Criminology Program

Course Syllabus
CRIM 1301 Section 0I1 (50920) Introduction to Criminal Justice
Summer Semester 2011 Online section
Room: N/A eLearning Syllabus revision date: 04/2/11

I. Course Navigation: Before you begin work, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this web-based course.
The course is totally online in an asynchronous format. You do not have to come to campus and you do not have to be
online at the same time as your professor or classmates. You can complete your course by navigating around the
eLearning CRIM 1301 homepage and reading the materials specified on it and through the materials in the organizers on
that page. We will utilize the assessment, discussion, mail, announcement, who’s online, and my grade tools which are all
available to you on the menu on your course homepage. All requirements for course completion are listed in Section XV
of this syllabus along with the due dates for the completion of the various requirements. A summary calendar is provided
for all graded events at the end of Section XV of the syllabus. I strongly encourage you to print out the summary calendar
and enter the due dates on your personal calendar to ensure that no late submissions occur to avoid the late penalties
associated with submitting graded work later than the due date. If you have any questions whatsoever about how to
access any of the course materials or assignments please email me at elmer.polk@utdallas.edu. You must check your
UT Dallas email and the eLearning course site at least three times per week for emails, announcements, and updates.
Remember this is your classroom so please feel comfortable asking me any questions which you would ordinarily ask in
class. Please be aware that exams will be accessible for a period of one week beginning seven days prior to the
due date. Because of this large amount of time, make-up tests are not permitted in most cases.

II. Professor Contact Information: Dr. O. Elmer Polk, Green Hall, Office #2.408. elmer.polk@utdallas.edu, telephone
972-883-2983. Students are strongly encouraged to use email as the primary method of communication. Your professor
checks email several times per day and you can normally expect a response within one day or sooner.
Office Hours: Students may feel free to contact the professor at any time by email. Hours for Summer Semester 2011
are continuous for online questions and by appointment for those who wish to visit in person.

III. Graduate Teaching Assistant: None.

IV. Pre\Co-requisite: None.

V. Technical Support: If you experience difficulties with your UTD account you may send an email to
assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-883-2911.

VI. Course Description: A survey course of the agencies and processes involved in the criminal justice system.
Emphasis is on concepts, vocabulary, persons, events, sources of information on criminal justice, and the evolution of
behavioral control mechanisms and systems. Criminal justice, its history and emerging role in contemporary society,
including the balancing of the rights of the individual and the rights of the public in a democratic society are discussed.
The course explores existing criminal justice processes and the emerging practices in policing, courts, corrections,
community corrections, and the juvenile system.

VII. Learning Outcomes:

A. The student will become familiar with the jargon and concepts of criminal justice.
B. Students will understand the processes and inter-agency cooperation and/or lack thereof in the
justice system.
C. The history and evolution of criminal justice thought will be presented and analyzed for
patterns of societal response to criminal conduct.
D. The student will become familiar with criminal justice databases and their purposes.
E. The student will learn crime rates and measures.

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F. Students will be reintroduced to basic constitutional rights with emphasis upon those rights most often involving
criminal justice agencies.
G. Enhancement of students' understanding of the impact of politics, sociology, economics, and other dynamics upon the
role of Criminal Justice in the social order.
H. Students will be able to properly categorize human acts as moral, ethical, or legal violations.

VIII. Required Text and course materials: CJ Realities and Challenges (2011) by Ruth E. Masters et al. New York:
McGraw Hill Publishing. ISBN# 978-0-07-340151-5. Additionally, students are required to read appropriate, current
criminal justice journal articles and internet materials as assigned in Section XV of this syllabus.

IX. Grades will be posted based on the following scale: A+=98-100, A=94-97, A-=90-93: B+=87-89, B=84-86, B-=80-83,
C+77-79, C=74-76, C-=70-73, D+=67-69, D=64-66, D-=60-63, F=0-59. Grades are based on the following events (due
dates are in the course calendar and assignment schedule in Section XV of this syllabus). Please note that there is no
extra credit work available in this class and each student should strive to do his or her best work on each and every
grading event. The mathematical rule of rounding will apply to the computation of the final grade in the course
based on the grades received in the following events.

