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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-DALLAS INSTRUCTOR: KRISTINE HORN

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

CJS 3319 SPRING 2006


COMPARATIVE JUSTICE SYSTEMS

WEB SITE: http://home.comcast.net/~lit8gater/index.html

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Conceptualizations of justice, legality, crime, and human rights differ
markedly across cultures. These conceptualizations are closely linked to the legal order, the state,
and legal ideologies. This course examines the way in which different societies and the international
community 1) understand the meaning of human rights, crime, and justice, and 2) establish and
operate legal systems to foster these understandings. To this end, the course is generally divided into
four sections. Section One will explore the definition of justice and the rule of law, and the evolution
of the four major legal systems in the world, including: Common Law, Civil Law, Socialist Law, and
Religious/Philosophical Law. Having established the conceptual parameters of the course, Section
Two will compare the justice systems of France, China, and England with the United States, with the
analysis to include court systems, constitutional review, criminal procedure, sentencing, and
prisons/corrections. Students will also have the opportunity to select a country in which they have a
particular interest to conduct additional comparative analysis. Section Three will examine
supranational courts and the role each of these courts play in justice systems of the model countries.
Section Four will focus on human rights dilemmas, exploring the questions: 1) What are human
rights and are they universal? and 2)Should there be one standard of justice with respect to human
rights? As time permits, we will also examine the issues of transnational crime and terrorism, and the
different responses to these issues of various countries around the world.

The purpose of comparative analysis is threefold. First, in our world of increasing global economic
interdependency, it is important to step outside our insularity to gain an understanding of other
nations and cultures. Second, the increased internationalization of crime requires that we understand
and appreciate the justice systems of other societies. Third, by examining crime and justice in other
societies, we can better understand our own country’s vision of these problems and their potential
solution.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To provide a framework and context with which one can comprehend and critically evaluate
how different societies define law and differences in the process by which justice is achieved.
2. To introduce the student to major types of justice systems in the world today, including the
different ways in which nations have constructed the relationship between citizen and state
and defined the rights of human beings.
3. To develop the analytical tools requisite to constructive thought about the differences
between nations on a number of fundamental criminal justice issues.
4. To develop depth of perspective on issues of transnational crime and issues with global
implications.
5. To provide students with a comparative basis from which to consider the problems of crime
and justice in the United States.

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REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: Both books are available at Off Campus Books.

1. World Criminal Justice Systems: A survey, by Richard J. Terrill, 5thd Edition. Published by
Anderson Publishing Co., 2003, ISBN 1-58360-540-1.

2. Bitter Winds: A Memoir of My Years in China’s Gulag, by Harry Wu and Carolyn


Wakeman. Published by John Wiley & Sons, 1994.

Supplemental Readings on Web Site as assigned.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Regular attendance and substantial participation in class discussion and debate
2. Successful performance on the following assignments:
A. Two Exams 25 %
B. One Group Project 30 % (Individual paper 25%, Group presentation 5%).
C. One Short Essay Paper 25 %
D. One Current Events Discussion Topic 10 %
E. Participation 10%

The grading scale for the course is posted on the Web Site.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS AND METHOD OF EVALUATION:

EXAMS: Two exams will be given. The dates are listed on the attached course calendar. The exams
will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions, graded on a 100 point system. The
average of the two exams will be worth 25% of the final grade.

SHORT ESSAY: A separate assignment sheet for this project has been posted on the Web Site. All
members of the class are required to read the Wu book Bitter Winds, and write an essay about the
book. (Graded on a 100 point scale, worth 25% of the course grade).

GROUP PROJECT
A separate assignment sheet for this project has been posted on the web site. Each group will select a
country on which to conduct an in-depth comparative analysis. As stated on the assignment sheet,
there will be an individual and a group component to the grade.

CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION TOPIC: Each student will be required to sign up for one
class period during which they should be prepared to present a brief report on one current
events/news topic (current within the last 3 months) concerning some aspect of the criminal justice
system of another country. The report will be informal and oral, and the student should be prepared
to describe the topic/event, the source, the significance, and the type of legal tradition followed by
the county you are reporting on. There is a link on the Web Site that will allow you to make this
determination. To receive full credit for this assignment, the student should turn in a two-three
paragraph summary (topic, source, and significance) at the beginning of the class. Of the topics

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turned in on a given day, approximately five will be selected for class discussion (as time permits).
Everyone who turns in a summary on the due date will receive credit for the project, regardless of
whether the topic is discussed in class. This assignment will be graded on a 100 point scale, worth
10% of the course grade.

PARTICIPATION POINTS: Participation is a critical component of your success in the class, and
is worth 10% of your final course grade (evaluated on a 100 point scale). As an incentive (and to
demonstrate how serious I am about this subject), I will be awarding participation points. There are
100 points possible, and I have reserved 10 of the points to be awarded at my discretion at the end of
the semester based on my subjective determination of effort, discussion, and overall participation.
(See Reading and Discussion section of the syllabus). The remaining 90 points will be awarded at
various times throughout the semester for participation in class events. Most of these events will be
announced in advance, but I reserve the right to award points on any given day if appropriate. Under
NO CIRCUMSTANCES will participation points be “made-up”, as allowing make up work for
participation defeats the intended purpose.

