"MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL!"
CCJ4391 SPECIAL TOPICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT
SUMMER 2012
COURSE TAUGHT COMPLETELY ONLINE
DR JOHN ORTIZ SMYKLA
DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
jsmykla@uwf.edu
CELL 205.862.4024 (no late calls please)
With the assistance of
MR. RANDALL LOCKHART
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
randall_lockhart@fd.org
and COURTNEY SCHNIPPERT
GRADUATE ASSISTANT
cmw53@students.uwf.edu
Required Text: Robert M. Bohm, Deathquest, Fourth Edition
(Newark, NJ: Anderson Publishing, 2011).
Course Description: This special topics course focuses on capital
punishment, the ultimate form of criminal justice in any country.
My goal in this eight-week summer course is not to cover everything
about capital punishment. I am not sure we could even do that in a
15-week semester. Instead we focus on issues that I believe will keep
our attention across a brief amount of time including how the
decisions of the United States Supreme Court have shaped capital
punishment, the methods of execution, whether capital punishment
has a general deterrent effect, why the capital punishment process
makes errors and what can be done about those errors, and finally
whether the arbitrariness and discrimination that the Supreme Court
said existed in the capital punishment process pre-Furman, still
exists.
Course Objectives:
1. Understand the pre- and post-Furman periods of capital
punishment.
2. Understand select United States Supreme Court cases that have
shaped the death penalty and the death penalty at the federal level,
and globally.
3. Understand the execution methods employed in the United States,
the legal history of the concept "cruel and unusual punishment," and
what capital punishment costs.
4. Evaluate the argument and counterargument of whether capital
punishment is a general deterrent to capital crime.
5. Explain "innocence," the miscarriages of justice pre- and postFurman, and evaluate what can be done to prevent wrongful
convictions.
6. Evaluate whether the procedural reforms that were implemented
since Furman have eliminated arbitrary and discriminatory
application of the death penalty.
Topics:
1. Pre-1968 death penalty cases
2. Death penalty cases 1969-1977
3. Post-1976 death penalty cases
4. Cruel and unusual punishments
5. Methods of execution
6. General deterrence, arguments and counterarguments
7. The brutalizing argument
8. Definition of innocence
9. Miscarriages of justice in pre-Gregg capital cases
10. Miscarriages of justice in post-Gregg capital cases
11. "Super due process"
12. Errors in capital cases
13. Why wrongful convictions occur in capital cases
14. What can be done to prevent wrongful convictions
15. Arbitrariness in the administration of the death penalty, postFurman
16. Discrimination in the administration of the death penalty, postFurman
Course Requirements and Grading:
I created eight additional links in elearning, one for each of our eight
weeks together. If you have any questions after reading about the
course requirements and grading, please email or call me, or email
Courtney.
Each week's link lays out the reading for the week, the assignments
that are due, and the date by when the assignments must be put in the
Dropbox. The Dropboxes open each Monday at 6 am and close every
Sunday at 11:59 pm. I do not accept any late assignments. If you see
anywhere in the syllabus or in any of the links a different day and
time, then understand it's an error. But do let me know so I can
correct it.
I require that every assignment be thoughtfully written. I'll know in a
heartbeat what was put together in a rush. I've been teaching for 37
years and I know what to look for. So save yourself the agony of
receiving a low grade on any assignment and do what I ask the first
time around.
Assignments MUST be word processed using Times New Roman (NO
OTHER FONT IS ACCEPTABLE), 12 font size, with one-inch
margins. BE CERTAIN TO ADD YOUR NAME TO EACH
ASSIGNMENT.
I have 40 students in this special topics class this summer. Courtney
Schnippert, my grad assistant, and I will not be able to comment
extensively on every assignment, nor will we be able to return them to
you. You will be able to check the gradebook to see your assignment
score. Each assignment will take us about one week to read, evaluate
and post to the gradebook.
Each week you have two different types of written assignments.
The first written assignment requires you to answer discussion
questions at the end of the chapter. (DO NOT REPEAT THE
QUESTIONS AND MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THEM IN
ORDER.) Pay attention to the week's link in elearning because for
some weeks I tell you which questions to answer. Most of the time
though you are answering all of them. Anytime between 6 am
Monday through 11:59 pm Sunday you can put the answers to the
chapter discussion questions in that week's dropbox. You'll also note
in some weeks I included a report or news article that adds currency
to that week's topic. You are required to read those pieces as
well. There aren't many.
The second written assignment each week requires you to look up
some death row facts; for example, how many states and jurisdictions
in the U.S. have/don't have the death penalty. I provide you live links
to the website of the Death Penalty Information Center
(www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). This is, without a doubt, the world's
best site for information on capital punishment. Again, do not repeat
the questions and make sure you answer them in order. The
dropboxes for this assignment are labeled Death Row Facts. Anytime
between 6 am Monday through 11:59 pm Sunday you can put the
answers to the death row facts in that week's dropbox.