1. Examination I (100 points). 2 hours, online, open-book; questions from textbook and internet sites
2. Examination 2 (100 points). 2 hours, online, open-book; questions from textbook and internet sites
3. Examination 3 (100 points). 2 hours, online, open-book; questions from textbook and internet sites.
4. Examination 4 (100 points). 2 hours, online, open-book; questions from textbook and internet sites
5. Examination 5 (100 points). 2 hours, online, open-book; questions from textbook and internet sites
6. Discussion 1 Forum grade (100 points) Answers to five of the discussion questions must be posted on the discussion
board in essay format of 250 words or more per answer with 2 external references before taking Exam 2
7. Discussion 2 Forum grade (100 points) Answers to five of the discussion questions must be posted on the discussion
board in essay format of 250 words or more per answer with two external references before taking Exam 3
8. Responses to five of your classmates’ postings either agreeing or disagreeing and stating why. (100 points)
9. Syllabus Quiz (no credit points) This quiz is required before any student takes any of the exams or posts any
discussion questions. Please email your professor at elmer.polk@utdallas.edu if you have any questions whatsoever
after taking the quiz. This quiz will only take about 5 minutes or less if you have read the course syllabus closely.
Please be aware that exams will be accessible for a period of one week beginning seven days prior to the due
date. Because of this large amount of time, make-up tests are not permitted in most cases.

Your grades will be posted to the eLearning gradebook in percentage scores with a running average in the Total column.

Incomplete Grade Policy: As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved
within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and
to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically
to a grade of F.

Examinations: There are five open-book examinations that will consist of 25-50 objective items each with a maximum
score of 100 points on each exam. Questions are taken from your textbook and the internet sites identified in the course
outline section of this syllabus. Your score will be posted in percentage scores in your gradebook with a maximum score
of 100% on each. Please be aware that the exams are rigorous. You will be given a maximum of two hours to complete
each exam. Please read and study the text and required internet sites in detail before beginning the exams. The professor
will manually curve the class scores depending upon the highest grade made on each exam. The manual adjustments will
be entered into your gradebook within one week of the due date for each exam. Please be aware that exams will be
accessible for a period of one week beginning seven days prior to the due date. Because of this large amount of
time, make-up tests are not permitted in most cases.

Discussion Board Questions: Ten of the twenty discussion items on the discussion board must be answered with each
item worth 20 points for a cumulative score of 100 on each forum. Five of the discussion questions must be posted from
Forum 1 before you take Examination 2 and five more must be posted from Forum 2 before taking Examination 4.
Discussion Board items may be posted early if the student wishes. Due dates for the postings are detailed in the Course
Calendar and Assignment Schedule in Section XV of the course Syllabus. Questions not posted by the due dates will be
reduced in grade 10 points per calendar day. Any questions not received by the last day of regular class will receive a
score of zero. Discussion question answers must be the student’s own original work and must be 250 words or
longer and each answer must be followed by the bibliographic information on two sources of information in

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addition to the textbook or internet site. In other words, please treat each discussion question as a mini-paper with
three references including your textbook and two additional sources. Answers that are simply blocked and moved from
any other site that are not the original work of the student posting the answer will receive a grade of zero unless properly
cited and the student will be referred for disciplinary action by the university.

Responses: Students are also required to briefly and respectfully comment in five responses to other students’
discussion questions. There is no length requirement for the responses to other student answers. Your responses should
be based on the substantive content of their posting and must address the content of their answer. DO NOT criticize the
other student or make negative references about the student.

Attention to proper writing and correct spelling when posting the discussion questions and responses is expected and is a
part of the grade received for the assignment. Use proper grammar and spelling and do not use any type of abbreviations
not found in a commonly accepted, standardized English dictionary. All comments posted by students must be in
formal language with no intolerant, rude, abusive, or obscene language. Violations of this policy will be referred for
disciplinary action with the recommendation that the student be expelled from the class!

X. Introductions: Students should go to the discussion board and post a brief introduction about themselves during the
first week of class. Please do not post addresses or other personal contact information on the discussion board. Give a
brief summary about yourself including what year you are in, your major, and any future career goals if you have
formulated them.

Syllabus Quiz: All students are required to complete the syllabus quiz within the first week of class.

XI. Netiquette: Please express all posted comments in formal English without street jargon or employment related jargon,
acronyms, or abbreviations that will not be understood by all students. Avoid being critical of your fellow classmates and
focus your responses to the content of what they posted. Do not make emotional outbursts on the discussion page and
always remember that anything you post will be retained exactly as you post it for a long time and can be referred to
exactly as you post it in the future. Some yes and no rules to follow in the course:

 Yes, you can email your professor as often as you like at elmer.polk@utdallas.edu
 Yes, you can critique postings in your responses in any way you like as long as it is not offensive and not
critical of another student personally.
 Yes, you can ask the professor any question you have
 Yes, every email is appreciated and answered
 No, you should not use a lot of acronyms and jargon in your postings
 No, you should not try to use humor as it sometimes comes across online with unintended consequences.
 Remember that even if you are posting your comments in the privacy of your home, they will be viewed online
exactly as comments would be viewed in a live classroom and comment accordingly and with proper respect for
fellow students.

