University of North Carolina Wilmington
Department of Sociology and Criminology
Fall 2015
CRM 300 – CRN 11659 (3 hours)
MWF - 12:00pm – 12:50pm - Bear Hall 161
Instructor: Roderick W. Jones, Ph.D.
E-Mail: jonesrw@uncw.edu (All communications should be made through e-mail).
Office: Bear Hall 123
Office Hours: MWF 1:30 – 2:30 or by appointment
Catalog Course Description:
(SOC 300) Prerequisite: SOC 105 or CRM 105; pre or co-requisite: MAT 111 or higher
(excluding MAT 141, MAT 142) or a score of 4 or higher on the UNCW math placement test.
Introduction to logic and methods of sociological research. Topics include connections between
theory and research, problem formulation and research design, conceptualization and
measurement, sampling, modes of observation and analysis, ethical issues, and the political
context of research. Partially satisfies University Studies IV: Building Competencies/Information
Literacy. Partially satisfies University Studies IV: Building Competencies/Writing Intensive.
Course Goals and Objectives:
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with basic principles of research within the field
of criminal justice and criminology. Topics we will cover include the following: crime, criminal
justice, scientific inquiry, foundations of research, research ethics, research design, measurement
of crime, experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs, sampling, survey research,
qualitative interviewing, field observation, content analysis and secondary data analysis,
evaluation research and problem analysis, interpretation of data (statistics), and regression
analysis.
Required Text:
Maxfield, M.G. & Babbie, E.R. (2015). Research methods for criminal justice and criminology.
(7th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Learning Outcomes:
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Students will gain factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, and trends)
Students will learn fundamental principles, generalizations, and theories
Students will analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view
Students will demonstrate critical and creative thinking as it applied to production and
review of statistical information
Students will gain experience in interpreting and analyzing peer-reviewed research
Students will learn principles of APA style guidelines
Students will gain practical experience with data collection, statistical software, and
geographic information systems.
Students will learn to construct a literature review
Statement on Academic Integrity:
All students enrolled at UNCW are subject to the UNCW Student Academic Honor Code, which
is intended to help every member of the UNCW community appreciate the high value placed on
academic integrity and the means that will be employed to ensure its preservation. Students are
expected to perpetuate a campus culture in which each student does his or her own work while
relying on appropriate resources for assistance. In such a climate, students enjoy a special trust
that they are members of a unique community in which one’s thoughts and words are attributed
correctly and with proper ownership, and in which there is little need for systems to sanction
those who cheat. As such, all UNCW students shall commit to the principles and spirit of the
Honor Code by adhering to the following pledge: As a student at The University of North
Carolina Wilmington, you committed to honesty and truthfulness in academic inquiry and in the
pursuit of knowledge. You pledge to uphold and promote the UNCW Student Academic Honor
Code.
All members of UNCW’s community are expected to follow the academic Honor Code. Please
read the UNCW Honor Code carefully (as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook and
available here: http://www.uncw.edu/odos/honorcode/ . Academic dishonesty in any form
will not be tolerated in this class.
Plagiarism:
Please be especially familiar with UNCW’s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW
Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone
else’s ideas and represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism:
1. You write about someone else’s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it
by referencing them.
2. You give a presentation and use someone else’s ideas and do not state that the ideas
are the other person’s.
3. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material and do not reference
that material.
Statement Regarding Violence and Harassment:
UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. If you are
experiencing an emergency of this type contact the police at 911 or UNCW CARE at 962- 2273.
Resources for individuals concerned with a violent or harassing situation can be located at
http://www.uncw.edu/wsrc/crisis.html.
Statement on Services for Students with Disabilities:
Students with diagnosed disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services (962-7555).
Please give me a copy of the letter you receive from Office of Disability Services detailing class
accommodations you may need. If you require accommodation for test-taking, please make
sure I have the referral letter no less than three days before the test.
University Learning Center:
Location: DePaolo Hall 1056 & 1003, first floor
Phone: (910) 962-7857
Website: www.uncw.edu/ulc
The University Learning Center’s (ULC) mission is to help students become successful,
independent learners. Tutoring at the ULC is NOT remediation: the ULC offers a different type of
learning opportunity for those students who want to increase the quality of their education. ULC
services are free to all UNCW students and include the following:
Learning Services (University Studies) http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/learning/index.html
Math Services http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/math/index.html
Supplemental Instruction http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/si/index.html
Writing Services http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/writing/index.html
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance:
This course does not have an attendance policy. However, you are expected to attend class and
participate by reading and asking questions (if you have them). Keep in mind that you are paying
for your education, and you should do your best to get as much out of your collegiate experiences.
