Syllabus for AOJ-102
INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Introduction to Criminal Justice offers an overview of the entire criminal justice system. The focus is on the administration of police, court and correctional agencies, and the decision-making points from the initial investigation or arrest by police to the eventual release of the offender and his/her re-entry into society. The emphasis is on the dynamic relationships between the various elements in the system as well as special problem areas.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
Introduction to Criminal Justice is a three-credit online course, consisting of five modules. Modules include learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, take online quizzes, and complete a final position paper. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.
In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Introduction to Criminal Justice requires you to participate in five graded class discussions.
Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.
You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation.
Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.
Specific directions for these activities, and the questions to be discussed, are given in the Modules of the course Web site.
For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
You are required to complete five written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.
Your responses should reflect a thorough understanding of the topics covered in your assigned readings by including support from your textbook as well as at least two outside sources. Your Written Assignment should be two to three pages in length (500-750 words) and completed using a word processor.
Each module contains chapter quizzes consisting of multiple choice questions. You may take each quiz multiple times if you wish for additional practice, but be aware that the grade of your most recent attempt will be the one entered into the gradebook.
You will write a final paper thoroughly analyzing and critiquing a recent controversial court case. The goal of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts and theories discussed throughout this course through the analysis of a real-life case. Furthermore, this assignment gives you the opportunity to reflect upon the current state of the criminal justice system and relate current issues to the themes presented throughout the course.
You will submit a final paper proposal, final paper outline, and your final paper, comprising 30 percent of your final grade.
For guidelines and requirements, go to the Final Paper area of the course web site. You are required to submit a paper proposal and outline before submitting the final paper.
Prepare your final paper using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name, code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your the final paper proposal, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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