CJ 292: Methods of Criminal Justice Research
Michigan State University
Fall Semester 2013
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Miriam Northcutt Bohmert, M.A.
Email: northcu7@msu.edu
Class Meeting Location: 175 Brody Hall
Class Meeting Times: M/W 8:30 - 9:50am
Office Hours and Locations:
M/W 10 – 11:00 am at The Grotto Collaboration Space in Brody
Also, by appointment, at 335 Nisbet Building
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to introduce students to research methods in the field of criminal justice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The primary objective of this course is to familiarize students with different research
methodologies used in criminal justice research. My goal in this course is to help you learn how
to consume the information provided by social science research. Many of the elements of this
course will help improve skills such as independent thinking and problem solving, which may be
carried over into non-research related aspects of everyday life.
COURSE MATERIALS:
Maxfield, M.G. & Babbie, E. (2010). Research methods for criminal justice and criminology (6th
Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cenage Learning. [ISBN 0-495-81169-6]
Additional readings from sources other than Maxfield and Babbie (2010) will be used throughout
the semester. These readings will be posted on ANGEL, distributed by email, or distributed in
class. Each of these readings is required.
Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change the syllabus throughout the semester. If changes are to
be made, I will let you know in advance.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Assignments: 300 points of your total grade will be determined by completing four assignments
each worth 75 points. Assignments will be announced in class and posted on ANGEL.
Exams: 100 points of your total grade will come from exams. There will be two exams given
throughout the semester; a midterm and a final each worth 50 points. Exams are open-book and
non-cumulative. Exams will cover the readings assigned for the current section of the course, as
well as information presented during class discussions and presentations. Exams will be multiple
choice.
YOUR FINAL GRADE WILL BE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING SCALE:
Item
Points Possible
Total Points Possible
75
50
300
100
Homework (4 assignments)
Exams (2 exams)
Total
400
Point Range
360-400
340-359
320-339
300-319
280-299
260-279
240-259
0-239
Percentage
90.0-100%
85.0-89.9%
80.0-84.9%
75.0-79.9%
70.0-74.9%
65.0-69.9%
60.0-64.9%
0-59.9%
Grade
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
COURSE OUTLINE:
Please note this is a tentative class schedule. I reserve the right to make changes throughout the
semester. Any changes made will be announced in class and posted on ANGEL. Also,
ADDITIONAL readings will be handed out or posted on ANGEL.
WEEK & DATES
TOPIC
Week 1
August 28th
Introduction to the Course
Week 2
September 4th
Week 3
September 9th
September 11th
Week 4
September 16th
READING(S)
DUE DATES
Crime, Criminal Justice, & M&B Chapter 1
Scientific Inquiry
Theory & Criminal Justice
Research
M&B Chapter 2
Ethics & Criminal Justice
Research
M&B Chapter 3
Concepts,
Operationalization, &
Measurement
M&B Chapter 5
Assignment 1:
Journal Articles
September 18th
(continued)
M&B Chapter 5
Week 5
September 23rd
Probability Sampling
M&B Chapter 8
Non- Probability
Sampling
Wright, Decker,
Redfern & Smith, 1992
Research Design
M&B Chapter 4
September 25th
Week 6
September 30th
October 2nd
Week 7
October 7th
Presentation – Doctoral
Student Research, Official
Data
(5 pts earned in class)
Experimental & QuasiExperimental Designs
M&B Chapter 7
October 9th
(continued)
Graziano, Schuck, and
Martin, 2010
Week 8
October 14th
Wrap Up & Review
October 16th
Mid-Term Exam
Week 9
October 21st
Measuring Crime
M&B Chapter 6
October 23rd
Field Research
M&B Chapter 10
Week 10
October 28th
Survey Research
M&B Chapter 9
Agency Records, Content
Analysis, & Secondary
Data
M&B Chapter 11
October 30th
Week 11
November 4th
November 6th
Presentation – Doctoral
Student Research, Mixed
Methods
Content Analysis, cont.
