Online Degrees at Breyer State University
 

Crime and Public Policy

Doctorate Degree in Criminal Justice

CJ 720

Breyer State University

Instructor: Charles "Chuck" Fields, Ph.D.

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Crime and Public Policy, a doctoral-level course in the Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice Degree curriculum will address the notion of crime and the various policy responses to it. You will be introduced to the major efforts (historically and in a contemporary sense) to control or reduce crime. We will look at what policies have worked in the past and how these efforts succeed today. This course will build on material you discussed in earlier graduate-level Criminal Justice you have taken previously.

It is essential that you successfully complete this course before attempting the more advanced courses in the curriculum. This is a doctoral-level course and, as such, is much more rigorous and the requirements more strident than most other courses you have taken.

TIME FRAME: This is a six (6) semester hour course. The course and all exams and/or assignments must be completed within ten weeks. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course or the day that you advise me that your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame as extensions are very rare without special circumstances. Upon successful completion of this course you will be awarded six (6) semester hours of credit. You may accelerate and finish the course prior to the ten-week mark, but not in less than five weeks. There is no mandate to accelerate; it is simply an option if you are able to devote extra time to this course.

TEXTBOOKS: There are two (2) required textbooks for this course:

Book 1: Criminal Justice Policy Making: Federal Roles and Processes. Stoltz, Barbara Ann Praeger Publishers. (2001): ISBN: 0275973247.

Book 2: Crime: Public Policies for Crime Control. Wilson, James Q., Joan Petersilia, & Robert B. Hawkins (eds.) Institute for Contemporary Studies. (2002): ISBN # 1558155090.

Additionally, there is some material you need to obtain via the internet (download and print; no charge to you):

Policies, Processes, and Decisions of the Criminal Justice System (Volume 3). U.S. Department of Justice.


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» Additional Student Resources at StudyTactics

Please obtain the textbooks as soon as possible. These texts may be found at your local bookstore and if they are not in stock, they can be easily ordered by the bookstore, or you may find them at one of the many on-line (e.g., Amazon.com) sources. Additionally, students access the online Virtual Bookstore via a link through the Breyer State web site; or this portal site, http://www.mbsdirect.net; or they can call 800-325-3252 toll-free to place an order.

ASSIGNMENTS: By the fifth week of class, you should have read the assigned texts and be prepared for the exams. By the eighth week, you must have selected and notified me as to a topic for your paper; you may submit an outline of the paper to me for feedback if you so desire. By the tenth week, you must have completed your paper. Again, this is a doctoral-level course and the expectations are that you will prepare and present work of that calibre.

EXAMINATION/FINAL PAPER: There is a midterm (completed by the fifth week) and a final examination (completed during week 9). Each will consist of several (18-20) short essay questions that demonstrate your understanding of the assigned readings from the text and internet sources. Additionally, a twelve-twenty (12-20) page final paper will be written in which you will choose a particular problem relating to crime and crime control, and you will formulate policy solutions to this problem. Further details will be provided by the midterm exam.

Upon your request, I will e-mail the examinations to you and once you complete each (within one week from the time I send it to you), return it as an e-mail attachment back to me (address below). The paper is due by the tenth week of class (send to me also via e-mail attachment). Both the midterm, final examinations, and the final paper will be graded within one week of my receiving them.

GRADING: Final grades for this course will be computed as follows:

90-100%    - A
80-89%      - B
70-79%      - C
Below 70% - Fail

Midterm Exam (25% of final grade)
Final Exam      (25% of final grade)
Final Paper      (50% of final grade)

COMMUNICATION: Do not hesitate to contact me at any time. I prefer communicating through email and can usually respond within 24 hours or less, but I am also available for conversation by phone in "emergencies". You will receive more detailed information if such chat sessions are scheduled. When contacting me, always include your name and the course title in your email message to me, as I may not always recognize your email name.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
You are expected to do your own work on all assignments and you pledge that you will neither knowingly give, nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thus affirming your personal commitment to honor and integrity.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: In addition to teaching in the program at Breyer State University , Charles Fields is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University where his teaching interests include penology, drug policy, and comparative and international criminal justice. He has a B.A. (Political Science, 1980) & M.A. (Political Science, 1981) from Appalachian State University and a Ph.D. (Criminal Justice Theory, 1984) from Sam Houston State University . His previous teaching posts include Saginaw Valley State University (MI), Appalachian State University (NC), California State University , San Bernardino (Department Chair of Criminal Justice), and Eastern Kentucky University (Department Chair of Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies). He has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Lapland and the Police College of Finland. Professor Fields is the author or co-author of four edited books, over thirty articles, book chapters and reviews, and numerous technical reports and monographs. Current research interests include international drug policy, comparative criminal justice systems, and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact the instructor at chuck.fields@eku.edu.

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