Syllabus for AOJ-381
VICTIMOLOGY AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Victimology and Criminal Behavior focuses on the criminal event from both the perspective of victims and the motives of offenders. It examines victimization patterns, typologies, lifestyles, causal factors, consequences, and the treatment of victims by the criminal justice system. Understanding the behaviors of criminals will help students identify preincident warning signs, techniques to defuse immediate danger, and strategies to prevent future harm.
After successfully 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.
You will need to have Microsoft Excel or an Excel Viewer installed on your computer.
You may download a viewer for free from Microsoft at the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10
Be sure to give proper credit if you use any of these materials for your written activities or online discussions.
Victimology and Criminal Behavior is a three-credit online course, consisting of eleven modules. Modules include learning objectives, study materials, class notes and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, and take two proctored online examinations—a midterm and a final. 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.
Victimology and Criminal Behavior requires you to participate in eleven weekly graded online discussion activities, in addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum in module 1.
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 activity and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation 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. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
If you use text material or outside print or online sources to enhance your discussion, please be sure to provide references.
For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
Victimology and Criminal Behavior requires that you complete and submit eleven written assignments, one per week. These written activities are built around the objectives for each unit. Each assignment consists of between two and six short-answer essay questions, some of which are multi-part.
Answer each assignment question as completely as possible. Do not merely copy your answers from your course materials. Rather, formulate answers in your own words, paraphrasing or quoting the course readings as appropriate. Be sure to cite these references in an appropriate manner by using footnotes or endnotes. If you use outside sources to strengthen your answers, be sure to cite them also.
Before submitting your work, proofread it for correct spelling, grammar, complete sentences and paragraphs, and clarity of expression. Be sure to keep a copy of each assignment for yourself.
Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, which is where the written assignments can be found. Read through the written assignment questions before you begin each unit.
Prepare your written assignments 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 and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, 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.
For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
You are required to take two proctored online examinations: a midterm exam and a final exam. Both exams require that you use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.
The midterm exam is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is two-and-one-half hours long and will cover material assigned in Modules 1 through 6. It contains short answer and short essay questions.
The final is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is two-and-one-half hours long and will cover material assigned in Modules 7 through 11. It contains short answer and short essay questions.
Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:
You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
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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