Also, keep in mind that the job market is competitive. The TOP people you will compete with for
jobs go to class, read, and are fully engaged in obtaining a quality education. How well will you
do in this open competition for jobs? You should train yourself to be responsible, which means
being where you are supposed to be on time, prepared, and ready to work.
Preparation:
The student is expected to be prepared before coming to class and be willing to demonstrate that
preparation. Preparation refers to completing all reading before coming to class with enough
comprehension to engage in an intelligent discussion. Please try to bring your textbook to class
everyday as I will regularly refer to examples within the text and it will be much easier for you to
follow along with the examples.
Every effort will be made by the professor to maintain a class atmosphere conducive to learning
and the free exchange of ideas. Since learning is an interactive process of communication between
faculty and students, each student is expected to participate in this process.
ASSIGNMENTS:
All assignments will be turned in through Blackboard.
Lab Day Handouts:
We will have several lab days throughout the semester that will be used to give you some
practical experience collecting data and using various resources for conducting analysis. There
will be 5 lab day handouts worth 20 points each. You are required to complete the lab day
handouts in class, which means that you must listen carefully to instructions during the labs and
follow along as I lead you through the lab. Classes are short, so we must work efficiently and stay
on task to get through the lessons. Some days you may be asked to take the lab day assignment
home to finish and turn in the next class.
Article Reviews:
You will be required to conduct 5 articles reviews throughout the semester worth 20 points each.
The five articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and cover a range of topics in
criminology. I will provide an example and a template that you should use to construct your
article review. The reviews should be typed, size 12, Times New Roman font and match the
format from the example and template that I will provide. Each review should be 2 pages in
length. It should be difficult for you to write your review in just two pages due to the amount of
information necessary to complete the review. However, you need to practice writing concisely
because as you progress as a writer you will be required to be more equitable, organized, and
simplistic with what you say.
Reading Notes:
“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read” – Mark Twain
In order to ensure that you are completing the required reading you will be required to complete
reading notes. Your reading notes are chapter outlines that you will create from the Maxfield and
Babbie textbook. The chapter outlines should be typed and outlined using MS Word’s note taking
features. This means using bullet points and different heading and section labels. The reading
notes serve two very important purposes. First, they make you review the material multiple times.
You will read the text and then take notes over what you read, which provides you with multiple
exposures to the course material. Second, by creating the chapter outlines you create study guides
that will greatly enhance your ability to study for exams. There are 14 chapters in the book. Each
set of reading notes is worth 10 points. Reading notes are typically due on Fridays by 11:59pm.
You may be tempted to share notes with classmates since they are in digital format. Don’t do this.
I will be able to tell very easily if you do. YOU MUST COMPLETE YOUR OWN WORK (See
statements on academic integrity above). If I find evidence that you are sharing chapter outlines
with classmates I will not hesitate to go through the proper channels (i.e. department
administration) for disciplinary purposes, and you will automatically fail this course.
Chapter Assignments:
Each week you will be required to complete chapter assignments that will consist of multiple
choice and true/false questions. The questions will be presented as assignments on Blackboard.
The assignments are worth 10 points each and will typically be due by 11:59pm on Fridays.
Exams:
There will be two exams that are each worth 100 points. The mid term exam will cover chapters 1
through 7 and the final exam will cover chapters 8 – 14. Since you are assigned readings from the
book all topics covered in any of the chapters is fair game for the exams. This means if I skip over
a topic in lecture, or if it does not appear in the lecture notes but is in the textbook, then it is still
your responsibility to know that material. The exams will be given on Blackboard. You will have
1 hour to complete the exam once you start. After 1 hour, the exam will close and will be
automatically submitted. Thus, you must pace yourself to ensure that you attempt all of the
questions. Since the exams are given on Blackboard they will be open note and taken at your
leisure (We will not meet for class on exam days). The exams will be available on blackboard at
9:00am and will close at 11:59pm on the day of the exam.
