Course
Syllabus for CRIJ / SOCI 3310
I.
II.
Course Description
The course will provide an overview of the theories,
causes, characteristics, types of crime, and social functions of crime in our
society. Agencies of the criminal justice
system and the role of these agencies will also be discussed. As
III. Course Designation and Title
Criminology - CRIJ 3310-SA01
IV. Specific Time, Location and Duration
Wednesday,
Beginning
V. Required Text
Introduction to Criminology by Cliff Roberson and Harvey Wallace, Copperhouse Publishing Company, © 1998
VI. Supplemental Text
Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association,
Fifth Edition.
Please note that this is not a
required text, but the term paper must be styled and written in accordance with
this Manual. You can also access the APA
Publications Manual at www.apastyle.org.
VII. Instructor
Michael S. Proctor, BS, MA
23 years experience in corrections
Telephone: 830-609-0216, 210-724-2650
Email: msp9308@hotmail.com
VIII. Class Schedule
|
Class Session |
Topics |
Reading Assignment |
Other Assignments |
|
|
1 |
Course
Overview, Definition of Crime & Measuring Crime |
Chapter
1 & 2 |
Read
the required portions of the text |
|
|
2 |
The
Classical Approach & the Positivist & Behavioral Approach |
Chapters
3 & 4 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
3 |
The
Sociological Approach |
Chapter
5 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
|
There are no classes |
scheduled during |
this week. |
|
|
4 |
Exam
#1 – 1.5 hours Psychological
& Psychiatric Approaches & The
Conflict/Critical Approach |
Chapter
6 & 7 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
5 |
Crimes
Against Persons |
Chapter
8 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
6 |
Crimes
Against Property |
Chapter
9 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
|
through
|
there are no classes |
scheduled. |
|
|
7 |
Special
Crimes & Punishment |
Chapter
10 & 11 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
8 |
Exam
#2 – 1.5 hours Victimology & Law Enforcement |
Chapter
12 & 13 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
9 |
The
Court System |
Chapter
14 |
Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
10 |
Sentencing
and Corrections & Juvenile
Justice System |
Chapter
16 |
Term
Papers are Due Read
the required portions of the text and handouts. |
|
|
11 |
Final
Exam |
N/A |
|
|
IX. Grading / Means of Assessment
Each examination point total is 120 X three exams = 360 total points
Written Assignment / Term Paper (1) = 100 total points
Class Attendance / Participation = 25 total points
Maximum Total Points Available = 485
90 – 100% of total points = A
80 -- 89% of
total points = B
70 -- 79% of
total points = C
60 -- 69% of
total points = D
Less than 60% of total points = F
X. Examinations
There will be a total of three
examinations. The construction of the
examination will be multiple choice, true/false, and
essay. If you miss an examination due to
an emergency, a make-up test may be taken prior to the next class meeting at a
time and place to be determined by the instructor. Please note that a make-up examination may be
more difficult than the original examination.
The instructor reserves the right to refuse any make-up examination or
late assignment.
XI. Written Assignments
Each student must complete a
written assignment – a term paper. The paper
is to be ten (10) to twelve (12) pages in length (not including cover page and
bibliography). The paper is to be a
research project, typed, double-spaced and grammatically correct, and footnotes
and references properly used. The style of the paper should be consistent with
accepted standards (e.g., Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Assn.). Topics can be
selected from the list of suggested research topics; the list of theories of
criminology; or the role and function of an agency of the criminal justice
system.
XII. Attendance and Punctuality
Students are expected to
attend classes and be prepared by having read the assigned materials. A student who misses 25% or more of the
regularly scheduled class meetings (three absences or more) will receive a
failing grade for the course.
XIII. Academic Honesty
Students are expected to
complete all individual assignments in a scholarly manner, and reflect both
honesty and integrity. Copying another
student’s assignment, cheating on examinations, and/or plagiarism is
unacceptable and is grounds for failing the course and/or expulsion from the
University.
XIV. Class Preparation
Students are expected to be
prepared for class and are responsible for the materials in the reading
assignments as well as additional materials that may be provided. If your job requires that you use a pager or
cell phone, put them in silent/vibrate mode while in class.
YOU MAY CHOOSE YOUR RESEARCH TOPIC FROM THIS LIST, BUT YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CHOOSE FROM THIS LIST. MORE THAN ONE INDIVIDUAL MAY HAVE THE SAME TOPIC. IF YOU DECIDE ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC THAN ONE LISTED, HAVE YOUR RESEARCH TOPIC APPROVED BY THE INSTRUCTOR.
1. Are We Teaching Our Kids to
Kill – the Impact of Video Games, Movies, and/or Television on Juvenile/Youth
Violence
2. Three Strikes and You’re Out
– Is This a Practical Approach in Corrections
3. Contrast / Compare Two
Theories of Criminology (list of various theories is provided)
4. The Philosophy of Law –
Legal Positivism (John Locke, David Hume, John Austin) vs. Legal Realism
(Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Jerome Frank, Alf Ross)
5. The Uniform Crime Reports –
An Accurate Portrayal of Crime in
6. The Media and Its Impact on
the Public Perception of Crime
7. The School Yard Killer – A
Profile
8. Gun Control and the
Application of Second Amendment Rights in Society
9. Hate Crimes and the Groups
Who Commit Them
10. Security Threat Groups and
Their Role in Domestic Terrorism
11. Ethics in the Criminal
Justice System
12. “When there is crime in
society, there is no justice” – Exploring the Validity of this Statement
13. Law and Order or Law and
Disorder
14. You may want to select a
particular crime pattern for your research topic, such as:
·
Crimes of Violence
·
Sexual Offenses or Sex Offenders
·
Organized Crime
·
Crimes Related to Addictive Behavior (e.g., alcoholism, drug/substance
abuse
15. You may want to focus on a
specific aspect of the Criminal Justice Process, such as:
·
Rights of Inmates (limit research to a specific topic and case law such
as due process requirements, search and seizure in the correctional
environment, etc.)
