BOOKS AND READINGS
In this course you are going to be reading from one major textbook. In addition there will be some online readings, and at least one trade paperback if you are interested in extra credit. I also have recommended a couple of short paperbacks that you may find helpful for improving your writing. Although this is NOT a "W" course you will be writing some short papers. Good writing helps even with short papers.
NOTE: I, of course, recommend Temple University Bookstore as your most reliable and reputable textbook source. I neither endorse nor recommend AMAZON.COM. I do, however, want my students to save money wherever possible. You may find that you can save money by buying from Amazon.
REQUIRED TEXT
Albanese, J. (2001) Criminal Justice: Brief Edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn&Bacon (Priced by Amazon at $51; used copies from $20.95, plus shipping and handling. Albanese also has a more expensive textbook just called criminal justice. Do NOT buy that. Be sure to buy the BRIEF EDITION
ONLINE READINGS
I am going to be putting some online readings up on the website in pdf format. If you want to download and print these at home you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader v. 4 or higher installed on your home computer, and at least a deskjet or laser quality printer. AAR is FREE. To get it go to this address:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
You will need about 6 megabytes on your computer to download the files you need. This takes a while. If you are not a tekkie you might wanna get someone who is to help you get Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You will need this for both the VIEWING and PRINTING of PDF files.
You want to get all this setup straightened
out well before you are going to need to access online documents
if you plan on using an off-campus computer.
You will need version 4.0 or higher of AAR
In the past students trying to print PDF files on campus have complained about printing problems. You canNOT print PDF files that are readable in either GH 107, or Anderson labs, or Paley. However you also should know that there are some good printers around such as in the basement of Speakman and in the lab in Ritter.
You can download the files here on campus for a fast download, and print it out at home where you have a better printer, but you will need to have adobe acrobat reader already installed on your home computer.
Unless you are an English major, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU BUY ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING. I have not ordered these through the book store but you can easily find them at Borders or B&N. Each is a cheap paperback and should cost less than $6.00, about the price of a Robert B. Parker "Spenser" book.
W. Strunk and E. B. White The Elements of Style.
Gary Provost (1994) 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. New York: Signet
EXTRA CREDIT READINGS
About halfway through the semester I am going to be announcing an extra credit option. It will be a short paper. To write this paper you will need to have read one of the following books. Each is priced at about $10-$11 (plus shipping) at AMAZON. You also should be able to find them at B&N and Borders.
Simon, D., and Burns, D.(1998). The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighbourhood. New York: Broadway Books.
Kidder, R. (1999). Home Town. New York: Washington Square Press.
From a review on AMAZON:
Probing beneath Northampton's friendly exterior, Pulitzer-winning author Tracy Kidder uncovers the town's many layers, from the lowest to the highest rungs of society, and renders a portrait of Northampton by introducing those who know it best. Kidder relies most heavily on native Tommy O'Connor, a 33-year-old police sergeant who has never left his beloved hometown. Tommy's optimism and gentle humor make him an appealing guide, as he shows both the darkest and most charming streets of his town and wrestles with a future that may forever alter his relationship to Northampton. Kidder also introduces readers to Laura Baumeister, a young working mother and Ada Comstock scholar at Smith College who is struggling to care for her son and keep up with the rigorous school curriculum; Alan Scheinman, a real estate lawyer who made a fortune in the 1980s, now plagued by a crippling case of obsessive-compulsive disorder; and Samson Rodriguez, a former loom operator who may have been one of the first people to bring crack cocaine to Northampton. --Kera Bolonik