CRIMINAL JUSTICE 101

SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

INSTRUCTOR:
Chris Eskridge 
310 Nebraska Hall
472-6755
ceskridge@unl.edu 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to provide an overview of the justice process and the criminal justice system in general.  Concepts of crime, deviance and justice will be discussed and general theories of crime causality will be examined.  Individual rights in a democratic society will be explored, as will the legal definitions of various crimes.  The law enforcement, judicial, juvenile justice and corrections subsystems will also be explored, and a number of reform proposals presented. 


COURSE READING MATERIALS:
Readings on the course webpage 
Criminal Justice:  The Essentials, by Lab et al (recommended, not required).

RECITATION SESSIONS:
Recitation sessions will be held at a time that will be announced in class.

EVALUATION:
Two examinations covering the readings and lecture material will be given.  The mid-term exam will be given on Thursday, October 31 and will count for one-third of the course grade.  The comprehensive final exam will be given on Monday, December 16 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm and will count for two-thirds of the course grade.  A standard "curve" will be used to determine the course grade (90% - A; 80% - B; 70% - C; 60% - D).  A passing grade in the P/F option is a C.  Make-up exams will not be given, so plan to take the exams on these days.  Regular class attendance will not be taken, but students should plan on attending class on a regular basis inasmuch as the exams will emphasize material presented in class. Students who miss a class session should make arrangements to obtain notes from another class member.  

EXAM CONTENT:
                                     Reading Material                   Lecture Material
Mid-Term Exam        Liberty v. Order                     Sections 1 - 7
                                     Webpage materials
                                 

Final Exam                Liberty v. Order                      Sections 1 - 14
                                    Webpage materials 
 

EXTRA CREDIT:
A series of extra credit films will be shown on selected evenings during the semester (see www.unl.edu/eskridge/Film Schedule Fall.doc).  Extra credit will be given to those who attend the films and write a paper regarding each of those movies.  Each paper is to be a minimum of 400 words in length (note the word count at the bottom of the paper). The papers are to address the study questions that have been prepared for each film.  The study questions are on the web at www.unl.edu/eskridge/Film questions.htm.  There are twelve movies planned during the semester.  Students may receive extra credit for attending and writing a paper on up to six films.  Students may attend all, a few, or none of the films.  Students will receive up to 5 points of extra credit for every film they attend and paper they subsequently submit.  Students who attend six films and write six quality papers could receive a total of 30 extra-credit points (10% of the course grade).  Papers are due on the dates shown on the film schedule.  Turn the papers in during class or at the School of Criminology offices (310 Nebraska Hall).   No late papers will be accepted.  Students will be informed in class of any additional extra credit opportunities that may arise during the course of the semester.

ACE #6
This course satisfies ACE Student Learning Outcome #6:  Use knowledge, theories, methods, and historical perspectives appropriate to the social sciences to understand and evaluate human behavior.

Students have the opportunity to achieve ACE Student Learning Outcome #6 through the following:
1)    Completing two exams.
2)    Completing the extra credit written assignments.

ACE outcome #6 will be assessed in this class utilizing the two course exams and the extra credit written assignments.  Samples of student work will be collected to assess student learning in the course and program.  The purpose of this assessment is to help faculty improve student learning opportunities, not to evaluate individual student work.  Any student in this course who is not willing to participate in this process should notify the instructor.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides individualized accommodations to students with documented disabilities.  If you have a documented disability that is impacting your academic progress, please call SSD at 472-3787 and schedule an appointment with the Director, Veva Cheney, or Assistant Director, Barbara Woodhead.  If you do not have a documented disability but you are having difficulties with your coursework (such as receiving low grades even though you study more than your classmates or running out of time for test questions when the majority of your peers finish their exams in the allotted time), you may schedule an appointment with Veva or Barbara to discuss the challenges you are experiencing.  


CJ 101 COURSE OUTLINE
TOPIC                                                                                          READING ASSIGNMENT*

SECTION 1 Crime, Deviance and Justice                               Chapter 1; Liberty v. Order

SECTION 2 The Criminal Justice Network                             

SECTION 3  Crime and Deviance in America                        

SECTION 4 Criminology                                                             

SECTION 5 Criminal Law                                                           Chapter 2

SECTION 6 Justice Process                                                     

SECTION 7 Rights of the Accused - 4th Amend.                   


-MIDTERM EXAM-


SECTION 8 Rights of the Accused - 5th, 6th, 8th Amend.    

SECTION 9 The Law Enforcement System                             Chapter 3

SECTION 10 Pre-Trial Issues

SECTION 11 The Judicial System                                             Chapter 4

SECTION 12 The Correctional System                                     Chapters 5, 6

SECTION 13 The Juvenile Justice System                              Chapter 7

SECTION 14 The Future of Justice                                            Chapter 8                                     


-FINAL EXAM


*The text book is recommended and not required.  Exams will focus on material presented in class.