Introduction to Criminal Justice Syllabus for 2015-2016
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Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

Student Withdrawal Procedures

N/A

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

CRIJ-1301-001 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Prerequisites

Course Description

This course provides a historical and philosophical overview of the American criminal justice system, including the nature, extent and impact of crime; criminal law; and justice agencies and processes.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Criminal Justice Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 3rd edition. (2014) by John Randolph Fuller.

ISBN-13: 978-0199997961 [Required Textbook]

Textbooks may be purchased via the following methods:

• In person at the Amarillo College bookstore on the West Campus at 6222 W. 9th, Building D. Students can contact the bookstore at 806-354-6040 or via email at westbookstore@actx.edu. They are open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm and in addition to these regularly scheduled hours, extended hours are announced for the beginning and ending of each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer).
• Online through the Amarillo College bookstore or another online vendor. Access the bookstore's home page at http://www.actx.edu/bookstore/ and click on the "West Campus link".
• The correct ISBN is cited above. Students ordering their book online through the Amarillo College bookstore or through another vendor should ensure they order the correct edition of the textbook and allow enough time for delivery so as to have the book the first day of class.

Supplies

All students enrolling in this class must have access to a working computer, active and functioning internet service, Microsoft Word or some other type of word processing program, Adobe Acrobat Reader and exhibit computer competency.

Adobe Acro

Student Performance

1. Describe the history and philosophy of the American criminal justice system.
2. Explain the nature and extent of crime in America.
3. Analyze the impact and consequences of crime.
4. Evaluate the development, concepts, and functions of law in the criminal justice system.
5. Describe the structure of contemporary federal, state, and local justice agencies and processes.

This course will be guided by meeting the Student Performance objectives listed above. At the end of the semester, students are expected to have a working knowledge of the criminal justice system in America and its operations therein.
 

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

The workload for this course will require due diligence and integrity on students' part. Students are individually responsible for ensuring they understand all requirements of the course, have access to all supplies needed and complete assignments accordingly.

Log into the class on a regular basis (at least three times per week) to check for class announcements/emails and ensure understanding of all applicable requirements.

Complete all readings and course preparation as assigned. This is imperative for successful completion of the course.  

At times the discussion board topics will address sensitive subjects and students must remember to conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner. All students are entitled to their opinions and certainly aren’t required to agree with another student’s opinion. However, disagreements can be cited in an appropriate manner.

Snipes, inappropriate language or racial slurs will in no way, shape or form be tolerated during discussions, within written course work or email content.

Only those individuals who are registered in the course are allowed to make posts on the discussion boards or send email within the course. Moreover, only the student registered for the course should prepare the assignments and participate in the course.

Students are not to work together on assignments or exams. In addition, students should refrain from copying and pasting information from the Internet or other students’ assignments and submitting it as their own work product. This is considered cheating and will be dealt with accordingly.

Cheating will not be tolerated. Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with on a case by case basis and will generally result in a grade of zero for the applicable assignment and/or removal from the course.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, students should contact instructor with any problems or questions regarding the course. In addition, there are some Frequently Asked Questions under the Course Resources page under the COURSE MENU on the class site.

Grading Criteria

Students' grades for this course will be comprised of the following percentages and types of assignments:

Coursework	35%	Assignments in this category include vocabulary assessments, reading quizzes and any other type of written assignment of the instructor's choosing.
Discussion  Assignments	35%	Students will be required to interact with others in the course. There will be specific discussion assignments for Modules 1-7 in which the student will be required to post their own discussion answer and then respond to at least five (5) of his or her classmates' postings.
Exams	30%	Mid-term exam - Included in Module 4. The mid-term contains 100 multiple-choice and true-false questions and involves all material covered to date. Final exam - Included in Module 8.  The final contains 200 multiple-choice and true-false questions and is comprehensive in nature, covering all material from the entire semester.**

 

**Final Exam Exemption Opportunity: Refer to the General Course Guidelines and Instructions on the class site for important information on the final exam exemption opportunity.  In the event you are designated as “exempt” from taking the final exam, your mid-term exam grade alone will serve as your exam average (30% of your overall grade). If you are designated as “exempt” and decide you still want to take the final exam, you must accept your grade and it will be averaged together with your mid-term grade to comprise your exam average (30% of your overall grade), as previously stated herein.

Module Assignment Checklists: Each module will have an accompanying module assignment checklist containing all applicable assignments for the respective module. Students will be required to turn in assignments on specified dates, as referenced on the Course Calendar which is located on the class site under the COURSE MENU.

Assignment Deadlines: Late assignments are generally not accepted. Coursework, discussions or exams submitted after the deadline will receive a grade of zero (0). It is imperative for students in an educational setting to learn to manage their assignments and time for success in a real-world environment. Therefore, unless there is some type of valid, extenuating circumstance assignments will NOT be accepted after the due date. Due dates for the entire semester will be listed on the course calendar from the first day of the course. The instructor reserves the right to make determinations regarding acceptance of late assignments on a case-by-case basis.

Grading of Assignments: A comprehensive grading rubric can be found in the General Course Guidelines and Instructions, which is located on the class site under the COURSE MENU.

Final Course Grade Assignment (Grading Schema): Final letter grades in the course will be assigned utilizing the below listed schema. Unless otherwise noted, there will be no exceptions made by the instructor.

Letter Grade	Corresponding Numerical Value
A	89-100
B	79-88
C	69-78
D	59-68
F	58 and below

 

Attendance

REGULAR ATTENDANCE IS NECESSARY FOR SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT. THEREFORE, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO ATTEND CLASS.

