadlines for components of the term paper (see attached syllabus) should provide the instructor with opportunity for remediation of information literacy skills. Students are directed to use the “ECONLIT” database provided by the library.

10. Recommended writing assignments:

(Indicate types of writing assignments and number of pages of each type. Writing

assignments should satisfy the College’s requirements for writing across the curriculum.)

Each student will lead one class session in a seminar on a topic of their choice. As part of their leadership, each student will produce a 4-6 page summary of their topic’s reading materials and a suggested final exam question based on their seminar’s discussion.

Each student is responsible for conducting a major research project concerning their choice (with instructor approval) of a crime or criminal justice issue. The issue must be sufficiently different from the student’s seminar topic. The research must use economic analysis. The research must include quantitative analysis of the issue. In addition to the final paper students must also submit several intermediate reports (see attached syllabus). The final paper should be approximately 20-pages.

11. Will this course be part of any major (s) or program (s)?

___No

_X_Yes. Major or program: Bachelor of Science in Economics

What part of the major? (Prerequisite, core, skills, etc.)

Capstone Seminar recommended for students taking specializations A (Economic Analysis) and B (Investigation of Economic Crimes) in the Bachelor of Science in Economics.

12. Is this course related to other specific courses?

_X_No

___Yes. Indicate which course (s) and what the relationship will be (e.g., prerequisite,

sequel, etc.).

13. Please meet with a member of the library faculty before answering question 13. The faculty member consulted should sign below. (Contact the library’s curriculum committee representative to identify which library faculty member to meet with).

Identify and assess the adequacy of the following types of library resources to support this course: databases, books, periodicals. Attach a list of available resources.

Databases:

ECONLIT

American Economic Review

Journal of Economic Literature

Journal of Economic Perspectives

Journal of Political Economy

Quarterly Journal of Economics

Public Choice

Academic Search Premier (EBSCOHOST)

Business Source Premier (EBSCOHOST)

Brookings-Wharton Working Papers on Urban Affairs

JSTOR

Theory & Society

Sage Management and Organization Studies Collection

SOCIOIndex

Annual Review of Sociology

Social Science Quarterly

American Sociological Review

Review of Social Economy

LexisNexus Academic

Journal of Law and Economics

Science Direct Journals

Journal of Development Economics

Periodicals:

Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

Attach a list of recommended resources that would further support this course. Both lists should be in a standard, recognized bibliographic format, preferably APA format.

(1) List of Books & Monographs for Purchase

Gruber, J. (2001). Risky behavior among youths: and economic analysis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Payne, R. (2007). Global issues: politics, economics and culture. Pearson-Longman.

Richard, A. (2008). A companion to urban economics. Wiley-Blackwell

Landsburg, S. (2007). More sex is safer sex: the unconventional wisdom of economics. Free Press.

Stringham, E. (ed.) (2007). Anarchy and the law: the political economy of choice. Independent Inst.

Western, B. (2006). Punishment and inequality in America. Russell Sage.

(2) List of Journals to Consider for Purchase

Journal of Economic Crime Management

Journal of Forensic Economics

(3) List of Databases and Other High-ticket Items

NBER Working Papers in Law and Economics

Bibliography Attached

Signature of library faculty member consulted: ______

14. Are the current resources (e.g. computer labs, facilities, equipment) adequate to support this course? __X__ Yes

_____ No

If not, what resources will be necessary? With whom have these resource needs been discussed?

15. Syllabus:

Attach a sample syllabus for this course. It should be based on the College’s model syllabus. The sample syllabus must include a week by week or class by class listing of topics, readings, other assignments, tests, papers due, or other scheduled parts of the course. It must also include proposed texts. It should indicate how much various assignments or tests will count towards final grades. (If this course has been taught on an experimental basis, an actual syllabus may be attached, if suitable.)

16. This section is to be completed by the chair(s) of the department(s) proposing the course.

Name(s) of the Chairperson(s):

Joan Hoffman

Has this proposal been approved at a meeting of the department curriculum committee?

___No _X_Yes: Meeting date: December 3, 2008

When will this course be taught?