EXTRA CREDIT: A separate assignment sheet will be distributed for this project, worth up to 10
additional points added to your lowest exam score. To receive credit for this project, it must be
turned in no later than April 12, 2006.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Instructor Availability. I do not maintain regular office hours at UTD, but can usually be found in
the classroom one half hour before class. I am also available after class, and I am happy to meet with
you at other times to answer questions or discuss any problems or concerns you may have. Please
contact me to arrange a mutually convenient time. My contact information is as follows:
lit8gater@comcast.net. Or Kristine.horn@utdallas.edu. We are required by law to communicate
about items that implicate your privacy (grades) ONLY from an email sent via your official UTD
email address.

Assignment Due Dates/ Makeup Work. All assignments are due on the dates assigned. No late
assignments will be accepted. If you are unable to attend class on the day an assignment is due, it is
your responsibility to send me the assignment by email (Word or WordPerfect format only) by
midnight on the due date. I recognize that emergencies do sometimes occur, but have discovered that
my definition of an emergency frequently differs from that of students. The demands of work,
family, and other courses do not constitute an emergency situation. An emergency usually involves
death of an immediate family member, serious illness or injury. Should one of these extreme events
touch your life on an exam or project due date, you must contact me BEFORE the class in question
to advise of the problem, and be prepared to submit documentary evidence of the problem upon
request. I will then determine if make up arrangements should be made. I cannot stress enough that
this EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES clause is the exception and not the rule. This is not to be
construed as an invitation for the untimely demise of multiple grandmothers on exam days.

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“The Dog Ate It”. Please keep a copy of your writing assignments. Also, to sidestep easily avoided
problems related to computer failures—keep a copy of your work on a floppy disk or CD and be
ready to make alternative arrangements for last minute printing. A crashed computer does not
qualify as an extreme event under the EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES clause above.

Course Reading/Participation. Students are expected to read the assignments before class and make a
significant effort toward meaningful participation in class discussion. Be advised that lectures
and class debate will supplement the reading material. You will miss important material if you are
not in class, and this is likely to have an adverse impact on your overall course grade. Moreover, the
instructor reserves the right, in the case of students on the borderline between letter grades, to
consider significant and meaningful class participation, effort, and attendance in determining
whether to award the higher letter grade.

The Web Site. http://home.comcast.net/~lit8gater/index.html


Students should check the web site regularly, and at least once before coming to class each week. It
would be a good idea to bookmark the site on your computer. I will post important information
concerning the class on the site, including any changes to the course calendar and other important
announcements. Required readings will be posted on the site as announced. I will also post
discussion questions, study aids, supplemental readings, and other items of interest periodically
throughout the semester.

Academic Dishonesty. Do not even think about it. The official UTD policy concerning Academic
Dishonesty is incorporated herein by reference and commended to your reading. Cheating (which by
definition includes plagiarism) will not be tolerated, and University policy will be enforced.

TENATIVE COURSE CALENDER AND ASSIGNED READINGS: (Subject to modification as


deemed necessary by instructor. Significant modifications will be announced in advance and posted
on the web site). NOTE THAT THE WU READING DOES NOT HAVE SPECIFIC
ASSIGNED READING DATES. YOU SHOULD COMPLETE THE READING IN
SUFFICIENT TIME TO WRITE THE ESSAY.

WEEK 1 JANUARY 11 Course Introduction and First Assignment (Identify at


least two areas of the U.S. Criminal Justice System that
you believe do not function properly or need work).

WEEK 2 JANUARY 18 Overview of U.S. System, Why study Comparative


Justice, and the Four Major Legal Traditions, Group
Assignments and initial meeting, Current Events sign
up.

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WEEK 3 JANUARY 25 England (Read Terrill pp. 1-30) Country and topic
Selection for group project reported to instructor

WEEK 4 FEBRUARY 4 England cont’d (Read Terrill pp. 31-74)

WEEK 5 FEBRUARY 8 Film (15 participation points)

WEEK 6 FEBRUARY 15 France (Read Terrill pp. 199-228) Group Project


Meeting to evaluate/exchange initial sources (5
Participation points)

WEEK 7 FEBRUARY 22 EXAM 1

WEEK 8 MARCH 1 France cont’d (Read Terrill 229-278)

WEEK 9 MARCH 8 SPRING BREAK (Have fun, be safe)

WEEK 10 MARCH 15 ESSAY DUE ON WU BOOK Supranational Courts


and Human Rights (Readings to be posted)

WEEK 11 MARCH 22 China (Read Terrill pp. 549-566 and 585-603)

WEEK 12 MARCH 29 China (Read Terrill pp. 604-637) Group Meeting (5


Participation points)

WEEK 13 APRIL 5 EXAM 2

WEEK 14 APRIL 12 In-class Project (Country Creation) (25 participation


Points) EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT DUE

WEEK 15 APRIL 19 GROUP PRESENTATIONS COMPARATIVE


PAPERS DUE

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