Graduate (T/TH)
Spring 2014
Research Methods in Criminal Justice
GRADUATE SYLLABUS
School of Criminal Justice
CJ 5113/CRN: 25295
T/TH 8:00-9:15
LAR 237/LAB 129
CJ 5113/CRN: 25286
T/TH 12:30-1:45
LAR 237/LAB 129
Rashi K. Shukla, Ph.D.
Office: COM 115
Ph. 974-5278
Email: rshukla@uco.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays (9:20am-11:20am, 1:00pm-1:30pm, & 3:00pm-4:15pm), Thursdays
(9:20am-10:45am) & by appointment.
COMPUTER LAB: LAR 129 on group meeting dates & as otherwise scheduled. Lab time will
begin after lecture/discussion on days when additional time is needed.
is needed.
Texts:
1) Required: Maxfield, Michael G. & Babbie, Earl. 2012. Basics of Research Methods
for Criminal Justice & Criminology. 3rd ed. Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN: 978-1-11134691-1.
2) Required: Mosher, C. J., Miethe, T., D., & Hart, T., C. 2011. The Mismeasure of
Crime. 2nd ed. Sage Publications. ISBN: 9781412981811.
3) Required: Additional course readings – available via D2L
4) Recommended: American Psychological Association. 2010. Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association. 6th edition. ISBN-13: 978-1433805615.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 3643 and SOC 3633 with a minimum grade of “C” or permission of the
instructor.
Course Description:
According to the University of Central Oklahoma 2013-2014 Graduate Catalog, this course is
described as follows:
Research Methods in Criminal Justice is designed to acquaint students with quantitative
and qualitative research methodologies, including an in-depth analysis of the following:
conceptualization of research, types of sampling strategies, data collection methods,
research design and proposal writing.
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Course Objectives:
Successful completion of this course will prepare the student to:
1) Identify the purposes of conducting scientific research and address methodological issues
necessary for conducting and critically analyzing criminological research;
2) Differentiate between the various forms of data collection and sampling techniques used in
criminal justice research;
3) Demonstrate knowledge of the general issues in research design, including criteria for
causality, types of validity, units of analysis, types of research design, and stages in the
research process;
4) Analyze the problematic issues associated with the conceptualization and measurement of
criminal justice topics;
5) Compare and contrast the diverse ways crime is measured and demonstrate knowledge of the
strengths and limitations of each method;
6) Synthesize the different types of data used in criminological research and the key issues
associated with evaluation research, policy analysis and general analyses of criminological
data;
7) Prepare an original research proposal that addresses the various aspects of research design.
Transformational Learning Outcomes
University of Central Oklahoma is a learning-centered organization committed to transformative
education through active engagement in the teaching-learning interchange, scholarly and creative
pursuits, leadership, global competency, healthy lifestyles, and service to others. This course
addresses two of the university’s transformative learning goals. Scholarly and creative pursuits
and leadership will be addressed through the collaborative creation of an original research
proposal and presentation of research and other course materials to the class.
Course Requirements:
Students are responsible for the timely completion of all assignments and exams, and are
expected to come to class prepared each week for class discussion. This course will include
lectures, class discussion, in-class writing assignments, and videos. You will be held responsible
for all materials presented in class regardless of whether you are present or not.
Attendance:
Graduate students are expected and required to attend all scheduled classes and work on their
own research proposals individually in the computer lab on undergraduate group meeting days.
Graduate students are expected to participate in class discussions. 20 points may be deducted
from the final grade for failing to attend class and/or participate.
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Reading Assignments & Mini-Quizzes:
Students are expected to complete weekly reading assignments and come to class prepared for
lectures and class discussion. There will be 10 mini-quizzes throughout the semester over
assigned weekly readings. Each mini-quiz will be worth 10 points. Mini-quizzes will either be
administered in class or online. For in-class quizzes, students must be present to be eligible to
receive credit. Missing a mini-quiz will result in a loss of points.
Students are responsible for all assigned reading materials regardless of whether they are
covered in class or not. Lack of classroom participation may result in a pop-quiz at any time.
