Syllabus

Course Information

Course title:

Introduction to Criminal Justice

 

Course number:

CRIJ 1301

 

Course discipline:

Criminal Justice  

 

Course description:

This course will introduce the student to the Criminal Justice System in America with dozens of professional fields such as law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The course examines the bedrock theoretical principles of criminal justice combined with up-to-date research and high-interest examples of what is happening in the world of crime and crime prevention.

 

Course date:

Spring 2007

 

Location:

VCT/Internet

 

Meeting day(s):

Monday through Friday

 

Meeting time(s):

 Please e-mail questions

 

Prerequisite(s):

none

 

Instructor Information

Name:

Ron Walker

 

Email:

rwalker@tvcc.edu

 

Office location:

T-107 Tech. Building, Athens Campus

 

Office hours:

Please e-mail questions

 

Phone:

903-675-6342

 

Biography:

BS in Police Science, Sam Houston State University. MS in Criminal Justice Management, Sam Houston State University. Graduate studies at The University of Texas at Tyler and West Texas A & M University. Master Peace Officer Certification, Tcleose.

 

Textbooks

Required reading:

Criminal Justice in Action, The Core, Larry Gaines and Roger LeRoy Miller, Thomson/Wadsworth, 3rd. ISBN 0-495-00305-0.  

 

Webtutor Advantage Access Code card 0-495-00310-7

 

Course Goals

Course goals:

This course is designed to introduce the student to the study, theories, and typologies of crime and the administration of justice in America.

 

Course Learning Outcomes

Introduction:

The student will acquire an understanding of the following outcomes:

 

Requirements:

An understanding of the causes of crime.

An understanding of how to define and measure crime.

An understanding of criminal law.

An understanding of law enforcement today.

An understanding of the challenges to effective policing.

An understanding of the police and the constitution.

An understanding of the courts and justice.

An understanding of pretrial procedures and the criminal trial.

An understanding of probation and community corrections.

An understanding of prisons and jails.

An understanding of life behind bars.

An understanding of the juvenile justice system.

An understanding of terrorism and cyber crime.

 

Course Requirements

Requirements:

All major test grades and the major test grade derived from the average of all homework assignments will be used to calculate your final grade. For example: if you scored 90,95,90, and 100 on your tests including the homework (average), your total test score of 375 divided by 4 tests = 94 (A). The "final" is NOT comprehensive.

 

Do all assigned reading and related homework. Complete homework and tests at assigned times. Students are expected to demonstrate a mature attitude toward the subject matter and participate enthusiastically in the course.

 

Policies

Introduction:

Welcome to Introduction to Criminal Justice, CRIJ 1301. The course is on WebCT on the Trinity Valley Community College server at www.tvcc.edu/WebCt/studentinfo.htm. You will need to purchase a text and an access code card for the course. Students can log on to the TVCC WebCT website on the first class day of class. In order to log on to WebCT you will need a WebCT ID and a password. Your ID should be your last name, first name initial, and the last four numbers of your Social Security #. (Ex: John Smith, 123-45-6789 would be smithj6789). Your password would be the last four numbers in your Social Security # (.ex: 6789). The login and password are lower case sensitive. I strongly recommend that you not change your ID and password. Once you get logged in the course you will be prompted for an access code. Save the card with the access code, you may need it again. Once students have logged in to WebCT, they can click on the course homepage and course icons for additional course information. Students should have basic computer and word processing skills prior to taking the course.

 

You must establish communications within the WebCT class in the first week of the semester. Participation in the class is essential to learning. Failure to establish communications or submit assignments and tests when due may result in the student being dropped from the class. The Introduction to Criminal Justice class is on WebCT on the TVCC server at the address above.  All correspondence, assignments, and information must be in your class on the WebCT sever.  Work submitted on any other e-mail site will not be accepted. When you log in to your class, please answer the e-mail waiting for you. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Students will be required to take all major tests and complete all assignments at the scheduled time.  Late work will not be accepted. Tests will be proctored online at the Testing Center at your host college.

 

NOTE: You must have a Webtutor Advantage Access Card for this the course. The Text and "Card" are available from the Trinity Valley Community College Bookstore. Call 903-675-6223 with the information above. The Webtutor card is also available from WebCT at www.webct.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONLINE ORIENTATION

GETTING STARTED

After you are registered in the course, you need to send me an e-mail with the following information: 

Your name
Full mailing address
E-mail address
Phone number (s)
Course name and number
The last 4 digits of your social security number.

My e-mail address is: rwalker@tvcc.edu

With the above information, you can be assigned a User ID and Password for your WebCT class.

TEXTBOOKS

Textbooks and access code cards may be purchased at the TVCC Bookstore.  The Bookstore will ship these upon request by contacting James Quattlebaum at 903-675-6203 or 903-675-6223.

SETTING UP YOUR WebCT PAGE

During the first week of classes, you will be entered into the system and will have access to WebCT.

Your User ID is your last name, first initial, and the last four digits of your social security number. Your password is the last four digits of your social security number.

The following is an example:
Student: Roger Smith    SS# 987-65-4321

He enters the following on the log-in page:
User ID: smithr4321 (no spaces or caps)

Password: 4321

LOGGING IN FOR THE FIRST TIME

Click the "Log-In Page" link to set up your WebCT log-in page.

You will see a box in which to enter your User ID and Password.

On the MY WEBCT (your name) page, you will see a link to your course. Click on it and you will be taken into your internet course using WebCT. Become familiar with the different modules. Click on the Syllabus module, and the Assignments module. Print them out so that you will have them while you are working off line on the assignments. Become familiar with "How to submit your work".

Log-In Page

After logging in for the first time, use the Bookmark or Favorites function of your browser to save the page for easy access.

Most importantly, send an e-mail to your instructor with your name and course name and number to inform him that you were successful in setting up your WebCT page.

ENJOY THE COURSE!