Do NOT combine the two written assignments, nor submit both to the
same dropbox. The two weekly written assignments must be created
separately and submitted to their respective dropboxes. If you do not
understand, email or call me, or email Courtney.
According to my calculations you will answer 75 end-of-chapter
discussion questions. Each is worth one point.
According to my calculations you will also provide answers to 35
death row facts. Each is worth one point.
You are also required to submit two 350-500 word essays to "THIS I
BELIEVE". "This I Believe" is an international organization that
engages people in writing and sharing essays that describe the core
values that guide their daily lives. Some 100,000 of these essays,
written by people from all walks of life, are archived on the
website. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the
same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow. This is described in Week
1 and Week 8.
You will submit your first essay about what you believe about capital
punishment to "This I Believe" in Week 1 and your second essay to
"This I Believe" in Week 8. Go to Week 1 NOW and see what is
required. You can actually get a heard start and do this now. If you
submit early, you can only submit the first essay early. The objective
in submitting the second essay to "This I Believe" is for you to gauge
what you believe about capital punishment after studying the issues
in depth academically and critically. This should be a fun
exercise. Enjoy it. Each essay is worth 20 points (40 points total).
There will be two exams. The first exam (100 points) will be available
online on WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, between the hours of 6 am and
11:30 pm. It will cover Chapters 4, 5, and 6 AND all of your
homework assignments for those chapters. You MUST have
RESPONDUS uploaded to your computer to take the test. If you do
not have RESPONDUS uploaded here's the link: Respondus. You can
also call the UWF HelpDesk at 850.474.2075. Do not call me about
technical issues. I won't be able to answer them.
The second exam (100 points) will be available online on
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, between the hours of 6 am and 11:30
pm. It will cover Chapters 7, 8 AND 9 AND all of your homework
assignments for those chapters.
In sum, grades are assigned as follows:
75 points end of chapter discussion questions
35 points death row facts
20 points This I Believe (essay #1 submitted to This I Believe NLT
Sunday, June 24)
20 points This I Believe (essay #2 submitted to This I Believe NLT
Sunday, August 12)
100 points Exam 1 Wednesday, July 11
100 points Exam 2 Wednesday, August 1
______________________________
350 points
Letter grade distribution as follows:
326-350 A
315-325 A305-314 B+
291-304 B
280-290 B270- 279
256-269
245-255
235-244
221-234
210-220
C+
C
CD+
D
D-
Under 210 F
FOR YOUR PROTECTION: For those of you in working in the CJ
system in some capacity, it is understood that your statements,
comments, and replies do not necessarily reflect your personal or
professional beliefs and practices or reflect your agency. All
statements, comments, and replies in this course are for educational
purposes only and are to further and to enhance the quality of the
educational experience.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENT POLICIES and OTHER POINTS
OF INTEREST: All assignments are due as stated on the course
calendar.
There will be NO make-up assignments.
It is the
students’ responsibility to manage their time so as to complete all
projects by the stated deadline. Please note that electronic excuses
(e.g., my printer is broken or out of ink, modem problems, hard drive
crashed, computer lab closed, dog ate my disk, etc.) will not be
accepted. Late assignments are not accepted. A score of “0” will be
earned for any assignment that is received after the deadline. Please
do not ask for an extension. We do not allow any extra credit. We do
not issue incompletes (except as defined in the Catalog). You must
complete all of the work during the course of this semester. If you
email us with a question, comment, or concern about the class, you
can expect a response within 24 hours (unless we have indicated in
advance that we will not be available).
EXPECTATIONS FOR ACADEMIC CONDUCT/PLAGIARISM
POLICY:
As future professionals in the criminal justice field, the
faculty in the School of Justice Studies and Social Work believe you
should be held to the highest standards. Please note that your
reputation is extremely important for future employment. It is
expected that you will act appropriately and demonstrate mutual
respect for everyone in the class. Of particular importance is that you
do not represent another person’s work as your own (plagiarism). You
are encouraged to complete the tutorial found on the library’s web
site: Tutorial.
STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT:
The Student Code of Conduct
sets forth the rules, regulations and expected behavior of students
enrolled at the University of West Florida. Violations of any rules,
regulations, or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of
violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the students’
responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and conduct
themselves accordingly. You may access the current Student Code of
Conduct.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: The Student Disability
Resource Center (SDRC) works with students and faculty to help
make UWF an accessible learning environment in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act. The SDRC offers a variety of services for students
with documented disabilities, including learning
disabilities,deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, mobility
limitations, ADHD, psychiatric disorders, and medical
disabilities. Contact Student Disability Resource Center, 11000
University Parkway, Bldg 21/Room 130,Pensacola, FL 32514. Office:
850-474-2387 Fax: 850-857-6188 E-mail: sdrc@uwf.edu
COMMUNICATIONS: All UWF students have access to a free
UWF email address and must use that e-mail address throughout the
course to receive all correspondence. Any necessary changes to the
syllabus, assignments, etc. will be distributed electronically through
GroupMail. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure he/she gets
this information.