KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE PROPOSAL OR REVISION,
Cover Sheet (10/02/2002)
Course Number/Program Name
CRJU 7705 / MSCJ
Department
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Degree Title (if applicable) N/A
Proposed Effective Date Fall 2011
Check one or more of the following and complete the appropriate sections:
X New Course Proposal
Course Title Change
Course Number Change
Course Credit Change
Course Prerequisite Change
Course Description Change
Sections to be Completed
II, III, IV, V, VII
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
Notes:
If proposed changes to an existing course are substantial (credit hours, title, and description), a new
course with a new number should be proposed.
A new Course Proposal (Sections II, III, IV, V, VII) is required for each new course proposed as part of a new
program. Current catalog information (Section I) is required for each existing course incorporated into the
program.
Minor changes to a course can use the simplified E-Z Course Change Form.
Submitted by:
Faculty Member
Approved
_____
Date
Not Approved
Department Curriculum Committee Date
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Not Approved
Department Chair
Date
School Curriculum Committee
Date
School Dean
Date
GPCC Chair
Date
Dean, Graduate College
Date
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Vice President for Academic Affairs Date
Approved
Not Approved
President
Date
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE/CONCENTRATION/PROGRAM CHANGE
I.
Current Information (Fill in for changes)
Page Number in Current Catalog
Course Prefix and Number
Course Title
Credit Hours
Prerequisites
Description (or Current Degree Requirements)
II.
Proposed Information (Fill in for changes and new courses)
Course Prefix and Number __CRJU 7705____________________
Course Title _Law and the Legal Process
______
Credit Hours 3-0-3
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSCJ Program or permission of the MSCJ Program Director.
Description (or Proposed Degree Requirements)
This course examines the sources of modern American jurisprudence and the influences
on legislation. The adversarial system of justice is considered in depth, and includes
consideration of justice models, prosecution and defense strategies, and ethical
considerations for the participants in the adjudicatory process.
III.
Justification
Students enrolled in the Masters’ degree program in Criminal Justice must
complete 18 credit hours of required core courses and 15 hours of electives. The
required 18 credit hours consist of 6 (six) courses that are recommended by the
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). CRJU 7705 is one of the six core
courses that reflects the ACJS content area of Law Adjudication.
IV.
Additional Information (for New Courses only)
Instructor: Christopher Totten
Texts:
1) Procedures in the Justice System (7th ed.) Stuckey, Roberson, & Wallace, Pearson
Prentice Hall Publishers, 2004.
2) Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Public Policy, Justice, and the Law, Natoli, editor,
McGraw Hill Publishers, 2006.
3) Death Watch: A Death Penalty Anthology, Nelson & Foster, Prentice Hall Publishers,
2001.
Objectives: Students should be able to:
1) discuss the historical antecedents of the American criminal justice system
2) identify and evaluate constitutional and practical limitations on the activities of law
enforcement in investigating crime
3) distinguish different steps in the judicial process from pretrial to post-conviction
4) discuss and assess rights of crime victims and their involvement in the criminal justice
process
5) discuss courtroom procedure and analyze the judicial process
6) evaluate current critical issues in American justice
Instructional Method
Student learning occurs through a variety of teaching techniques, including
lectures, PowerPoint presentations, class discussions, group discussions,
debates, use of films and videos, and a field trip to court. Since this is a graduate
level course, more class time will be devoted to more student-student and/or
student-instructor interaction to better enrich the student learning experience.
Method of Evaluation
Final grade will be based on mid-term exam (50 points), comprehensive final exam
(50 points), court observation (50 points), and book review (50 points),
a total of 200 points. The final grading scale below will be applied:
A = 90%-100% or 179-200 points
B = 80%-89% or 159-178 points
C = 70%-79% or 139-158 points
D = 60%-69% or 119-138 points
F = less than 60% or 118 or fewer points
V.
Resources and Funding Required (New Courses only)
Resource
Amount
Faculty
Other Personnel
Equipment
Supplies
Travel
New Books
New Journals
Other (Specify)
TOTAL
Funding Required Beyond
Normal Departmental Growth
VI. COURSE MASTER FORM
This form will be completed by the requesting department and will be sent to the Office of the
Registrar once the course has been approved by the Office of the President.
The form is required for all new courses.
DISCIPLINE
COURSE NUMBER
COURSE TITLE FOR LABEL
(Note: Limit 16 spaces)
CLASS-LAB-CREDIT HOURS
Approval, Effective Term
Grades Allowed (Regular or S/U)
If course used to satisfy CPC, what areas?
Learning Support Programs courses which are
required as prerequisites
APPROVED:
________________________________________________
Vice President for Academic Affairs or Designee __
VII Attach Syllabus
Course Syllabus
CRJU 7705 (Law and the Legal Process)
Instructor: Christopher Totten
Office: SO 4068
Phone: (770) 420-4413
Email: ctotton@kennesaw.edu
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSCJ Program or permission of the MSCJ Program Director.