Every semester, starting ______

One semester each year, starting __Spring 2010______

Once every two years, starting ______

How many sections of this course will be offered? __1______

Who will be assigned to teach this course?

Assistant Professor Jay Hamilton

Professor Joan Hoffman

Assistant Professor Christopher Warburton

Is this proposed course similar to or related to any course or major offered by any other department (s)?

_X_No

___Yes. What course (s) or major (s) is this course similar or related to?

Did you consult with department (s) offering similar or related courses or majors?

_X__Not applicable ___No ___Yes

If yes, give a short summary of the consultation process and results.

Will any course be withdrawn if this course is approved?

_X_No

___Yes, namely:

Signature (s) of chair of Department (s) proposing this course: Joan Hoffman

Date: December 2008

Revised: October 3, 2006

ECO 4xx.01 Seminar in Economics and Crime

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Instructor: Professor Xxx Xxxxxx

Course Syllabus

Office:

E-mail: @jjay.cuny.edu Phone: (212) 237-8xxx FAX: (212) 237-8919

Office Hours:

Class meeting time: Room: Final Exam:

Course Description:

Course Operation:

Each student will be responsible for one topic of study; lecturing and guiding a discussion centered on a key piece of literature concerning economics and crime. The instructor will cover the first couple of topics and help students prepare for their topics. Students will select a topic/reading from the course schedule below. Students may petition to present a topic/reading not on the list below, provided the instructor approves. In addition to lecturing and leading the discussion, students must also prepare a 4-6-page summary of the reading and additional research on the topic and submit an essay question for the final exam with grading suggestions. Prior to their presentation students must schedule an appointment with the instructor to help prepare their lesson. On the final exam students will have the choice of answering any two essays provided by their classmates and edited by the instructor (note: this excludes students from answering their own questions).

Research Paper:

In addition to their seminar lesson each student is responsible for conducting research of a crime issue or criminal justice issue using economic analysis. Students must choose an issue sufficiently different from their seminar topic. For example if your class seminar topic is “domestic violence,” then you cannot choose ‘spousal abuse’ as your research topic. The analysis must apply quantitative analysis of the issue. In addition to the final paper students must also submit the following according to the schedule below. Length: approximately 20-pages.

Timeline: (all submission should be through email for prompt return)

End of week 2: turn in a list of five alternative topics for term paper

End of Week 3: turn in one paragraph explaining final choice

End of Week 5: turn in list of ten information sources; half must be from peer-reviewed journals

End of Week 7: turn in annotated bibliography

End of Week 9: turn in an outline

End of Week 11: turn in draft #1

End of Week 13: turn in draft #2

End of Week 15: Turn in the final paper

Research Resources

Students are directed to use peer-reviewed journal articles as well as material from the popular media. Peer-reviewed journal articles are research reports that are evaluated by other experts in the same field. The Most effective and efficient database of Economic Literature is “ECONLIT,” available through the library’s website (and paid for by your technology fee). Non peer-reviewed sources must be critically evaluated for the biases of the authors and publishers. A good way to look for bias is to find the funding source behind the publication/website.

Knowledge and Performance Objectives

Students are expected to

· demonstrate their ability to research assigned topics

· choose wisely among several topics for in depth research

· lead detailed discussions of assigned topics

· demonstrate professional presentation skills

· write a lengthy report of the style usually produced by non-profit organizations such as the various UN agencies.

Grading

Topic/Reading Presentation 30%

Final 30%

Research Paper 40%

Topics/Texts

This course does not have a textbook. All readings will come from primary sources, such as scholarly journals, essays and books. Some of these readings are extremely difficult – don’t panic, you don’t need to know every equation. In the event that more than one student expresses interest in a topic a lottery will decide which students “wins” the topic. If enrollment surpasses the number of topics then the instructor will decide which topics to be split between students. If enrollment falls short of the number of topics the professor will prepare those lessons.

Policies

¶ Attendance: If a student misses more than four regularly scheduled class meetings they will automatically receive a grade of WU for the course. Attendance will be taken every class.

¶ Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.