Assignment 2:
Variables
Assignment 3:
Secondary Data
(5 pts earned in class)
Chermak, 1994
Danner & Carmody,
2001
Week 12
November 11th
Interpreting Data
(Quantitative)
M&B Chapter13
November 13th
Evaluation Research
M&B Chapter 12
Week 13
November 18th
ASC Conference
No Class
November 20th
No Class
Week 14
November 25th
Assignment 4:
Field Observation
Presentation – Doctoral
Student Research,
Qualitative Data
Kimberly Bender
November 27th
Interpreting Data
(Qualitative)
Meyers, 2004
Week 15
December 2nd
Last Week of Class
Exam Review
December 4th
Final Exam Open on ANGEL at 8 am through Friday, December 13th at 9:45
am (see below)
FINAL EXAM
SLOT
(5 pts earned in class)
Fri, December 13th 7:45-9:45am
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance Policy
Students are not required to attend class, but class attendance is strongly encouraged in order for
students to be better prepared for exams. Attendance is required for scheduled exams which will
only be given at the scheduled time.
Missed Exams and Assignments
Exams can only be made up in the event of religious conflict, serious illness, or death in the
family. Students must always email in advance or make-up requests will not be considered.
Consistent with university policy, the instructor will accommodate students’ religious
observance days by re-scheduling any exams that conflict with those observances. In the case of
an illness, students will need to present documentation from a medical professional stating that
the student’s illness prevented them from taking the exam on the date in question. Documents
that are not dated and do not indicate the severity of the illness will not be accepted.
Documentation is required in the case of a death in the family. Make-up exams may be
comparable, but not identical to the original exam.
This policy extends to assignments as well. All assignments are to be turned in at the beginning
of class on the due date. Students must submit a hard copy in class in order to receive a grade.
Electronic copies are unacceptable unless approved by the instructor. Assignments handed in
after the start of class will lose five (5) points automatically. Late assignments will not be
accepted after 24 hours from its original due date and will result in zero (0) points.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism and/or cheating of any kind on any assignment will result in failure of the entire
course and a recommendation to the Dean of the College of Social Science for expulsion from
Michigan State University. This is consistent with university policy.
Cell Phones, Laptops, Electronic Devices, and Newspapers
Cell phones, electronic devices, and newspapers are to be put away during class. Please ensure
that all electronic devices are turned off before class begins. The use of these items is disruptive
to your classmates and your instructor. If you need to have an electronic device on during class,
please clear it with the instructor first. Laptops are acceptable as long as they do not cause
distractions to you or those around you.
Extra Credit
There will be no extra credit offered in this course.
Course Modifications
The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus throughout the semester. If changes are
to be made, they will be announced in class or electronically via ANGEL or email.
University-Wide Course Guidelines
1. Academic Honesty: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student
shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and
professional standards." In addition, the (insert name of unit offering course) adheres to the
policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of
Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and
Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide
and/or the MSU Web site: www.msu.edu.)
Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course
assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from
any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not
submit course work you completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course.
Also, you are not authorized to use the www.allmsu.com Web site to complete any course work
in this course. Students who violate MSU academic integrity rules may receive a penalty grade,
including a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are
unsure about the appropriateness of your course work. (See also the Academic Integrity
webpage.)
2. Limits to confidentiality. Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are
generally considered confidential pursuant to the University's student record policies. However,
students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to
maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to
protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must
report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police
and Public Safety) if you share it with me:
--Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child,
--Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or
staff, and
--Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.
These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about
the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish
to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential
setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center.
3. SIRS: Michigan State University takes seriously the opinion of students in the evaluation of
the effectiveness of instruction, and has implemented the SIRS (Student Instructional Rating
System) process to gather student feedback. This course utilizes the “online SIRS” system. You
will receive an e-mail sometime during the last two weeks of class asking you to fill out the SIRS
online form at your convenience. Please note the final grade for this course will not be accessible
on STUINFO for seven days following the University grade submission deadline published by
the Office of the Registrar unless the SIRS online form has been filled out. You will have the
option on the online SIRS form to decline to participate in the evaluation of the course – we
hope, however, that you will be willing to give us your frank and constructive feedback so that
we may instruct students even better in the future.
4. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (from the Resource Center for Persons with
Disabilities (RCPD): Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for
participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons
with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at
517-884-RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has
been determined, you will be issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation ("VISA")
form. Please present this form to me at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the
accommodation date (test, project, etc.). Requests received after this date may not be honored.
5. Drops and Adds: The last day to add this course is the end of the first week of classes. The
last day to drop this course with a 100 percent refund and no grade reported is September 23,
2013. The last day to drop this course with no refund and no grade reported is October 16, 2013.
You should immediately make a copy of your amended schedule to verify you have added or
dropped this course.
