Syllabus

Criminal Justice 160

Introduction to Criminal Justice

Research Methods

Term: Spring, 1998

Location: AC 28

Time: MWF, 12:40 - 1:30

Instructor: Ralph B. Taylor

Professor, Criminal Justice

Department Office: 539 Gladfelter (204-7169)

e-mail address: V1008E@VM.TEMPLE.EDU

fax:215-204-3872

Teaching

Assistant: to be announced (if we have one)

Office Hours: Specific hours will be announced within the next week; you also can always call me for an appointment.

Getting Hold of the Instructor

I will hold regular office hours throughout the semester. If you wish to make an appointment with me outside of those times you can try to reach me at the above numbers.

I will make an extraordinary effort to always be available for all of my office hours. If something comes up and I am unable to attend, however, I will leave word with the secretary in the Department of Criminal Justice, Helen Deniken (1-7918). So if you cannot find me during office hours, check with her. If you need to make an appointment to see me early in the day on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, please speak with me and we will set something up.

Purposes of the Course

This course serves as a basic introduction to criminal justice research methods for Criminal Justice majors. It has the following objectives.

The course will equip you to be an intelligent consumer of criminal justice research. You will gain a better understanding of the procedures used in criminal justice research articles.

You will understand the fundamental principles of social science research. Criminal justice is, first and foremost, a social science. This means several things.

a. Scientists evaluate ideas on the basis of empirical evidence: data.

b. Scientists collect data according to agreed-upon rules.

c. Scientists treat the data in a way that is in accord with agreed-upon rules.

The course will review a range of research techniques used by criminal justice researchers. Thus, you will understand the different types of tools available to researchers in criminal justice.

You will get some first-hand experience with data you either have generated or collected yourselves. Hopefully, by acting as a data planner, collector, and interpreter, you will gain more insight into the often confusing research process.

IF AND AS TIME PERMITS: We will learn how criminal justice agencies manage information. I plan on having a small number of outside speakers working in criminal justice agencies talk to us about how they manage information

IF AND AS TIME PERMITS: We will learn a little bit about criminal justice resources on the Internet.

The Major Sections of the Course

The course includes the following major sections:

I. Introduction to social science thinking. Scientists are concerned with ideas, and with information. You will examine how they link ideas and information together. We will discuss two main approaches -- the Holmes approach, and the Einstein approach. Social scientists also follow rules about how to act responsibly toward the human participants in their research, and the information humans provide toward researchers. Social scientists have ways of portraying the information they gather. You will learn about charts, graphs, and contingency tables.

II. The Benchmarks of scientific quality. How do you know if one study is better than another? Social scientists have agreed upon a number of different "benchmarks" of scientific quality -- features that high quality studies should possess. You will learn about these benchmarks and how to evaluate how a study "scores" on a benchmark.

III. Varieties of Research. You will learn about the different types of research tools criminal justice researchers use to investigate problems.

Grading in the Course

Grades assigned in the course will be based on the following:

1. Tests. There will be five tests given in the course. Each test may contain multiple choice items, or short essay items, or a combination of the two. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

FINAL EXAM PERIOD FOR THIS COURSE IS FRIDAY MAY 8^th from 11:00 - 1:00 . The last exam will probably be given in this time period. Reserve this time slot now, and keep it free.

I will drop your grade for the lowest test score before averaging the other tests.

2. Written assignments. There will be between three and six written assignments. These will vary in nature. Some may be take-home assignments that require considerable effort. Some may ask you for short-term reactions to an in-class presentation or activity.

Most of the written assignments will be graded; one or two may be ungraded assignments that you simply turn in and get credit for completing the assignment. I will let you know in very specific terms if a writing assignment is UNgraded. Even if it is ungraded you must turn it in on time to get credit for doing it.

You should type each written assignment, double spaced. You also should proof your written work carefully. Mis-spelled words and flagrantly poor grammar will reduce your grade. On your papers I usually take off one point for every mis-spelled word and one point for every flagrant grammatical error. Needless to say, this can add up after a while. I urge you to:

* always run the spell checker

* always run a grammar checker

* proofread carefully, if possible, get someone else to proofread for you as well.

Many students find that their writing improves if they consult some books on writing like Strunk & White's The Elements of Style or Provost's 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing.

I strongly urge you to carefully proofread and to spell check and to grammar check every paper.

Note that all written assignments count; none are dropped. So if you fail to turn one in that comes out as zero. And as we all know from the law of averages, averages go down faster than they go up.