Consistent and adequate involvement in an online class is necessary for satisfactory completion. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to check course postings and emails on a daily basis and follow the prescribed timeline for assignments and exams, etc. If a student is having difficulty with any portion of this course, they should contact the instructor via email, phone, or in person, immediately.

Information Regarding Withdrawals:

Per Amarillo College guidelines, students must receive approval from the instructor to withdraw from the course. The last day to withdraw from a class is listed on the course calendar (on the class site) and on Amarillo College’s master calendar in Blackboard.

If a student wishes to withdraw from the course they must complete the following steps:

1. Contact the instructor via email PRIOR TO 12:00 PM NOON on the last day to withdraw.  
2. The instructor will advise a time and date where the student can call or schedule an appointment to discuss the withdrawal.
3. Once a decision is made on the withdrawal, the instructor will initiate the process therein.
4. Every effort will be made to ensure student success is a priority.

Calendar

Additional Information

 

Any time I have course announcements I will post them under the “Announcements” section on the home page of the course and/or send an email to the class.  Make sure you check your announcements/course email often to ensure you don’t miss out on instructor requests or any other necessary information.  Your course emails will go directly to your AC Gmail account. For information on how to access your AC Gmail account you can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb857-WJX9w and watch the instructional video on accessing your account.

I strongly encourage you to contact me immediately with any questions or issues you might have, as communication is a vital component to effective learning in an online environment.

You may contact me in any of the following ways:

Email within the course site on AC Connect. To send me an email within the course, follow the steps listed below: Click on the “Email” link under the COURSE MENU on the left side of the course. Scroll down and select the “Single/Select Users” option. Under the “Available to Select” box on the left scroll down to my name, “Uselding, Sarah” and click on it. Once you’ve selected my name, click on the small arrow right key just to the right of the “Available to Select” box. You should then see my name appear in the “Selected” box on the right. Click on the larger message box and type your email. Once your email is written as you would like it, click on the Submit box in either the upper or lower right corners. Please understand that I check my email on a regular basis. However, there will be times when it may take some time for me to answer you. Generally speaking, you can expect an answer from me within 24 hours.

If you need immediate assistance, I encourage you to text or call me at (806) 290-2727.  If you send a text, please don’t forget to include your name and which class you are in. If for some reason I miss your call, please leave a message and I will call you back.

You can schedule an appointment to come by my office located on the West Campus at 6222 W. 9th, Building C, Room #107A.  In the event you are unable to contact me, there are some additional sources for assistance: You can contact the Criminal Justice Office located in the same building on the West Campus, in room #121, or via phone at (806) 354-6081.  They are always able to locate me, whether I am in class or off campus.  You can contact the “ASK AC” helpline at 371-5000 or after hours you can email them at askac@actx.edu. You may contact the CTL Student & Faculty Help Center at 371-5992. It is available to students who are currently enrolled in academic or continuing education courses on a walk-in and/or appointment basis. Assistance is provided for: Logging-in to AC Connect, Password resets; How to use AC Online; Microsoft Office help/ Microsoft Office alternatives; General computer/software questions. They are located on the Washington Street Campus, Library, 2nd floor, Suite 205 and their hours are: Monday – Thursday, 8am – 5pm (Library 205) Monday – Thursday, 5pm – 9pm (Library Research Desk on the 4th Floor) Friday, 8am – 5pm (Library 205)

 

 

Students should log onto the course as early as possible on the FIRST DAY of the semester.

This 8-week course will progress quickly and the first assignment is due within days of the course beginning. When you log onto the course for the first time you will see a list of items to be completed under the Announcements section. I have also included them below to provide a preview of what will be required at the onset of the course:

To begin your course work, review and complete the below listed items:

1. Read the Course Syllabus. You access the syllabus via the link under the COURSE MENU on the left of the screen on the class site.
2. Review and print the Course Calendar and the General Course Guidelines and Instructions. You access these via the link under the COURSE MENU on the left of the screen on the class site. Both of these are very important documents. The course calendar contains all applicable due dates for your assignments and the General Course Guidelines serve as a comprehensive resource containing much of the information necessary for completion of the course. If you have already taken one of my courses, I recommend you review the document again because there have been several changes made since last semester.
3. Review all remaining content on the Course Resources page and the Student Resources page. Both can be found via the link under the COURSE MENU on the left of the screen on the class site.
4. Click on the LESSONS link under the COURSE MENU on the left of the screen to access the course content. 
5. On the LESSONS page, click on the Module 1 folder.  Print and review the Module 1 checklist and review the remaining material in the Module 1 folder.

 

 

In addition to my regularly scheduled office hours during the first week of classes, I will be holding open HELP sessions as listed below:

Monday, June 6, 2016	12:00pm – 2:00pm 5:00pm – 7:00pm	West Campus, Bldg C, Room 107
Wednesday, June 8, 2016	7:00pm – 9:00pm	West Campus, Bldg C, Room 107
Friday, June 10, 2016	9:00am – 12:00pm	West Campus, Bldg C, Room 107

During these come-and-go sessions I will be available to help students with logging onto their online courses, navigating through the content of the class and understanding all the requirements therein.

Attendance is not mandatory. These sessions are available to help you be more successful in the course. Whether you are taking one of my classes for the first time, or taking online classes in general for the first time, I highly recommend you attend.  If you have any questions regarding these sessions you can email or call me. (See my contact information above.)

 

 

There are a variety of resources available to help students with issues they may be experiencing. I encourage you to contact me with any questions or problems you might have while taking the course. In addition, you should visit the Student Resources page on the class site for helpful information regarding a variety of areas.