Course Syllabus

Fall 2021

Crime in America

CCJ 3014 OW61

Department of Criminal Justice

College of Community Innovation and Education

3 Credits

 

Instructor Information 

• Instructor: Todd Bricker, Ph.D.
• Office Location: HS1 Room 354
• Office Hours
  
  • Monday and Tuesday 9:30 am - 12:00 pm; Also by appointment
    • (Canvas Chat, Email, Zoom, Phone)
    • The best method of reaching me is via email.
• Phone: 407-823-2603 (CJ Main Office)

• Email: todd.bricker@ucf.edu 

Course Information

• Term: Fall Semester 2021
• Course Name:  Crime in America
• Course ID & Section:  CCJ 3014-OW61
• Credit Hours:  3
• Class Meeting Days: Online Course
• Class Meeting Time: Asynchronous
• Course Modality: W

Course Description

A survey of crime and criminality in the United States, with emphasis on crime data, its weaknesses, and types of criminal behavior.

Course Purpose

This course focuses on the nature, function, and causes of crime in society. The development of criminology is traced from the spiritualistic school of thought to the classical school of thought and ending with positivism. The first half of the course focuses on the foundations of criminology including measuring crime, characteristics of crime and criminals, the classical school, and early positivism.  In the second half of the course, we will discuss the psychological foundations of criminal behavior, social structural theories, social process theories, social conflict theories and analysis of specific crimes.

Course Materials and Resources

Required Materials/Resources

Schram, Pamela J. and Stephen G. Tibbetts (2020).  Introduction to Criminology: Why Do They Do It?, 3rd Ed. Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1544375731.

Additional readings and web links will be provided in the course modules.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Summarize the main elements of the three schools of criminological thought: spiritualistic, classical, and positivistic.
2. Explain the biological, psychological, and social correlates of criminal conduct, and the impact that they have on criminal and non-criminal behavior.
3. Identify the impact of criminological theory and research on the creation of social policy.
4. Describe various typologies of violent crime, property crime, and white collar crime.  

Course Activities

Course Requirements - Basis for Final Grade

Requirements

• First Day/Week Attendance Activity
• Module Quizzes
• Discussion Boards
• Assignments

First Day Attendance Activity

Your assignment for the first day/week attendance activity is to complete the ungraded 4-question quiz regarding elements of the course. This is an ungraded assignment. However, it is important to complete this assignment for university attendance purposes and for financial aid verification. 

Quizzes

There are 11 quizzes during the course. Each quiz is worth 15 points. They consist of T/F and M/C questions from the textbook chapter(s) and other readings assigned during each module. Students will have 40 minutes to complete each quiz. 

Discussion Boards/Assignments

There are 4 discussion boards during the course. Each discussion board is worth 15 points. Some discussion boards will have multiple questions that can be combined into a single response.  NOTE: Each student is required to make three posts for each discussion board:

1. A post in response to the instructor's original questions.
2. A response to another student's posting.
3. A response to a different student's posting.

Each post is worth 5 points and must contribute to the discussion and should be at least 40 words in length.  Students will not receive credit for responses such as "I agree" or "good point", etc. You may write as many postings as you like.

There are 4 written assignments during the course. The point values vary from 15 to 40 points. Details about the assignments are provided in the modules. Some of the assignments and discussion boards may be related to a video clip that is included in the module content. The assignments are designed as application and critical thinking exercises. 

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

Submit all assignments on-time using the assignment tool and submit all discussion board posts on the discussion board.  Do not send me any assignments via email. Late assignments will not be accepted.  The time and date when assignments are due are posted for every assignment.  Do not miss deadlines.  Missing a deadline will result in a score of zero on the assignment.  All links to discussion boards, quizzes and writing assignments will be available well in advance of due dates. There is no extra credit in the course. 

Per university policy, you are allowed to submit make-up work (or an equivalent, alternate assignment) for authorized university-sponsored activities, religious observances, or legal obligations (such as jury duty). If this participation conflicts with your course assignments, I will offer a reasonable opportunity for you to complete missed assignments and/or exams. The make-up assignment and grading scale will be equivalent to the missed assignment and its grading scale. In the case of an authorized university activity, it is your responsibility to show me a signed copy of the Program Verification Form for which you will be absent, prior to the class in which the absence occurs. In any of these cases, please contact me ahead of time to notify me of upcoming needs.

Evaluation and Grading

Grading Point Scale

11 Quizzes @  points = 165 points

4 Discussion Boards @ 15 points each = 60 points

4 Assignments @ 20, 15, 20, and 40 points = 95 points

Total = 320 points

 

Letter Grade	Total Points	Percent
A	297-320	93 – 100
A-	288-296	90 – 92
B+	278-287	87 – 89
B	265-277	83 – 86
B-	256-264	80 – 82
C+	246-255	77 – 79
C	233-245	73 – 76
C-	224-232	70 – 72
D+	214-223	67 – 69
D	201-213	63 – 66
D-	192-200	60 – 62
F	191 and below	59 and below

Activity Submissions

All assignments will be completed and/or submitted in the Canvas course shell found on Webcourses@UCF. Any written document files should be saved in .rtf or MS word format before uploading. 

