SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Department : Criminal Justice & Sociology
Course No. CJ650
Title of Course: Seminar in Criminal Justice Leadership and Practice
New Fall 2010
I. Catalog Description and Credit Hours of Course
The capstone course is designed to showcase students’ integration and synthesis of
the graduate experience from both a theoretical and practical framework. 3 credit
hours.
II. Prerequisite (s)
Graduate standing. Students enrolled in the capstone course are expected to be in
the last semester or two of the graduate program.
III. Purpose or Objectives of the Course
1. To develop an understanding of organizational theory as it relates to the
structural, human resource, political and symbolic perspectives of an
organization.
2. To provide an overview of leadership theory and practice.
3. To acquire an awareness of the role of ethics in the criminal justice system.
4. To present a synopsis of administration and management in criminal justice
organizations.
5. To explore the various types of policy/program evaluations and to construct an
evaluative analysis.
IV. Expectations of Students
1. Attendance and participation in the classroom.
2. Read all assigned material and participate in a lecture-discussion format.
3. Completion of class assignments and presentations by due date.
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V. Course Content
Topics include, but are not limited to:
1. Organizational Theory (12 hours)
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Structural Frame
The Human Resource Frame
The Political Frame
The Symbolic Frame
2. Leadership Theory (9 hours)
a. Defining Leadership
b. Improving Leadership Practice
c. Team Leadership
3. Ethics & Civil Liability in Criminal Justice (6 hours)
a. The Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice
b. The Ethics of Criminal Justice Policy Making
c. Definition of Civil Liability along with current issues and trends
4. Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management (6 hours)
a. Management vs. Leadership
b. Current Issues in Administration and Management
5. Criminal Justice Policy Evaluation (12 hours)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Needs Evaluation
Theory Evaluation
Implementation Evaluation
Outcome and Impact Evaluations
Cost-efficiency Evaluation
Total Hours: 45
VI. Textbook(s) and/or Other Required Materials or Equipment
Bolman, L. & Deal, T. (2008) Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and
leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
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Mears, D. (2010). American criminal justice policy: An evaluation approach to
increasing accountability and effectiveness. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Stojkovic, S. (et. al) (2007). Criminal justice organizations: Administration and
management. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
Ross, D. L. (2009). Civil liability in Criminal Justice (5th ed.) Dayton, OH: Anderson
Publishing Company.
VII. Basis for Student Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on the satisfactory performance of three major written
assignments designed to showcase each student’s understanding of the course
materials/topics. Written assignments include: Leadership/organizational theory
& application; issues and trends in criminal justice; and an evaluative analysis of a
criminal justice program. A presentation component will be incorporated into the
evaluative analysis.
Specific assignments and the percentage of the course grade will be explained in
class.
VIII. Grading Scale
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
69% or Below
A
B
C
F
The weight of the evaluation criteria will vary according to each instructor and
will be communicated at the beginning of the course.
IX.
Academic Policy Statement
Students will be expected to abide by the University Policy for Academic Honesty
regarding plagiarism and academic honesty. Refer to:
http://www6.semo.edu/judaffairs/code.html.
X.
Student with Disabilities Statement
If a student has a special need addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and requires materials in an alternative format, please notify the
instructor at the beginning of the course. Reasonable efforts will be made to
accommodate special needs.
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