XII. Academic Integrity: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Dallas that each student is responsible for
following the Student Code of Conduct and students should read the Code in their Catalog pertaining to all aspects of
academic integrity, especially the provisions regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is a
completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic
dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include
suspension from the University or other resolutions as required by the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not
limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or
in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, or any act designed to give unfair advantage to a
student.

XIII. University Drop Policy: It is the responsibility of the student to process the official drop and add forms. Faculty/staff
cannot drop students from class. Please be aware the professor cannot drop a student for never attending or missing too
many classes and can only assign grades based on the work submitted. For this reason it is important to your grade that
if, for any reason, you decide to not complete the course, to complete the appropriate paperwork to drop the class
officially or to withdraw from the university.

XIV. Students wishing information on the following topics and policies should visit the website following the list. Student
Conduct & Discipline, Student Grievance Procedures, Incomplete Grade Policy, Disability Services, Religious Holy Days,

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Academic Integrity, Copyright Notice, Email Use, Withdrawal from Class, and Off-Campus Instruction and Course
Activities: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies.

XV. COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Please note that all chapter reading assignments made in this assignment schedule refer to readings in the required
textbook. Additional readings are required in the internet sites identified in the following assignment schedule.

As per the UTD Academic Calendar, Summer semester classes begin on Monday, May 23, 2011 and end on Monday,
August 1, 2011 with a Final Exam due on Thursday, August 4, 2011 by midnight or earlier. Each week in the following
schedule is composed of a seven day period with week one beginning on Monday, May 23. Week 11 is actually only one
day at the end of the semester. Students are encouraged to work a little ahead of schedule to allow for last minute
technical or personal problems that may adversely impact the course grade. Please be aware that exams will be
accessible for a period of one week beginning seven days prior to the due date. Because of this large amount of
time, make-up tests are not permitted in most cases.

Week 1 of Class (May 23-29): Read chapter 1 on the criminal justice system in the text as well as the entire class
syllabus available on the course website. Welcome to the class! These readings will introduce you to the course, the
professor, and the expectations of you in the course. For those of you who have not taken an online course before please
feel free to email me at elmer.polk@utdallas.edu or at the eLearning website on the course homepage and ask any
questions that you would ask me if we were sitting in class. Emails to my regular email address must contain the course
number – please remember that your course number is CRIM 1301 and include it in the subject line of emails to my
regular email address. This is not necessary if you use the email box and tool within the course.

May 31st TUESDAY or earlier: SYLLABUS QUIZ: ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THE POSTED QUIZ BY
MIDNIGHT.
May 31st TUESDAY or earlier: Introductions: ALL STUDENTS SHOULD GO TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD UNDER
Introductions and post a brief introduction of themselves. Please do not post any personal addresses or contact
information. Just tell us a little bit about yourself such as what year you are in, your major, your interests, and future
career plans if you have formulated any at this time.

Required internet site #1: Go to www.fbi.gov. Click on Reports and Publications on the menu at the left side of the
page. Scroll down the page to On Statistics and then click on Crime in the United States (this is the Uniform Crime Report
or UCR).Then click on 2009 preliminary crime statistics. Click on both Table 2 and Table 3 at the left and look over the
crime patterns in each table. According to Table 3: what happened to the amount of violent crime in the United States in
2009/2008? In 2008/2007? In 2007/2006?

Week 2 (May 31 – June 5): Read chapters 2&3 in the text. Topic: Types of crime and causes of crime.

Required Internet site #2: Go to www.crimetheory.com/Archive/Beccaria. Read Chapter 1. What is the name of
Beccaria’s publication? When was it published? What is the name of the chapter you read? (Chapter 1)

Week 3 (June 6-12): Read chapter 4 in the text. Topic: Criminal law and defenses.

JUNE 13, 2011 MONDAYEXAMINATION 1 ON CHAPTERS 1- 4, AND THE REQUIRED INTERNET SITES due by
midnight.

Week 4 (June 13-29): Read chapters 5&6 in the text. Topics: Overview of Policing and Policing Operations.

Required Internet site #3: Go to www.officer.com. Click on Careers on menu at top of page. Then click on Browse all
jobs. Click on 5 or 6 of the jobs listed and read the listings. What can you say about the educational requirements for
police officers?

Week 5: (June 20-26): Read chapter 7 in the text. Topic: Legal and Special Issues in Policing.

JUNE 27, 2011 MONDAY  MUST SUBMIT THE FIRST FIVE DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO
RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS BY MIDNIGHT.

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JUNE 27, 2011 MONDAY  EXAMINATION 2 ON CHAPTERS 5-7, AND THE REQUIRED INTERNET SITES.
REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST HAVE POSTED FIVE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OR MORE AND TWO RESPONSES
BEFORE TAKING THIS EXAMINATION.