3. Overall in-class participation. I will not take attendance, but I will pay attention to who is and who is not present. Sometimes in class we will be doing group work; your presence is essential not only for your learning, but as a member of that group as well.

In addition, sometimes in class I may ask you to complete a group assignment, or a "reaction card", and ask for your name and ssn. I will also use these to find out who is and who is not present.

The above contribute to the final grade in the following way:

50% Average grade on best four out of five tests

45% Average grade on all written assignments, including those that are handed in for credit but NOT graded.

5% Participation

As the semester progresses, there may be opportunities for extra credit, but this is not guaranteed.

Grading Policies

1. Academic misconduct. We will discuss in class the nature of academic misconduct, including plagiarism. You are responsible for understanding the different varieties of academic misconduct. If I encounter solid evidence of academic misconduct I will discuss the matter with you, and then deliver the consequence I deem appropriate. Possible consequences include: failure on the assignment in question (i.e., a 0); assigning a failing grade for the course; or attempting to have you expelled from Temple University. Should you wish to contest a decision I make on academic misconduct, I will inform you of the procedures to follow. The department and the college have fully specified grievance procedures.

2. Makeup policy. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes or exams unless

* you notify me before the missed exam

* and you have a reason for missing the quiz or exam that I find valid (e.g., car accident) (I no longer accept excuses like your friend's grandmother dying.)

* and I have something in writing, for my records, verifying the nature of the problem.

3. Late assignments. Assignments are due on the date indicated. I reserve the right to lower the grade for assignments that are handed in late. The amount the grade is lowered increases the longer the delay in handing the assignment in. Depending on the assignment, the grade may be lowered 1% to 10% a day.

If you have an excuse for a late assignment I will take this in to account only if you notify me beforehand about the problem and I find your excuse for the delay to be a valid one and I have something in writing. Again, a friend's grandfather's death may be questionable.

4. Regrading policy. You have the right to submit any assignment for regrading. If you wish to submit an assignment for regrading proceed as follows:

Prepare a written statement explaining why the assignment should be regraded. This applies to written assignments, essay exams, and multiple choice exam questions where you think there was more than one correct answer.

On a cover sheet print your name, SSN, name of the assignment or test, date of the assignment or test, and the date you submitted the assignment for regrading.

Staple the cover sheet to your written rationale and the original assignment.

I will review your request for regrading. I will consult with other faculty if I deem that appropriate. As a result of your request for regrading the grade on your original assignment may stay the same, or it may go up, or it may go down.

Readings

The main required text is:

Taylor, R. B. (1994). Research methods in criminal justice. New York: McGraw Hill. (New and used copies available in Temple Bookstore. You also may be able to locate a used copy among students who already have completed this course.)

You also will be completing one written assignment around the following book:

Simon, D. Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. New York: Ivy Books

One or more packets of additional readings may be put together and made available through the Student Copy Center in 601 Conwell, or through the bookstore. Stay tuned.

In addition, there will also be readings in journals and reports in the library. I will announce these in class.

Special Note About Assigned Readings and In-class coverage

It is not possible to cover all the important points of an assigned reading during classroom time. Class time will be devoted to covering some but not all the important topics in the reading. Class time also serves to cover additional topics outside of the assigned reading, and to carry out demonstrations, class exercises and group work that - hopefully - facilitate your learning of important points.

Consequently, it is your responsibility to bring to my attention points that you think deserve further coverage. You may do this by posing focused questions about a reading at the beginning of class, meeting with me during office hours, or setting up a special time to see me and go over the material.

Guidelines on Classroom Decorum

I expect you to strive to arrive in class on or before the stated starting time. Late entries disturb everyone. I expect you to be in class for the duration; if it is absolutely essential that you must leave before class ends, please let me know beforehand.

I expect us to speak courteously to one another and to listen courteously as well. We have a lot to learn from one another. Even though much of the material in this course might seem a-political, I have found in the past that some of our discussions may become emotionally charged and politically divisive. Nonetheless, I do not want to shy away from controversial material, but if we are to discuss such issues we must do so in a civil way.

We can learn the most when we strive to listen to views different from our own, and phrase our own views so that they can be understood by others with different perspectives. You will probably find in this class when you express an opinion that some agree with you, and others disagree with you. I hope we can keep our disagreements civil, avoid personal attacks, and be willing to back up our opinions with supporting evidence.

We will spend a little bit of time in this class talking about the bounds of civil discourse. In short, we will try to develop guidelines for in-class discussions.

Sequence of Topics and Events⁽¹⁾

Week of: Topics in Readings and/or in Class