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CRMJ 2312 (previously CRMJ 2000) Syllabus

Course Syllabus

CRMJ 2312 (previously CRMJ 2000) - Criminology

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course is a systematic study of crime, criminals and the criminal justice system.  It explores the fundamental elements of criminology through a study of the causation and criminal behavior theories. It also examines the relevant activities of the criminal justice system.

Course Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

  • Identify specific types of crime from a written scenario.
  • Identify specific types of crime from a verbal scenario.
  • Define 3 types of crime.
  • List 2 of the 3 reasons that a capitalistic society requires laws
  • Define the relationship between the making of laws, the breaking of laws and the reaction of the public towards the breaking of laws.
  • Define the 3 causes of crime.
  • List the characteristics that are common to violent crime, economic crime, white collar crime, and sex crimes.
  • List the characteristics that are common among victims of violent crime, economic crime, white collar crime, and sex crimes.
  • List 3 milestones in the evolution of criminology from the early 18th century to present day.
  • Construct a chart that compares and contrasts theories of crime causation.
  • Identify the differences among the classical and positivist schools of thought and how each theory of crime presented falls into either distinction.
Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

CRMJ 1010

Course Topics:

Module 1 – Concepts of Crime. Law and Criminology

  • Professor-Created Discussion Topic 1
  • Quiz 1
  • Exam 1

Module 2 – Theories of Crime Causation

  • Professor-Created Discussion Topic 2
  • Quiz 2
  • Exam 2

Module 3 – Theories of Crime Causation

  • Professor-Created Discussion Topic 3
  • Quiz 3
  • Midterm Exam

Module 4 – Crime Typologies

  • Professor-Created Discussion Topic 4
  • Research Paper
  • Exam 4

Module 5 – The Criminal Justice System

  • Professor-Created Discussion Topic 5
  • Quiz 4
  • Final Exam
Specific Course Requirements:

Access to Microsoft Word for Windows and PowerPoint.

Knowledge of Desire2Learn is necessary for successful completion of the course.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."

Supplementary Materials:

Please visit the RODP Virtual Bookstore for information concerning supplementary information for this course. The web address is http://www.bkstr.com/tnecampusstore/home.

Hardware and Software Requirements:

Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.

Minimum software requirements can be found here.

Common applications you might need:

Web Resources:

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)

The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook

Student Resources:
  • Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
  • Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
  • Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.

Instructor Information

Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.

Participation, Assessments, & Grading

Testing Procedures:

Each student will complete 5 exams. Exams will be posted at 12:01am, CST on the last Friday of each module. Students will have approximately 45 minutes to complete each exam. Exams will close on Sunday night at 11:59pm, CST. It is each student’s responsibility to log on and complete exams during these times frames.

Exams will cover all material reviewed prior to the exam, but not before the previous exam. Each student will have ONLY ONE opportunity to complete each exam and submit it to the professor.

It is important that students log on to take exams at a reliable computer. If problems occur and the student cannot submit their exam, he/she will need to notify the instructor immediately. Make-up exams will be given at the discretion of the instructor. In order to be given consideration for make-up exams due to computer malfunctions, the student will need to place a ticket for help with the IT helpdesk within RODP to try and resolve this issue. The confirmation of this will need to be forwarded to the instructor via email as soon as possible. I am not sure students receive verification from the Help Desk.

Grading Procedures:

Students are expected to complete all assignments. If a student fails to log on and respond to discussions as scheduled in the discussion board forum. Students are also required to complete all five (5) exams in the time allotted by the professor. It is the responsibility of each student to complete these assignments on time. If a due date passes and an assignment is not complete, the student will receive a zero (0) on that assignment or exam. Late assignments are not accepted; furthermore, there is no extra credit in this course.

Methods of evaluation for this course will be in the form of:

Professor-created discussion questions5 Discussions @ 10 pts. each50 pts.
Exams5 Exams @ 60 pts. each300 pts.
Quizzes4 Quizzes @ 25 pts. each100 pts.
Research Paper1 Paper @ 50 pts. each50 pts.
 Total Points Possible500 Total

 

Grading Scale:
Point RangeAssigned Grade
500 - 450 PointsA
449 - 400 PointsB
399 - 350 PointsC
349 - 300 PointsD
under 300 PointsF

 

Assignments and Projects:

1) Course Requirements

Each student is expected to log into the class at least once a week, Students are expected to complete all reading assignments (Professor Created Discussion questions) by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. of each week assigned. Each week students are expected to access the assignment section, class discussion section and complete any assignments for that week

2) Exams

For each Module, there will be two assessments (1 quiz and 1 exam; EXCEPT Module 4, in which you will have a Research Paper due instead of a Quiz) to be completed within stated requirements and deadlines. The format for the assessments will be multiple choice. You will be expected to complete each at the time the assessment is opened.

3) Class Assignments  

  • Discussion Topics
    • On the Assignments link, students will find their assignments for each week. There will be two (5) Professor Created Discussion Topics during the semester worth 10 points each. All responses are due by 11:59pm, CST on the Sunday of the week the question is assigned. Please click Writing Rubric to access the sample writing rubrics that will be used to grade your discussion topic responses and papers.
    • Students will be expected to respond to these questions by submitting a separate thread to the forum as well as two (2) of their classmates' posts. Your response to your classmates should be at least 150 words in length. This response should be substantive with well-thought out detail and feedback.
  • Quizzes
    • There will also be a Quiz in Modules 1, 2, 3, & 5.
  • Exams
    • There will be exams in each Module (note that in Modules 3 & 5, they are listed as Midterm Exam and Final Exam, respectively).
  • Research Paper
    • Each student is expected to complete and submit a research paper not less that 7 pages in content on a topic if your choice. You are strongly encouraged to contact me early in the semester as to the topic for your paper. I will provide you with feedback and information on how to tailor your paper for this course.
    • The specific format requirements for this research paper are as follows:
      • Adherence to the APA Manual format (ABSTRACT included). You may also want to refer to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu), or similar guides. Assignments will be graded according to the following criteria:
      • Double-spaced, page numbered
      • Must include an introduction, body and conclusion
      • Proper grammar and spelling required
      • Adequacy of paper (content)
      • Overall impression and style
      • Adherence to the directions as stated in this syllabus
      • Be certain to refer to the Writing Rubric to ensure you work is acceptable.
      • If there are ANY concerns regarding the specifications above, you need to contact me as soon as possible and prior to the submission of your papers. 

Graded Assessments

DescriptionPoints
5 of Discussion, 10 points each50 Points
4 of Quizzes, 25 points each100 Points
1 of Papers, 50 points each50 Points
5 of Exams, 60 points each300 Points
Total Points500 Total Course Points

 

Class Participation:

Students will be expected to respond to these questions by submitting a separate thread to the forum as well as two (2) of their classmates' posts. Your response to your classmates should be at least 150 words in length. This response should be substantive with well-thought out detail and feedback.

Late Policy:

Since late assignments are not accepted, you are strongly encouraged to complete your assignments, assessments, etc. prior to the closing of each item. Each assignment, assessment, paper, etc. will close at the designated deadline which will be stated at the beginning of the semester, by date and time.

Course Ground Rules

The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:

RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS

Read the document in its entirety here.

1. Standards of Conduct:

  • Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.

2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:

  • In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.

Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
  • to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
  • or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.

Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.  Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.

In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.

Other Course Rules:

Students are expected to:

  • Participate in all aspects of the course
  • Communicate with other students
  • Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
  • Keep abreast of course announcements
  • Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
  • Address technical problems immediately:
  • Observe course netiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.

Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.


Last Revised on July 12, 2021