California State University Bakersfield
Victims and the Criminal Justice System
CRJU 430
Fall 2011 – Hybrid Course
Professor: Dr. Doris Hall McPhetridge
Office: DDH-C117
Phone: (661) 654-3121
Email: dhall@csub.edu
Website: www.csub.edu/~dhall
Class Location: Science Building #2, Room #180
Class Time: MWF 1:45-3:05 p.m.
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesdays* 8:45-9:20 a.m. &
MWF* 12:20-1:35 p.m. or by appointment. *Virtual Days
will have virtual office hours via Blackboard chat room.
Required Texts:
Burgess, A., Regehr, C. & Roberts, A. (2010). Victimology: Theories and Applications. Sudbury, MA: Jones
& Bartlett Publishers.
De Becker, G. (1997). The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence. New York: Bantam
Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
Students are expected to complete the readings by the day they are assigned on the syllabus. Students will be
called upon frequently to participate in class discussions. The professor reserves the right to give pop-quizzes
to encourage completing the readings on time.
Required Readings:
In addition to the required texts there are several articles on reserve at the Walter W. Stiern Library. Students
are expected to have completed these articles on the date that they are to be discussed. The following articles
are required readings:
Caffaro, J. & Conn-Caffaro, A. (2005). Treating sibling abuse families. Aggression & Violent Behavior 10:
604-623.
Davies, M. (2002). Male sexual assault victims: A selective review of the literature and implications for
support services. Aggression and Violent Behaviors 7: 203-214.
Gavey, N. & Schmidt, J. (2011). “Trauma of rape” discourse: a double-edged template for everyday
understandings of the impact of rape. Violence Against Women 17: 433-456.
Kaysen, D., Resick, P., & Wise, D. (2003). Living in danger: The impact of chronic traumatization and
traumatic context of post traumatic stress disorder. Trauma, Violence & Abuse 7(4): 247-264.
Koss, M, Bachar, Hopkins, C., & Carlson, C. (2004). Expanding a community’s justice response to sex crimes
through advocacy, prosecutorial, and public health collaboration: Introducing the RESTORE program.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence 19(12): 1435-1463.
Lynch, M. & Stretsky, P. (2003). The meaning of green: Contrasting criminological perspectives. Theoretical
Criminology 7(2): 217-238.
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Miller, S. & Smolter, N. (2011). “Paper abuse”: When all else fails, batterers use procedural stalking.
Violence Against Women 17: 637-650.
Moynihan, M., Banyard, V., Arnold, J., Eckstein, R. & Stapleton, J. (2011). Sisterhood may be powerful for
reducing sexual and intimate partner violence: An evaluation of the bringing of bystander in-person program
with sorority members. Violence Against Women 17: 703-719.
Noll, J., Horowitz, L., Bonanno, G., Trickett, P., & Putnam, F. (2003). Revictimization and self harm in
women who experienced childhood sexual abuse: Results from a prospective study. Journal of Interpersonal
Violence 12(8): 1452-1471.
Peter, T. (2006). Mad, bad or victim? Making sense of mother-daughter sexual abuse. Feminist Criminology
10(1): 283-302.
Setoodeh, R. (28 July 2008). Young, gay and murdered. In Newsweek Magazine: 41-46.
Shankle, R. (2001). A physician’s guide to treating aggression in dementia. In Marcell, J. (Ed.) Elder Rage:
Take My Father…Please! (pp. 306-329). Irvine, CA: Impressive Press.
Straus, M. (2005b). Women’s violence toward men is a serious social problem. In Loseke, D., Gelles, R. &
Cavanaugh, M. (Eds.), Current Controversies on Family Violence (2nd ed.) (pp. 55-77). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications.
Symonds, M. (1980). The “Second Injury” to victims. Evaluation and Change: 36-38.
Timmerman, S. (2006). The fifty-one percent rule of suicide. In Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain
Suspicious Deaths (pp. 74-112). Chicago: The University of Chicago.
Wong, S., Wang, C., Meng, M. & Phillips, M. (2011). Understanding self-harm in victims of intimate partner
violence: A qualitative analysis of calls made by victims to a crisis hotline in China. Violence Against Women
17(4): 532-544.
Zimbardo, P. (2007). For goodness’ sake. The Oprah Magazine: 199-201.
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce the student to the numerous issues surrounding the victims of crime.