Exams:
There are two exams in this course. Exams may consist of true-false, multiple-choice, matching,
short answer and/or essay questions. Each exam is worth 100 points. Students are required to
bring a green scantron, #2 pencil, and ink pen to each exam. Graduate students should expect
that there will be essay questions on each exam and should bring a SMALL blue book for the
essay portion of the exam. Essay answers must be legible to receive credit. The mid-term exam
will be taken over two separate class periods to allow for adequate time for the exam. Details on
the precise format of the exam will be discussed in class.
The instructor reserves the right to determine the precise nature of the final exam on the basis of
classroom participation and cooperation. An exam covering the most recent materials reviewed
will be provided for good classroom behavior and participation. Continual class disruptions
throughout the semester will result in a comprehensive, essay final exam for the entire class.
Make-up Exam Policy:
Students are expected to take class examinations on the day they are scheduled, and are
expected to be on time for exams. Missing an exam for any reason will result in a 10 point
grade deduction on the exam. Arriving to an exam up to 15 minutes late will automatically result
in a 10 point grade deduction. Students arriving to an exam after the 15 minute grace period will
not be allowed to take the exam.
Advance notification and approval are required for make-up examinations, and official
documentation must be provided to the instructor in cases when make-up exams are approved.
Make-up examinations will only be considered for students attending Provost-approved,
university-sponsored activities, or students with serious illnesses or injuries. The right to
determine whether or not a student is allowed to make-up a missed exam will be determined
solely according to the discretion of the instructor. Students will have only one opportunity to
take the make-up exam. Missing the make-up exam for any reason will result in a zero for that
exam.
Research Proposal:
The Board of Regents and the College of Liberal Arts require writing assignments for 3000,
4000, and 5000 level classes. Each graduate student is expected to complete an original, research
proposal. Specific guidelines for this assignment will be discussed during the first weeks of
school. Proposals will not be returned.
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Graduate students are required to work on their proposals during scheduled computer lab and
will be encouraged to assist one another and work with the instructor. Students will be required
to present their preliminary research design during a mid-semester mini-presentation; a final
present on the proposal and research design will be presented the last weeks of class.
Chapter Presentation
Graduate students will be expected to take a leading role in classroom discussions, and will be
required to present a segment of the course-related materials. Each graduate student will pick a
topic/chapter and will be responsible for taking a leading role in the lecture on the scheduled day.
Graduate students are encouraged to create discussion questions, in-class activities and/or bring
in outside materials to complement course readings for their presentation. Further details will be
discussed in class.
Mismeasure of Crime Lecture & Presentation
Each graduate student will be required to complete a presentation of materials presented in the
text Mismeasure of Crime. Further guidelines will be provided the first weeks of class.
No late work will be accepted. Term papers and other assignments must be turned in at the
beginning of class on the day they are due. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Students caught cheating on an assignment or during an examination forfeit that grade. NO
EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE. A zero will automatically be given. Students are advised to
refer to the UCO Student Code of Conduct for more information. Students do not have
permission to sell course lectures or notes.
Email:
Use the email function within D2L to contact the professor. By default, course emails are
forwarded to student UCO email address. The course instructor will regularly check the course
email during the week. Students can expect to receive a response to an email within 48-72 hours
(i.e., on business days).
Please follow these instructions when sending emails to the professor:
1) Include a subject heading that describes the topic of the email (e.g., Question
about exam
2) Include the course number, name, or time of class in the subject line (except for
emails sent within D2L)
3) Include a proper introduction at the beginning of the email (e.g., Dear Professor or
Dr. Shukla)
4) End the email with your name
D2L
This course will utilize Learn@UCO (Desire2Learn/D2L) and be accessible from any computer
with access to the Internet. To access Learn@UCO, log in to the University of Central
Oklahoma’s campus portal page, UCONNECT at http://uconnect.uco.edu, and access the course
through the course list or login to D2L directly via http://learn.uco.edu
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Students unfamiliar with the technological requirements and settings for D2L should complete
the following online student tutorials and orientation modules provided under the “UCO Student
Resources” tab on the D2L homepage.
