CJ101 Spring Syllabus

CRIMINAL JUSTICE 101

SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

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

Eskridge bio sketch

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 in the evenings 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 in class on Thursday, March 15 and will count for one-third of the course grade.  The comprehensive final exam will be given on Tuesday, May 1 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/NP 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 Spring.doc).  Extra credit will be given to those who attend the films and write a paper regarding each of those movies.  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/filmquestions.htm.  Each paper is to be a minimum of 400 words in length (not including the study question narrative).  Note the word count at the bottom of the paper.  Students will receive up to 5 points of extra credit for attending and writing a paper for each film.  Students may obtain extra credit for attending and writing a paper on up to 6 films.  Students may attend fewer or more films if they wish, but extra credit is limited to a total of 6 films.  Students who attend 6 films and write 6 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, nor will electronic copies.  A hard copy must be turned in, on time.  

A series of extra credit guest lectures will be presented during the semester.  Extra credit will be given to those who attend the lectures and write a paper regarding the presentation subject matter.  Each paper is to be a minimum of 400 words in length (note the word count at the bottom of the paper).  Students will receive up to 5 points of extra credit for attending and writing a paper regarding each lecture.  Students may obtain extra credit for attending and writing a paper regarding all 3 lectures.  Students may attend fewer if they wish.  Students who attend 3 presentations and write 3 quality papers could receive a total of 15 extra-credit points (5% of the course grade).  Papers are due on the Tuesday following the lecture.  Turn the papers in during class or at the School of Criminology offices (310 Nebraska Hall).   No late papers will be accepted, nor will electronic copies.  A hard copy must be turned in, on time.  The guest lecture series for the Spring term is as follows:

*February 7 (Wednesday), 12 - 1 pm, Auditorium, UNL Student Union, Danielle Conrad, Director of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (reception thereafter)

*March 14 (Wednesday), 12 - 1 pm, Auditorium, UNL Student Union, Col. John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska Highway Patrol (reception thereafter)

*March 26 (Monday), 12 - 1 pm, Auditorium, UNL Student Union, Rosalyn Cotton, Chair of the Nebraska Board of Parole (reception thereafter)


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 textbook is recommended but not required.  Exams will focus on material presented in class.