Literature Review:
As a part of the writing intensive requirement for this course a literature review worth 100 points
will be mandatory (10 page minimum). The literature review must adhere to APA formatting. As
we progress through the semester we will work together to build a strong literature review.
Several of the lab day sessions will be devoted to constructing the literature review.
Grading:
Course grades will be assigned based on the totals from exams and homework assignments.
Grades will be distributed using the following scale:
A = (100 – 90%); B = (89 – 80%); C = (79 – 70%); D = (69 – 65%); F = (< 65%)
Point Distribution:
Item
Lab Day Handouts
Article Reviews
Reading Notes
Chapter Assignments
Exams
Literature Review
Total
Point Value
100
100
140
140
200
100
780 points
Events
5 Assignments
5 Assignments
14 Assignments
14 Assignments
2 Exams
Final Paper
Student Progress:
Grades will be regularly updated on Blackboard.
Percent of Final Grade
12.8%
12.8%
17.9%
17.9%
25.6%
12.8%
100%
Academic Calendar:
Please review the academic calendar for important dates throughout the semester. Available at:
http://catalogue.uncw.edu/content.php?catoid=17&navoid=1088#Fall__2015
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Dates
Week 1:
August 17: No Class
August 19: Introduction
August 21: Criminological and Criminal Justice Theory
Week 2:
August 24: Crime, Criminal Justice, and Scientific Inquiry
August 26: Crime, Criminal Justice, and Scientific Inquiry
August 28: Research Lab Day 1: Article Searches
Week 3:
August 31: Foundations of Criminal Justice Research
September 2: Foundations of Criminal Justice Research
September 4: Foundations of Criminal Justice Research
Week 4:
September 7: Labor Day – No Class
September 9: Ethics and Criminal Justice
September 11: Ethics and Criminal Justice
Week 5:
September 14: Research Lab Day 2: CITI Training
September 16:General Issues in Research Design
September 18: General Issues in Research Design
Week 6:
September 21: Concepts, Operationalization, Measurement
September 23: Concepts, Operationalization, Measurement
September 25: Research Lab Day 3: Article Search 2
Week 7:
September 28: Measuring Crime
September 20: Measuring Crime
October 2: Research Lab Day 4: APA Style
Week 8:
October 5:Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
October 7: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
October 9: Mid-Term Exam (Due at 11:59pm)
Week 9:
October 12: No Class – Fall Break
October 14: Sampling
October 16: Sampling
Assignments/Events
Handout: Syllabus
Read Chapter 1
Ch. 1 Notes Due, Ch. 1 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 2
Research Lab 1 Due
Ch. 2 Notes Due, Ch. 2 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 3
Ch. 3 Notes Due, Ch. 3 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 4
Ch. 4 Notes Due, Ch. 4 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 5
Research Lab 2 Due
Ch. 5 Notes Due, Ch. 5 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 6
Ch. 6 Notes Due, Ch. 6 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 7
Ch. 7 Notes Due, Ch. 7 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 8
Ch. 8 Notes Due, Ch. 8 Assignment Due
Week 10:
October 19: Survey Research
October 21: Survey Research
October 23: Survey Research
Week 11:
October 26: Qualitative Interviewing
October 28: Qualitative Interviewing
October 30: Qualitative Interviewing
Week 12:
November 2: Field Observation
November 4: Field Observation
November 6: Research Lab Day 5: Graffiti
Week 13:
November 9: Agency Records, Content Analysis, Secondary...
November 11: Agency Records, Content Analysis, Secondary...
November 13: Agency Records, Content Analysis, Secondary...
Week 14:
November 16: Evaluation Research and Problem Analysis
November 18: No Class – ASC Conference
November 20: No Class – ASC Conference
Week 15:
November 23: Evaluation Research and Problem Analysis
November 25: No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday
November 27: No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 16:
November 30: Interpreting Data
December 2: Interpreting Data
December 4: Final Exam (Due at 11:59pm)
Read Chapter 9
Ch. 9 Notes Due, Ch. 9 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 10
Ch.10 Notes Due, Ch. 10 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 11
Ch.11 Notes Due, Ch.11 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 12
Ch.12 Notes Due, Ch.12 Assignment Due
Read Chapter 13
Read Chapter 13
Ch.13 Notes Due, Ch.13 Assignment Due
Ch.14 Notes Due, Ch.14 Assignment Due