Technical Support
Students experiencing technical problems should contact the University of Central Oklahoma
Service Desk / Technology Support via phone at (405) 974-2255, email (support@uco.edu) or in
person at the walk-up desk. Detailed information about obtaining technical support is available
online at http://www.uco.edu/technology/support/index.asp
Tutoring (if available)
A course tutor may be available to assist students with the learning of course materials. Tutoring
sessions will not be like formal class sessions. Students should go to tutoring sessions prepared
with their course materials and use the time to discuss concepts and issues that were covered in
class and ask questions. The goal of the tutoring sessions is to assist students with course
information, not to provide specific feedback on the proposal assignment. The instructor retains
the right to take tutoring attendance into account when deciding borderline grades.
Plagiarism
All writing assignments that you submit for this course must either be entirely your own, or
properly referenced/cited. Violations constitute plagiarism. Students who plagiarize may receive
a failing grade on the assignment and in the course. A case involving plagiarism is usually
referred to the Discipline Committee, which can recommend in extreme cases dismissal from the
University. There are two major types of plagiarism:
1. Word-for-word copying, without acknowledgement, of another writer. Having another
person write or dictate all or part of one’s composition is plagiarism. In addition, you
should not copy a printed passage, no matter how brief, without acknowledging its
source.
2. The unacknowledged paraphrasing of an author’s ideas. You should not take credit for
another person’s thoughts. Any distinctive, original idea taken from another write should
be credited to its author. If you are uncertain about the distinctiveness of an author’s idea,
it is best to acknowledge the author.
Rejection Policy
The instructor reserves the right to reject all assignments, including research proposals
and research papers, deemed inappropriate for the assignment. Examples of reasons for
papers to be rejected include the following reasons: failure to follow specific guidelines and
instructions, incorrect citation format, not using the minimum number of required references,
plagiarism. Rejected work will be returned, ungraded, to the student. The student will be
notified via email, with an explanation detailing why the paper is rejected. Rejected products
will receive a grade of zero. The instructor reserves the right to determine whether a revised
assignment or paper will be accepted. If a make-up opportunity is allowed, the student will have
one week to resubmit the assignment; revised papers will be considered late and will be
penalized with a loss of points.
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Fatal Error Policy1 – Students should know (or learn) how to write properly and in a
professional manner. All written work should meet certain standards. For this course, there are
three (3) main areas of writing that students will be expected to know. If students do not do as
instructed, there will be consequences. The three areas are citations, following directions, and
grammar and spelling.
 Citations – Sources, quotations, and materials directly or indirectly obtained from
external sources must correctly be cited. Failing to cite sources will result in an automatic
zero for the assignment.
 Following Directions- Failing to follow the directions for an assignment or course
activity will result in an automatic 30% reduction in grade for the assignment.
 Grammar and Spelling – Assignments and other work should be free of grammar and
spelling mistakes. If submitted work contains an 5 or more grammar and/or spelling
mistakes, the final grade will be penalized with a 30% reduction in grade.
Examples of common mistakes include:
 Misspelled word
 Sentence fragment
 Run-on sentence
 Capitalization mistake
 Serious error in punctuation
 Error in verb tense or subject/verb agreement
If you have trouble writing, please visit with writing center on campus (part of Tutoring Central).
It helps to read your work out loud. You will catch many mistakes that way. Additionally it is
always a good idea to have someone else proofread your work.
Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement
UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by taking
this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review
to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as
source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms
and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various
plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during
the terms of the semesters. The UCO Student Handbook outlines the process for contesting
plagiarism allegations.
ADA Statement Regarding Special Accommodations
The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need
special accommodations must contact Disability Support Services in room 309 of the Nigh
University Center, (405) 974-2516. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor as
soon as possible after the DSS has verified the need for accommodations to ensure that such
1
Modified from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Fatal Error Policy--Adopted by the School of Business
faculty on November 13, 1995. Retrieved 12/7/12 from
http://www.siue.edu/business/current/policies_forms.shtml#fep
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accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Additional information about the Office
of Disability Support Services (DSS) is available at http://www.uco.edu/studentaffairs/dss/index.asp.
Spring 2014 Syllabus Attachment
Refer to the UCO Fall 2013 syllabus attachment for additional course information. The syllabus
attachment is posted online and is also available from the UCO Office of Academic Affairs
website.