Primary concentration will be on cultural and societal assumptions about gender, race, class, ethnicity and
sexual orientation. These issues will underlie the discussion of the history of victimology, the influence of mass
media on crime myths, the characteristics of crime victims, the victim's role in crime, the relationship between
crime victims and the criminal justice system, victim compensation, and victim assistance programs. Special
emphasis will be placed on victims traditionally overlooked by the media, public, and criminal justice system,
such as male victims of rape, male and same-sex victims of domestic violence, victims of torture, and
transgender and homosexual targets of hate crimes, the aged, children sexually assaulted by women, the
disabled, sibling abuse and environment crimes. This course satisfies CSUB’s Gender, Race & Ethnicity (GRE)
requirement and it covers all five markers of social differentiation: gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexual
orientation.
This is a hybrid course. The majority of classes will be held in the traditional format (face to face lectures),
however four of the classes will be held online. The Virtual Days for Fall 2011 are: Friday, Sept. 30th, Friday,
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Oct. 7th, Monday, Oct. 17th & Friday, Nov. 4. The Virtual Days will be delivered through an online
platform (Blackboard Learn 9/RunnerCourses) and may include PowerPoint lecture, movies, guest
speakers, and online class discussions, activities and quizzes/exams.
Because this is a hybrid class, to effectively and successfully navigate this class, students MUST have
a reliable internet connection. Not being able to get online or not being able to get a computer in the
lab ARE NOT acceptable excuses for any failure to complete assignments on time. I will make every
effort at the beginning of the quarter to ensure that students are able to access the system and work
through it. However, if you are unwilling or unable to complete assignments online, you may
want to consider finding an alternate class.
Students can expect to spend between one hour and twenty minutes to two hours and twenty minutes
on completing activities and assignments in Blackboard on Virtual Days. This time is IN ADDITION
to the time it takes to read the necessary materials.
Course Objectives:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the critical role played by gender, race, and ethnicity, class and sexual
orientation in the definitions, theories, and strategies for dealing with victims.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the roots, social and cultural assumptions and their effect on the victims of
crime from marginalized populations or non-dominant social groups, such as child abuse, male rape, same sex
partner abuse, elder abuse, disabled abuse, hate crimes, stalking, homicide, fraud, environmental crimes,
suicide, and street crimes.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of post traumatic stress disorder on crime victims, including but
not limited to re-victimization, self-harm and suicide.
4. Demonstrate the ability to describe the five markers of social differentiation: gender, race, ethnicity, class
and sexual orientation and how each impacts victims and the criminal justice system.
5. Demonstrate an ability to critically analyze the traditional systems of domination and subordination and
social injustice, including the criminal justice system and the impact it has on victim related issues and policies.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the historic Eurocentric roots of victimology, including implicit and
explicit assumptions on gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
7. Demonstrate an ability to describe the contemporary cross cultural scenarios of discrimination, inequality
and social injustice surrounding crime victims.
8. Demonstrate an ability to describe the image of the victim and how that image has changed throughout
recent years. Emphasis will be why society feels more comfortable with certain groups in the role of the victim.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of the use and abuse of statistics in the study of victims.
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10. Demonstrate the ability to think critically and raise relevant questions when reading written material in
existing literature that address victimology. Demonstrate the ability to problem solve when addressing issues
and obstacles crime victims in our society face.
11. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of restorative justice as a form of problem solving and in the
creation of equity and social justice in dealing with crime victims, offenders and society.
12. Demonstrate an ability to discuss other possibilities for creation of equity and social justice with regards to
crime victims.
13. Demonstrate the application of critical thinking skills and teaching methodologies that enable students to
engage in dialogues exploring and analyzing current contemporary discourses on race, ethnicity, gender, class
and sexual orientation with regards to crime victims. Students will also demonstrate the ability to examine their
own attitudes and the attitudes of others.
14. Students must be able to demonstrate the appropriate writing style practiced in social sciences.
15. Demonstrate the ability to complete course assignments in a grammatically correct and structurally sound
way, without spelling errors, and following the format used by the Department of Criminal Justice.
16. Classify terminology unique to the criminal justice system.
Teaching Methodology:
A. Lectures
B. Guest speakers
C. Films
D. Class participation
E. Group activities
F. Team project
G. In-class activities
Course Requirements and Grading:
Midterm
Final exam
Gift of Fear paper
Team Project:
In class writings, group & virtual assignments & pop quizzes
GRADING BREAKDOWN
100 % -94.00 %
A
93.99 %-90.00 %
A89.99 %-87.00 %
B+
86.99 %-83.00 %
B
82.99 %-80.00 %
B79.99 %-77.00 %
C+
76.99 %-73.00 %
72.99 %-70.00 %
69.99 %-67.00 %
66.99 %-63.00 %
62.99 %-60.00 %
59.99 % or less
25%
30%
20%
10%
15%
100%
C
CD+
D
DF
There will be one midterm and one final required for this course. Exams will consist of multiple choice, truefalse, fill in, short answer, and essay questions. Exams will cover assigned readings (whether or not the
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professor covers it in class), lectures, films, and presentations by guest-speakers. The midterm is worth 25% of
your overall grade and the final exam is worth 30%, for a total of 55%.
