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SOC 4515 Syllabus

Course Syllabus

SOC 4515 - Sexual Offenses and Offenders

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course provides a broad introduction into the world of sexual offenses. Accordingly, this course will provide information on survivors of these crimes, perpetrators, as well as relevant sociological factors. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the perpetrator specifically.

Course Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Describe various types of sexual offenses, including victim risk factors as well as perpetrator characteristics.
  2. Apply various sociological theoretical perspectives to sexual offenses.
  3. Examine research on sexual offenses and discuss issues in the Criminal Justice field relating to the apprehension, punishment, and treatment of perpetrators.
  4. Integrate your newly acquired knowledge, as well as existing research, into a well-formulated literature review.
Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

Introduction to Sociology - SOCI 1010 or Introduction to Criminal Justice  CRMJ 1010

Course Topics:
  1. Sexually Motivated Offenses
  2. The Nuisance Offender
  3. The Rapist and Rape-Murderer
  4. Sexual Homicide
  5. The Child Sex Offender
  6. Missing and Exploited Children
  7. Societal Myths (and Facts) about Sex Offenders
  8. Public Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders
Specific Course Requirements:

None

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:

Articles provided by the instructor on course website.

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:

This course utilizes randomized quizzes to assess student learning at the end of each topic. During these quizzes, browsers will not be locked down. However, quizzes must be completed by their designated “close” date in order to be considered for points. Quizzes will comprise of fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, short essay, and true/false questions.

Grading Procedures:
Grading Scale:

Assigned Grade

PercentageAssigned Grade
  89.5 - 100%  A
  79.5 - 89.4%  B
  69.5 - 79.4%  C
  59.5 - 69.4%  D
  under 59.4%  F

Graded Items

DescriptionPoints
  8 Discussions @ 10 points each  80 points
  8 Dropbox Assignments @ 20 points each  160 points
  1 Book Report @ 100 points each  100 points
  8 Quizzes @ 20 points each  160 points
  Total Points  500 total points

 

Assignments and Projects:

Discussions:
During each week, students are expected to discuss the course material over the class discussion board. The instructor will prompt discussion by outlining specific questions students will have to address in their posts. Students are expected to be active participants on discussion boards by arriving early and regularly engaging in conversations. Although the length of each post will vary, posts will typically consist of one to two paragraphs in the initial response and then at least a paragraph in each response. In other words, I am expecting thoughtful engagement especially with responses. Students will not be allowed to see any of their peers’ posts until they post themselves.

Dropbox Assignments:
During the semester, students will engage in various active learning exercises that are designed to assist in the application of course material to the everyday world. Details about each particular activity will be discussed in advance of due dates. These activities cannot be turned in late unless a documented emergency occurred. Although the length of each activity will vary, assignments typically consist of one to two pages of written material. Students should utilize single-spacing, a standard font size (10-12), and a standard font type in their assignments (e.g., Arial, Times New Roman). Although the occasional grammatical and spelling mistake will be overlooked, students should be cognizant of their writing and proofread before submission.

Book Report:
This assignment involves reading a book about a sex crime (from the list of approved books), critiquing it using course material (i.e., does it match what you’ve learned in this course?), and applying a theoretical perspective to “frame” what happened (if it is a collection of stories – then select an overall perspective that you most agree with). Depending on the length of the answers, book reports typically range from two to six pages of written material. The format of the book report should follow the latest APA guidelines in terms of citation and writing style, which you can reference on the Purdue Owl site (opens in a new window). Students should utilize a font size between 10 and 12 and pick a standard type (e.g., Arial or Times New Roman) in their writing. Additional book report guidelines are posted under the Course Content area in the section entitled "Final: Book Report" (opens in a new window).

Quizzes:
During the semester, eight quizzes will be given including material covered up to that date. This is to ensure that students are reading the required the material and assess the overall understanding of topics among the class.

Class Participation:

Although this course does follow a set schedule, this is a student-driven course. In other words, the onus is on YOU to participate and be engaged virtually with the class.

Late Policy:

Students are expected to adhere to the posted deadlines on the syllabus and the course calendar. Late work will not be accepted. Therefore, it is highly recommended that students setup reminders for themselves in their calendars and smart devices to avoid missing deadlines.

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