Week 6 (June 27 – July 3): Read chapters 8&9 in text. Topics: The Courts, Pretrial and trial

Week 7 (July 5-10): Read chapter 10 in the text. Topic: Sentencing and sentence types.

Required Internet site #4: Go to www.courts.state.tx.us . Examine the diagram of court structure on the page. What is
the highest court in Texas? (please note that this is a bit of a trick questions – please look at the diagram closely). What is
the difference between the District Courts and the Courts of Appeals?

JULY 11, 2011 MONDAY  EXAMINATION 3 ON CHAPTERS 8-10 AND RELATED INTERNET SITES.

Week 8 (July 11-17): Read chapters 11 & 12 in the text. Topics: Corrections, jails and prisons

Week 9 (July 18-24): Read chapter 13 in text. Topic: Community Corrections

Required Internet site #5: Go to http://www.dallascounty.org/department/HR/employment.html. Click on the jobs tab on

the menu at left. Then click on the job category of Law Enforcement, Probation, Security, and Public Safety and hit
search. What is the minimum pay for a Detention Officer 1? For a Juvenile Probation Officer?

JULY 25, 2011 MONDAY  MUST SUBMIT FIVE ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS THREE
ADDITIONAL RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS BY MIDNIGHT. (THIS WILL GIVE YOU A TOTAL OF
TEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND FIVE RESPONSES THUS FAR IN THE COURSE).

JULY 25, 2011 MONDAY  EXAMINATION 4 ON CHAPTERS 11-13 AND RELATED INTERNET SITES. REMEMBER
THAT YOU MUST HAVE POSTED A TOTAL OF TEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OR MORE AND FIVE OR MORE
RESPONSES BEFORE TAKING THIS EXAMINATION.

Week 10 (July 25-July 31): Read chapters 14 & 15 in the text. Topics: victimology and juvenile justice.

Week 11 (August 1): Read chapter 16 in the text. Topic: Contemporary Challenges.

AUGUST 4, 2011 THURSDAY  EXAMINATION 5 (FINAL EXAM CHAPS 14-16) DUE BY MIDNIGHT

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 Course Calendar at a Glance
Calendar due dates for all events contributing to students’ course grade
Students are encouraged to complete assessments and postings early to avoid last minute problems, issues and
grade reductions.

Date Exams and Quiz Discussion Board Dates

MAY 31, 2011 TUESDAY BY SYLLABUS QUIZ: ALL STUDENTS MUST

MIDNIGHT COMPLETE THE POSTED QUIZ BY MIDNIGHT

MAY 31, 2011 TUESDAY BY POST INTRODUCTION

MIDNIGHT

JUNE 13, 2011 MONDAY BY EXAMINATION 1 ON CHAPTERS 1- 4, AND THE

MIDNIGHT. REQUIRED INTERNET SITES

JUNE 27, 2011 MONDAY BY MUST POST THE FIRST FIVE DISCUSSION
MIDNIGHT. QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO RESPONSES
LATE ANSWERS ARE REDUCED TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS.
IN GRADE BY 10% PER DAY.

JUNE 27, 2011 MONDAY BY EXAMINATION 2 ON CHAPTERS 5-7, AND THE

MIDNIGHT. REQUIRED INTERNET SITES. REMEMBER
THAT YOU MUST HAVE POSTED FIVE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OR MORE AND TWO
RESPONSES BEFORE TAKING THIS
EXAMINATION.

JULY 11, 2011 MONDAY BY EXAMINATION 3 ON CHAPTERS 8-10 AND

MIDNIGHT RELATED INTERNET SITES.

JULY 25, 2011 MONDAY BY MUST POST FIVE ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION

MIDNIGHT. QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS THREE ADDITIONAL
RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS
LATE ANSWERS ARE REDUCED BY MIDNIGHT. (THIS WILL GIVE YOU A TOTAL OF
IN GRADE BY 10% PER DAY. TEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND FIVE
RESPONSES THUS FAR IN THE COURSE).

JULY 25, 2011 MONDAY BY EXAMINATION 4 ON CHAPTERS 11-13 AND

MIDNIGHT RELATED INTERNET SITES. REMEMBER THAT
YOU MUST HAVE POSTED A TOTAL OF TEN
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OR MORE AND FIVE
OR MORE RESPONSES BEFORE TAKING THIS
EXAMINATION.

AUGUST 4, 2011 THURSDAY BY FINAL EXAM ON CHAPTERS 14-16

MIDNIGHT

Please note all exam and participation dates carefully and contact your professor if there are urgent and compelling reasons why you need a date
changed. (Remember that early completion of the exams and assignments is permitted without prior discussion). The final exam date is not flexible
regardless of cause if it is late but arrangements can be made for it to be taken early if required.