There are two papers required for this course. All papers are to be typed, double-spaced with standard margins
of one inch. Note: Please make sure to keep separate copies of all your papers that have been turned in for a
grade.
The Gift of Fear paper:
This paper is based on Gavin DeBecker’s book, The Gift of Fear. This paper consists of two parts. For part
one, the students are to interview a person who has used their “gift of fear” in a serious situation. Examples are
police or correctional officers in their line of work, crime victims or social workers. The interview is to cover
the specific situation and any PINs, survival signals, and/or messengers of intuition that the subject used. In
Part Two the students will have to answer specific questions based on DeBecker’s findings. These questions
are listed on Appendix A of this syllabus and they will be posted on Blackboard. This paper is not to exceed
eight pages in length. More details on this assignment will be given in class. This paper is subject to the late
policy outlined in the following section. This paper is due November 7th at the beginning of class.
Team Project:
Students will work in teams of two to four humans. Each team will choose a crime that has not been covered in
class and prepare a Power Point presentation on that subject. Students are required to discuss the crime and to
describe the five markers of social differentiation: gender, race, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation and how
each impacts victims of their particular crime and the criminal justice system. While the team will receive a
grade on the project, peer evaluations will be used to adjust each individual's grade on the project. Each team
will present their PowerPoint to the class. Presentations are not to exceed 7 minutes in length. More details on
this project will be discussed in class. This project is worth 10% of the student’s grade.
SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are to be submitted at the beginning of class on the day they are due, papers submitted after the
beginning of class are LATE and will be penalized. With the exception of in class assignments, all assignments
must be TYPED, unless instructed otherwise. There will be no make up for in class assignments and pop quizzes.
Two copies of class papers must be provided to the instructor on the due date. A hard copy must be received by
the beginning of class on the due date. The second copy must be submitted by the end of the day. One copy must
be a hard copy, and the second must be submitted to Turnitin.com. Both copies must be received on the due date.
Failure to provide two copies on the due date will result in a deduction.
Turnitin.com
All students must submit their Gift of Fear Papers to turnitin.com for review. Failure to do so will result in a
grade reduction. You will need the following information in order to submit your paper to the site:
Class name: CRJU430Fall2011
Enrollment password: victims
Class ID number: TBA
Late Papers
If your paper is not turned in on or before the due date, it will be marked down. Each day that the paper is late
will result in a five point deduction from the total score. After seven days, the assignment is worth 0 points.
Additionally, when you turn in a late paper you must turn it in to the Criminal Justice Department Coordinator
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(DDH D107) or hand it to the professor personally (before class begins), so that the date and time can be noted
on the paper. Please note: I will not accept any papers that are left under my office door.
Academic Honesty
CSUB is a community of scholars where the pursuit of truth and honesty are fundamental. The University
expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in doing so will protect the integrity of all
academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized
assistance. Faculty members are responsible for exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic
work so that honest efforts will be positively encouraged.
There are certain forms of conduct that violate this community’s principles. CHEATING is a broad category
of actions that use fraud and deception to improve a grade or obtain course credit. Cheating is not limited to
examination situations alone, but arises whenever students attempt to gain an unearned academic advantage.
PLAGERISM is a specific form of academic dishonesty (cheating) that consists of the misuse of published or
unpublished works of another by claiming them as one’s own. It may consist of handing in someone else’s
work, copying or purchasing a composition, using ideas, paragraphs, sentences, or phrases written by another,
using data and/or statistics compiled by another without giving citation. Another example of academic
dishonesty (cheating) is the SUBMISSION OF THE SAME, or essentially the same, paper or other
assignment for credit in two different courses without prior approval.
When a faculty member discovers a violation to the community’s principles, the faculty member is required to
give a failing grade to the student for the course. In addition to assigning the final grade, the faculty member
also notifies in writing the Dean of Students and the relevant school dean that an act of academic dishonesty has
occurred and a grade of F has been assigned. The student receives a copy of this letter.
This letter becomes part of the student’s permanent file. If a second act of academic dishonesty occurs, the
student is administratively dismissed from CSUB.
Under the Student Academic Grievance Procedures, a student may appeal any sanction employed by faculty of
the University based on the allegation of academic dishonesty. The initiation of the grievance must occur
within fifteen (15) school days after notification of the grade is mailed or personally given to the student.