Expectation of Work OSHRE II-2-34 Statement:
It is expected that a full-time college student will spend time each week in class attendance and
study out of class approaching a 40-hour work week. A person employed on a full-time basis
should not simultaneously expect to maintain a full-time schedule. At the undergraduate level,
this means that for each hour in class, a student is expected to spend at least two hours doing
homework.
Course Points
Exam 1
Exam 2
Chapter Presentation
Mismeasure of Crime
Proposal Presentation
Mini-quizzes
Proposal
Total Points
____
100 points
100 points
30 points
30 points
10 points
100 points
100 points
470 points
__Grading Scale__/
A = 92 – 100
B = 84 – 91
C = 75 – 83
D = 66 – 74
F = 65 & fewer
Points__
[430 – 470]
[392 – 429]
[350 – 391]
[308 – 349]
[307 & fewer]
Course Outline
The following reading plan ad exam schedule is tentative and subject to revision during the
semester. Announcements about changes to this schedule will be made in class and/or posted in
D2L. Students are responsible for checking the course homepage and announcements weekly for
updates or revisions to this schedule. Additional assignments and/or points may be added to
course structure as the semester progresses.
Week 1 – January 13-17, 2014
Introduction to course
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 1 ‘Criminal Justice & Scientific Inquiry’
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Spring 2014
Week 2 – January 20-24, 2014
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 2 ‘Ethics & Criminal Justice Research’
Article: Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience
Preliminary proposal work
Week 3 – January 27-31, 2014
Article: Klinger, D. (2003). Social Theory & the Street Cop: The Case of Deadly Force
Proposal Work (Jan. 30)
Mini-Quiz #1
Week 4 – February 3-7, 2014
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 3 ‘General Issues in Research Design’
Proposal Work (Feb. 6) Research Questions, Literature Review
Mini-Quiz #2
Week 5 – February 10-14, 2014
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 4 ‘Concepts, Operationalization & Measurement’
Article: ONDCP. (1994). Fact Sheet: Drug-Related Crime
Article: Horney et al. (1995) Criminal Careers in the Short-Term: Intra-individual variability…
Proposal Work (Feb. 13)
Mini-Quiz #3
Week 6 – February 17-21, 2014
Maxfield & Babbie – Ch. 6 ‘Sampling’
Proposal Work (Feb. 20)
Mini-Quiz #4
Week 7 – February 24-28, 2014
Measuring Crime Presentation & Discussion – graduate students
Preliminary proposal mini-presentations
Week 8 – March 3-7, 2014
EXAM #1: Part I – Tuesday (March 4) / Part II – Thursday (March 6)
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Week 9 – March 10-14, 2014
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 7 ‘Survey Research & Other Ways of Asking Questions’
Article: Titus et al., (1995). Victimization of Persons by Fraud
Proposal Work (March 13)
Mini-Quiz #5
Week 10 – March 17- 21, 2014
Spring Break – No Classes
Week 11 – March 24-28, 2014
Maxfield and Babbie – Ch. 8 ‘Field Research’
Article: Shearing & Stenning. (1997). From the panopticon to Disney World: The development
of discipline.
Article: Low et al., (2005). Battery Park City: An ethnographic field study of the community
impact of 9/11.
Article: Biernacki & Waldorf. (1981). Snowball Sampling: Problems & Techniques of Chain
Referral Sampling.
Proposal Work (March 27)
Mini-Quiz #6
Week 12 – March 31-April 4, 2014
Maxfield & Babbie - Ch. 9 ‘Agency Records, Content Analysis & Secondary Data’
Article: Shukla et al., (2012). An evolving problem: Methamphetamine production & trafficking
in the United States.
Proposal Work (April 3)
Mini-Quiz #7
Week 13 – April 7-11, 2014
Ch. 5 ‘Experimental & Quasi Experimental Designs’
Article: Sherman & Berk. (1984). The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment.