Course description: This course examines the sources of modern American jurisprudence and
the influences on legislation. The adversarial system of justice is considered in depth, and
includes consideration of justice models, prosecution and defense strategies, and ethical
considerations for the participants in the adjudicatory process.
Course Objectives: At the end of this course, each student should be able to:
1) discuss the historical antecedents of the American criminal justice system
2) identify and evaluate constitutional and practical limitations on the activities of law
enforcement in investigating crime
3) distinguish different steps in the judicial process from pretrial to post-conviction
4) discuss and assess rights of crime victims and their involvement in the criminal justice
process
5) discuss courtroom procedure and analyze the judicial process
6) evaluate current critical issues in American justice
Required Texts:
1) Procedures in the Justice System (7th ed.) Stuckey, Roberson, & Wallace, Pearson
Prentice Hall Publishers, 2004.
2) Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Public Policy, Justice, and the Law, Natoli, editor,
McGraw Hill Publishers, 2006.
3) Death Watch: A Death Penalty Anthology, Nelson & Foster, Prentice Hall Publishers,
2001.
Grading Policy: Grade distribution will be based on the following:
Mid-Term Exam
50
points
Final Exam
50
points
Court Observation
50
Book Review
50
points
Total
200
points
The final grading scale below will be applied:
A = 90%-100% or 179-200 points
B = 80%-89% or 159-178 points
C = 70%-79% or 139-158 points
D = 60%-69% or 119-138 points
F = less than 60% or 118 or fewer points
Exams will be in essay format. Following the court observation, each student will submit a 4-5
page response paper. The book review will consist of a 7-8 page analysis and critique of the
book, Death Watch: A Death Penalty Anthology. More information about these assignments will
be given in class.
Class Attendance and Participation: KSU expects students to attend course lectures on a regular basis.
Successful learning and understanding of the class materials require class attendance and active
participation in classroom discussions. Note taking in the class is recommended since all readings from
the text, handouts, and videos are subject to inclusion on exams. Students will be penalized 10 points
on the final grade for every class missed.
Academic Integrity Statement: Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions
of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.
Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University ’s policy on academic
honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to
University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work,
malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/ intentional misuse of
computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of
alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the
University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty
member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a
student to the Code of Conduct ’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: KSU provides program accessibility and reasonable
accommodations for students defined as disabled under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A number of services are available to help disabled students
with their academic work. In order to make arrangements for special services, students must visit the
Office of Disabled Student Support Services (located on the second floor of the Student Center) and
arrange an individual assistance plan.
Writing Center: KSU also offers a free service to all students with the goals of not only helping students
write better papers, but also making the students become better writers. I encourage you to visit their
office in the Humanities Building (Room 242) and talk to their personnel about your writing assignments.
You can also go to their website at http://www.kennesaw.edu/english/WritingCenter/ and click on the
“Make an Appointment” link.
Incompletes: According to the KSU catalog regarding an “incomplete grade (I), a grade of
incomplete “will be awarded only when the student has done satisfactory work up to the last two
weeks of the semester, but for nonacademic reasons beyond his/her control is unable to meet the
full requirements of the course.”
Make-Up Exam Policy: Each student is expected to take all the exams on the scheduled dates. Students
with a valid excuse (and hopefully with prior approval from the instructor) for missing a scheduled exam
may make up one test. Make-up exams will be given at the end of the semester and may consist entirely
of essay questions. Students can make up one exam only.
Reading Assignments
Classroom presentations by the instructor will go beyond the scope of the reading assignments. It will be
assumed that students know the concepts and terms presented in the reading materials. Do not assume
that all of the materials in the text will be presented in the classroom.
Dates
Topics
Readings
Week 1
Week 2
Historical foundations of American jurisprudence
What is justice?
Week 3
Week 4
Law enforcement – constitutional and practical
issues
Continuation of Week 3
Stuckey, et al. Chapter 1
Natoli Introduction,
Issues 1 and 10
Stuckey, chapters 2 & 3
Week 5
Week 6
Pretrial process
Continuation of Week 5
Week 7
Week 8
MIDTERM EXAM
Roles of participants in CJ process
Continuation of week 7
Week 9
Week 10
Role of the jury
Trial process
Week 11
Week 12
Court observation
Discussion of court observation
Court Observation Paper Due
Verdict and sentencing
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Death penalty discussion
Book review due
Crime victims
FINAL EXAM
Stuckey, Chapter 16
Natoli, Issue 2
Stuckey, Chapters 4-6
Stuckey, Chapter 9
Natoli, Issue 3
Stuckey, Chapter 10
Stuckey, Chapter 8
Natoli, Issue 13
Stuckey, Chapters 11 & 13
Stuckey, Chapter 12
Natoli, Issue 14
Stuckey, Chapters 14 &15
Natoli, Issues 4,5,7, & 9
Death Watch
Stuckey, Chapter 17