University Services and Resources

Academic Services and Resources

A list of available academic support and learning services is available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Academic Support and Learning Services" on the right-hand side to filter.

Non-Academic Services and Resources

A list of non-academic support and services is also available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Support" on the right-hand side to filter.  

If you are a UCF Online student, please consult the UCF Online Student Guidelines for more information about your access to non-academic services.

Policy Statements

Academic Integrity

Students should familiarize themselves with UCF’s Rules of Conduct. According to Section 1, "Academic Misconduct," students are prohibited from engaging in:

• Unauthorized assistance: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise unless specifically authorized by the instructor of record. The unauthorized possession of examination or course-related material also constitutes cheating.
• Communication to another through written, visual, electronic, or oral means: The presentation of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone else’s efforts and used as part of an examination, course assignment, or project.
• Commercial Use of Academic Material: Selling of course material to another person, student, and/or uploading course material to a third-party vendor without authorization or without the express written permission of the university and the instructor. Course materials include but are not limited to class notes, Instructor’s PowerPoints, course syllabi, tests, quizzes, labs, instruction sheets, homework, study guides, handouts, etc.
• Falsifying or misrepresenting the student’s own academic work.
• Plagiarism: Using or appropriating another’s work without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own.
• Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same academic work for credit more than once without the express written permission of the instructor.
• Helping another violate academic behavior standards.

For more information about Academic Integrity, students may consult The Center for Academic Integrity.

For more information about plagiarism and misuse of sources, see “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices”.

Students are required to submit original work for any writing assignments. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, please ask. All assignments will be submitted through turnitin.com to check for originality. 

Responses to Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, or Cheating

Students should also familiarize themselves with the procedures for academic misconduct in UCF’s student handbook, The Golden Rule. UCF faculty members have a responsibility for students’ education and the value of a UCF degree, and so seek to prevent unethical behavior and when necessary respond to academic misconduct. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, suspension or expulsion from the university, and/or a "Z Designation" on a student’s official transcript indicating academic dishonesty, where the final grade for this course will be preceded by the letter Z. For more information about the Z Designation, see http://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/zgrade.

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action.

Course Accessibility Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need disability-related access in this course should contact the professor as soon as possible. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (Ferrell Commons 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone (407) 823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable. Determining reasonable access and accommodations requires consideration of the course design, course learning objectives and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student.

Campus Safety Statement

Fully online course sections (W, V)

Though most emergency situations are primarily relevant to courses that meet in person, such incidents can also impact online students, either when they are on or near campus to participate in other courses or activities or when their course work is affected by off-campus emergencies. The following policies apply to courses in online modalities.

• To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to https://my.ucf.edu and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
• Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.

Deployed Active Duty Military Students

Students who are deployed active duty military and/or National Guard personnel and require accommodation should contact their instructors as soon as possible after the semester begins and/or after they receive notification of deployment to make related arrangements.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Course Schedule

Week/Dates	Topic	Reading/Assignments	Due Dates
Module 1 8/23 - 9/5	Introduction to Criminology; Measuring Crime	Ungraded Quiz for Attendance & Financial Aid (Due 8/27) Read Chapters 1 and 2 Quiz on Chapter 1 Quiz on Chapter 2  Discussion Board	Attendance Activity Due by 8/27 Other assignments due by 11:59 pm on 9/5
Module 2 9/6 - 9/19	The Classical School of Criminological Thought	Read Chapter 3 Quiz on Chapter 3 Writing Assignment	By 11:59 pm on 9/19
Module 3 9/20 - 10/3	Contemporary Classical and Deterrence Research	Read Chapter 4 Quiz on Chapter 4 Discussion Board Assignment	By 11:59 pm on 10/3
Module 4 10/4 - 10/17	Early Positivism: Biological Theories of Crime;  Modern Biosocial Perspectives of Criminal Behavior	Read Chapters 5 and 6 Quiz on Chapter 5 Quiz on Chapter 6 Discussion Board	By 11:59 pm on 10/17
Module 5 10/18 - 10/31	Psychological/Trait Theories of Crime; Early Development and Strain Models of Crime	Read Chapters 7 and 8 Quiz on Chapter 7 Quiz on Chapter 8 Writing Assignment	By 11:59 pm on 10/31
Module 6 11/1 - 11/14	Social Disorganization and Subcultures; Social Process and Control Theories of Crime	Read Chapters 9 and 10 Quiz on Chapter 9 Quiz on Chapter 10 Discussion Board	By 11:59 pm on 11/14
Module 7 11/15 - 12/6	Labeling Theory and Conflict/Marxist/Radical Theories of Crime	Read Chapter 11 Quiz on Chapter 11 Final Writing Assignment	By 11:59 pm on 12/6