1. Academic Honesty/Integrity: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In addition, the School of Criminal Justice adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations.  (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site: www.msu.edu). Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including assignments, quizzes, and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work you completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course.  Also, you are not authorized to use the http://www.allmsu.com or other similar social networking web sites to complete any course work in this course. Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty grade, including—but not limited to—a failing grade on the assignment or in the course.  Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your course work (See also http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/honestylinks.html).
2. Accommodations for students with disabilities: Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a disability specialist, call 353-9642 (voice), 355-1293 (TTY), or visit myprofile.rcpd.msu.edu.
3. Commercialized Lecture Notes: Commercialization of lecture notes and university provided course materials is not permitted in this course.
4. Attendance: Students whose names do not appear on the official class list for this course may not attend this class. Students who fail to attend the first four class sessions or class by the fifth day of the semester, whichever occur first, may be dropped from the course.
5. Disruptive Behavior: Article 2.3.5 of the Academic Freedom Report (AFR) for students at Michigan State University states: “The student’s behavior in the class shall be conducive to the teaching and learning process for all concerned.” Article 2.3.10 of the AFR states that “The student has a right to scholarly relationships with faculty based on mutual trust and civility.” General Student Regulation 5.02 states “No student shall interfere with the functions and services of the University (for example, including, but not limited to, classes, social, cultural, and athletic events, computing services, registration, housing and food services, governance meetings and judicial hearings) such that the function or service is obstructed or disrupted. Students whose conduct adversely affects the learning environment in this classroom may be subject to disciplinary action through the Student Faculty Judiciary process.

Grading Scheme

Class Participation: 10% of your final grade (50 points)

            Fifty points will be awarded based on classroom participation. Participation will be given on selected days which are NOT predetermined, and will usually come in the form of pop quizzes or group assignments. Preparation AND attendance, therefore, are the key to earning these points. As with exams, students absent on days in which points are awarded are not eligible to receive these points unless there is an extreme circumstance (e.g., Death in the family, Car accident coming to class), AND the instructor is notified in a timely manner.

Homework Assignments: 40% of your final grade (200 points)

Assignment 1: Crime in the Media (2-3pages) (Group of 3)                          = 25 points (Due 09/16)

Assignment 2: Short Research Paper 1 (3-5pages) (Group of 4)                   = 35 points (Due 10/12)

Assignment 3: 15 Survey Questions (Group of 2)                                          = 25 points (Due 11/09)

Assignment 4: Short Research Paper 2 (3-5pages) (Group of 4)                   = 35 points (Due 11/23)

Assignment 5: Research Data Analysis Paper (6-10pages) (Group of 2)      = 80 points (Due 12/14)

The groups will be formed by the instructor as a random assignment in class.

In-Class Test: 30% of your final grade (150 points) (9/28; 10/28; 11/25)

Three exams (True/False; multiple choice; completion, and short answer style format) will be given during the semester, each worth 75 points. The best two out of the three tests will be recorded toward your final exam grade. The tests will cover the material covered until the week of the exam, as well as information presented during class discussions and presentations. No make-up test will be given, except in extreme circumstances (e.g., Death in the family, Car accident coming to class).

Final In-Class Exam: 20% of your final grade (100 points) (12/18)

Final exam will cover the entire course covered during the semester, as well as information presented during class discussions and presentations. No make-up exams will be given, except in extreme circumstances (e.g., Death in the family, Car accident coming to class).

Your final grade will be based on the following scale:

Course Outline

References (in order of course outline)

• Barak, G. (2007). Doing newsmaking criminology from within the academy. Theoretical Criminology. Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 191–207
• Chermak, McGarrell, and Gruenewald (2006). Media coverage of police misconduct and attitudes toward police. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. Vol. 29 No. 2, 2006 pp. 261-281
• Sullivan, C. and D. Cain (2004). Ethical and safety considerations when obtaining information from or about battered women for research purposes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 19(5): 603-618
• Petrosino, A., C. Turpin-Petrosino, et al. (2000). Well-meaning programs can have harmful effects! Lessons from experiments of scared straight. Crime & Delinquency 46(3): 354-379
• Sloan, J.J. (1994). The correlates of campus crime: An analysis of reported crime on college and University campuses. Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 51 – 61
• Feder, L., Jolin, A. et al. (2000). Lessons from two randomized experiments in Criminal Justice settings. Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 380-400
• Maxfield, M. G. (1999). The National Incident Based Reporting System: Research and policy implications. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Vol. 15: 119-149
• Skrapec, C.A. (2001). Phenomenology and Serial Murder. Homicide Studies. Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 46 – 63