Copies of these procedures are available in the offices of the school deans. All such actions face severe
penalties under CSUB policy; the normal outcome is the award of the grade of F for the class in which the act
occurred. (CSUB 1999-2001 Catalog, 53).
Services for Students with Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of Services for Students with
Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. Their office is located in SA 140, and they may be reached at (661) 6543360 (voice) or (661) 654-6288 (TDD). If you have an accommodations letter from SSD Office documenting
that you have a disability, please present the letter to me during my office hours as soon as possible so we can
discuss the specific accommodations that you might need in this class.
Academic Freedom
Freedom to pursue truth and to achieve personal and intellectual development is essential to CSUB’s
community of scholars. The University is firmly committed to such freedom for both students and faculty.
For the achievement of academic freedom, a necessary condition for such pursuit is an acceptance of spirit of
inquiry and appreciation for diverse ideas, viewpoints, cultures, and life-styles. Acceptance must be present
both in the classroom and in other areas of campus. The achievement of academic freedom, however, must
occur with respect for law and the protection of the opinions of others. (CSUB 1999-2001 Catalog, 53).
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Classroom Conduct
The classroom is essential for the achievement of academic freedom, the pursuit of truth, and the development
of students. Because of its importance, students as they enter the classroom must exhibit respect for the views
of others, the professionalism of the instructor, and the goals of academic freedom. Faculty is obligated to
recognize and respect student diversity and opinion. Yet they have a fundamental responsibility to uphold the
integrity of the learning environment. When confronted by unreasonable disruption of the classroom, faculty is
expected to initiate actions to correct such conditions. Such actions can result in disciplinary action including
removal from the classroom. (CSUB 1999-2001 Catalog, 53).
Lectures and discussions are most effective when there are minimal distractions and interruption. As such
students should be sensitive to the following issues. Students should arrive to class prior to the scheduled start
of class. Students should refrain from leaving class during lecture. All cellular telephones MUST be turned
off during exams. Failure to do so can result in an “F” on that exam.
Missing Exams and Make-ups
There are no make-ups for in-class writing assignments and pop-quizzes in this course. However, should a
student be forced to miss an exam they must contact the professor within 24 hours of the scheduled exam. If the
absence is for another reason other than extreme illness or family emergency it is up to the professor's discretion
to allow a make-up exam. All students are required to complete the final exam for a passing grade in this
course.
Precautionary Disclaimer
The schedule for this course is subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If changes must be
made, you will be notified. Notice given during class is considered proper notice.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Date
Topic
Readings
09/12/11
Introduction to the course
none
09/14/11
Introduction to Victimology
Burgess, ch. 1
09/16/11
Victimology theories & Stranger Danger
Burgess, ch. 2 & DeBecker,
ch. 1-2
09/19/11
Bystander Effect
Moynihan article
09/21/11
Second Injury
09/23/11
Victim Services, Legislation & Treatment
Burgess, ch. 3
09/26/11
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Kaysen article
09/28/11
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & Rape Trauma
Syndrome
Gavey article
Symmonds article & DeBecker, ch. 3-5
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09/30/11
Disassociation, self mutilation and crime victims
Noll article & Wong article
10/03/11
Suicide
DeBecker, ch. 6-11 &
Timmerman article
10/05/11
Stalking
Burgess, ch. 9
10/07/11
Virtual Day – Stalking (continued)
Miller article
10/10/11
Stalking
DeBecker, ch. 13-15
10/12/11
Elder Abuse
Burgess, ch. 10
10/14/11
Jeopardy
10/17/11
Virtual Day – Elder Abuse
10/19/11
Midterm
10/21/11
Green Criminology
10/24/11
Cultural issues & child abuse & Children witnessing domestic Hines article & Barnett
10/26/11
Child abuse
Burgess, ch. 5
10/28/11
Sexual child abuse
Peter article
10/31/11
Sexual child abuse & Sibling abuse
11/02/11
Bullies and other violent children
11/04/11
Virtual Day – Workplace violence &
Same Sex Domestic Violence victims
Violence victims
Shankle article
Lynch article & Burgess, ch. 14
Caffaro article & DeBecker, ch. 12
Burgess, ch. 6
DeBecker, ch. 9 & Strauss article
11/07/11
Hate crimes & Team Projects
DeBecker paper due
Burgess, ch. 12 & Setoodeh article
11/09/11
Restorative Justice & Team Projects
11/11/11
Holiday – Veteran’s Day
11/14/11
Restorative Justice & Team Projects
Zimbardo article
11/16/11
Homicide victims & Team Projects
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Burgess, ch. 11
Koss article
11/18/11
Jeopardy
Final Exam:
Wednesday, November 23rd at 2:00-4:30 p.m.
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