·
The Miranda Warning – How Has It Changed (case law references required
for this topic)
·
Parole and Its Effectiveness in Corrections
·
The Nature and Scope of Police Power (case law references required for
this topic)
·
The Power to Search and Seize (case law references required for this
topic)
List
of Various Criminological Theories
|
THEORY |
MOTIVE |
|
Demonology (5,000 BC-1692 AD) |
Demonic Influence |
|
Astrology (3500 BC-1630 AD) |
Zodiac/Planetary Influence |
|
Theology (1215 BC-present) |
God's will |
|
Medicine (3000 BC -present) |
Natural illness |
|
Education (1642-present) |
Academic underachievement/bad teachers |
|
Psychiatry (1795-present) |
Mental illness |
|
Psychoanalysis (1895-present) |
Subconscious guilt/defense mechanisms |
|
Classical |
Free will/reason/hedonism |
|
|
Determinism/beyond control of individual |
|
Phrenology (1770-1875) |
Bumps on head |
|
Cartography (1800-present) |
Geographic location/climate |
|
Mental Testing (1895-present) |
Feeble-mindedness/retardation/low IQ |
|
Osteopathy (1892-present) |
Abnormalities of bones or joints |
|
Chiropractics (1895-present) |
Misalignment of spine/nerves |
|
Imitation (1843-1905) |
Mind on mind crowd influences |
|
Economics (1818-present) |
Poverty/economic need/consumerism |
|
Case Study Approach (1909-present) |
Emotional/social development |
|
Social Work (1903-present) |
Community/individual relations |
|
Sociology (1908-present) |
Social/environmental factors |
|
Castration (1907-1947) |
Secretion of androgen from testes |
|
Ecology (1927-present) |
Relation of person with environment |
|
Transexualism (1937-1969) |
Trapped in body of wrong sex |
|
Psychosurgery (1935-1959) |
Frontal lobe dysfunction/need lobotomy |
|
Culture Conflict (1938-1980) |
Conflict of customs from "old" country |
|
Differential Association (1939-present) |
Learning from bad companions |
|
Anomie (1938-present) |
State of normlessness/goal-means gap |
|
Differential |
Absence of legitimate opportunities |
|
Alienation (1938-1975) |
Frustration/feeling cut off from others |
|
Identity (1942-1980) |
Hostile attitude/crisis/sense of sameness |
|
Identification (1950-1955) |
Making heroes out of legendary criminals |
|
Containment (1961-1971) |
Outer temptation/inner resistance balance |
|
Prisonization (1940-1970) |
Customs and folkways of prison culture |
|
Gang Formation (1927-present) |
Need for acceptance, status, belonging |
|
Behavior Modification (1938-1959) |
Reward/Punishment Programming |
|
Social Defense (1947-1971) |
Soft targets/absence of crime prevention |
|
Guided Group Interaction (1958-1971) |
Absence of self-responsibility/discussion |
|
Interpersonal Maturity (1965-1983) |
Unsocialized, subcultural responses |
|
Sociometry (1958-1969) |
One's place in group network system |
|
Dysfunctional Families (1958-present) |
Members "feed off" other's neurosis |
|
White-collar Crime (1945-present) |
Cutting corners/bordering on illegal |
|
Control Theory (1961-present) |
Weak social bonds/natural predispositions |
|
Strain Theory (1954-present) |
Anger, relative deprivation, inequality |
|
Subcultures (1955-present) |
Criminal values as normal within group |
|
Labeling Theory (1963-1976) |
Self-fulfilling prophecies/name-calling |
|
Neutralization (1957-1990) |
Self-talk, excuses before behavior |
|
Drift (1964-1984) |
Sense of limbo/living in two worlds |
|
Reference Groups (1953-1978) |
Imaginary support groups |
|
Operant Conditioning (1953-1980) |
Stimuli-to-stimuli contingencies |
|
Reality Therapy (1965-1975) |
Failure to face reality |
|
Gestalt Therapy (1969-1975) |
Perception of small part of "big picture" |
|
Transactional Analysis (1961-1974) |
No communication between inner parent-adult-child |
|
Learning Disabilities (1952-1984) |
School failure/relying on "crutch" |
|
Biodynamics (1955-1962) |
Lack of harmony with environment |
|
Nutrition and Diet (1979-present) |
Imbalances in mineral/vitamin content |
|
Metabolism (1950-1970) |
Imbalance in metabolic system |
|
Biofeedback (1974-1981) |
Involuntary reactions to stress |
|
Biosocial Criminology (1977-1989) |
Environment triggers inherited "markers" |
|
The "New Criminology" (1973-1983) |
Ruling class oppression |
|
Conflict Criminology (1969-present) |
Structural barriers to class interests |
|
Critical Criminology (1973-present) |
Segmented group formations |
|
Radical Criminology (1976-present) |
Inarticulation of theory/praxis |
|
Left Realism (1984-present) |
Working class prey on one another |
|
Criminal Personality (1976-1980) |
53 errors in thinking |
|
Criminal Pathways Theory (1979-present) |
Critical turning/tipping points in life events |
|
Feminism (1980-present) |
Patriarchial power structures |
|
Low Self Control Theory (1993-present) |
Impulsiveness, Sensation-seeking |
|
General Strain Theory (1994-present) |
Stress, Hassles, Interpersonal Relations |