Research Proposals Due: Thursday, April 10, 2014
Mini-Quiz #8
Week 14 – April 14-18, 2014
Maxfield & Babbie - Ch. 10 ‘Evaluation Research & Policy Analysis’
Mini-Quiz #9
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Week 15 – April 21-25, 2014
Maxfield & Babbie – Ch. 11 ‘Interpreting Data’ (selected info. to be announced)
Proposal Presentations begin
Week 16 – April 28-May 2, 2014
Proposal Presentations continue (if needed)
Article: Managing Increasing Aging Inmate Populations – OK Department of
Corrections (October 2008)
Article: Chiu. (2010). It’s About Time: Aging Prisoners, Increasing Costs & Geriatric Release
Article: LAPD Chief Bratton Speaks Out: What’s Wrong with Criminal Justice
Research & How to Make It Right
Article: Wilson, J.A. (2007). Habilitation or harm: Project Greenlight and the potential
consequences of correctional programming.
Mini-Quiz #10
Week 17 – May 5-9 [Final Exams]2
CRN 25294: Thursday, May 8, 2014 from 7:00am-8:50am
CRN 25280: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 from 11:00am-12:50pm
Confirm date/time with Final Exam Schedule
2
Confirm date & time with UCO Final Exam Schedule. The instructor reserves the right to give the course final
exam in-class or online.
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Research Methods Criminal Justice
Additional Assigned Reading List3
Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology,
67(4), 371–378. [UCO Library online]
Klinger, D. (2003). Social theory and the street cop: The case of deadly force. Ideas in American
Policing #7. Washington, D.C.: Police Foundation. [www.policefoundation.org/content/socialtheory-and-street-cop-case-deadly-force]
U.S. Department of Justice. (1994). Fact Sheet: Drug-Related Crime. NCJ 149286. ONDCP
Drugs & Crime Clearinghouse. [www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/DRRC.PDF]
Horney, J., Osgood, D.W., and Marshall, I.H. (1995). Criminal careers in the short-term: Intraindividual variability in crime and its relation to local life circumstances. American Sociological
Review, 60(5), 655-673. [UCO Library online]
Titus, R.M., Heinzelman, F. and Boyle, J.M. 1995. Victimization of Persons by Fraud. National
Institute of Justice Reprint from Crime & Delinquency, 41(1), 54-72.
[https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/153727NCJRS.pdf
Shearing, C.D. & Stenning, P.C. (1997). From the panopticon to Disney World: The
development of discipline.
[www.popcenter.org/problems/crimes_against_tourists/PDFs/Shearing_Stenning_1997.pdf]
Low, S.M., Taplin, D.H., & Lamb, M. (2005). Battery Park City: An ethnographic field study of
the community impact of 9/11. Urban Affairs, 40(5), 655-682.
[http://uar.sagepub.com.vortex3.uco.edu:2050/content/40/5/655]
Biernacki, P. & Waldorf, D. 1981. Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral
sampling. Sociological Methods & Research, 10(2), 141-163.
[columbiauniversity.us/itc/hs/pubhealth/p8462/misc/biernacki_lect4.pdf]
Shukla, R., Crump, J. L., & Chrisco, E.S. (2012). An evolving problem: Methamphetamine
production & trafficking in the United States. International Journal of Drug Policy, 23, 426-435.
[UCO Library online]
Sherman, L.W. and Berk, R.A. (1984). The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment. The
Police Foundation Reports. [www.policefoundation.org/pdf/minneapolisdve.pdf]
Oklahoma Department of Corrections. (2008). Managing increasing aging inmate populations.
[www.ok.gov/doc/documents/Aging%20White%20Paper.pdf]
3
Links to all additional assigned readings have been posted in the D2L course
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Chiu, T. (2010). It’s about time: Aging prisoners, increasing costs and geriatric release. New
York: Vera Institute of Justice. [www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/Its-abouttime-aging-prisoners-increasing-costs-and-geriatric-release.pdf
Ritter, N. (Ed.). (2007). LAPD Chief Bratton Speaks Out: What’s Wrong with Criminal Justice
Research & How to Make It Right. NIJ Journal No. 257. [www.nij.gov/journals/257/chiefbratton.html]
Wilson, J.A. (2007). Habilitation or harm: Project Greenlight and the potential consequences of
correctional programming. NIJ Journal No. 257. [www.nij.gov/journals/257/habilitation-orharm.html]
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