6. Commercialized Lecture Notes: Commercialization of lecture notes and university-provided
course materials is [permitted] [not permitted] in this course.*
7. Internet: Some professional journals will not consider a submission for publication if the
article has appeared on the Internet. Please notify your instructor in writing if you do not want
your course papers posted to the course Web site.
8. Disruptive Behavior: Article 2.III.B.4 of the Academic Freedom Report (AFR) for students
at Michigan State University states: "The student's behavior in the classroom shall be conducive
to the teaching and learning process for all concerned." Article 2.III.B.10 of the AFR states that
"The student has a right to scholarly relationships with faculty based on mutual trust and
civility." General Student Regulation 5.02 states: "No student shall . . . interfere with the
functions and services of the University (for example, but not limited to, classes . . .) such that
the function or service is obstructed or disrupted. Students whose conduct adversely affects the
learning environment in this classroom may be subject to disciplinary action through the
Student Judicial Affairs office.
9. Attendance: Students whose names do not appear on the official class list for this course may
not attend this class. Students who fail to attend the first four class sessions or class by the fifth
day of the semester, whichever occurs first, may be dropped from the course.
ASSIGNMENT 1
Downloading, summarizing, and citing scholarly journal articles
75 Points
Assigned:
Due:
September 9th
September 16th at the start of class
This assignment is designed so that you will become familiar with searching for, downloading,
and synthesizing scholarly research. For this assignment you are asked to do the following.
1) Pick one of the three criminology or criminal justice topics from below.
a. Community Policing
b. Prison Reentry
c. Conservation Criminology
2) Using the instructions I gave you in class, and the list of articles on the next page,
download the TWO (2) scholarly journal articles associated with that criminology or
criminal justice related topic you have chosen. Read/skim the articles.
3) Summarize and then integrate the two articles. Your summary should include the
question (or questions) each article is asking or attempted to address, whether they use a
quantitative or qualitative methodology, and what they suggest the answers to their
questions are. While the abstract of the article will be a helpful source of information,
please do not simply copy it word for word. Please limit yourself to 2 double-spaced
pages.
4) Finally, be sure to use in-text citations and provide an APA formatted reference list for
each of the articles. You can find the format you will need at the OWL at Purdue website
listed below.
OWL at Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/07/
Example Outline:
Paragraph 1:
For article one, present research questions, methodology, and answers to research questions.
Paragraph 2:
For article two, present research questions, methodology, and answers to research questions.
Paragraph 3:
How do these two articles relate to one another? Are their findings complementary or
divergent? What would be a future question that these two authors might want to explore?
Which article did you find more helpful/believable/rigorous, and why? Is there another
source of information (e.g., a recent news event) that also relates to these articles? (You do
not need to answer each of these questions – but should have at least 200 words to
compare/contrast/integrate the two articles.)
Community Policing
Mastrofski, S. D., Willis, J. J., & Kochel, T. R. (2007). The challenges of implementing
community policing in the United States. Policing, 1(2), 223–234.
Terpstra, J. (2009). Community policing in practice: Ambitions and realization. Policing, 4(1),
64–72.
Prison Reentry
Davis, C., Bahr, S. J., & Ward, C. (2012). The process of offender reintegration: Perceptions of
what helps prisoners reenter society. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 13(4), 446–469.
Visher, C. A., & Travis, J. (2011). Life on the outside: Returning home after incarceration. The
Prison Journal, 91(3 Suppl), 102S–119S.
Conservation Criminology
Gill, D., Picou, J. S., & Ritchie, L. (2011). The Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills: A comparison of
initial social and psychological impacts. American Behavioral Scientist.
Mohai, P., & Saha, R. (2007). Racial inequality in the distribution of hazardous waste: A
national-level reassessment. Social Problems, 54(3), 343–370.
ASSIGNMENT 2
Variables and Measurement
75 Points
Assigned:
Due:
September 18th
September 30th at the start of class
This assignment is designed to familiarize you with identifying the important variables and
measurements used in criminological research. You are asked to do the following:
1) Pick a criminology or criminal justice-related topic and write it down. The more specific
the better. The assignment will be easier if the topic corresponds to a concept that the
author(s) is attempting to measure or examine (e.g., domestic terrorism, domestic abuse).
2) Download two (2) peer-reviewed articles, of your choosing, on this topic from
criminology or criminal justice-related academic journals. List of criminology journals
can be found here: http://asc41.com/links/journals.html
*Note: You will need to submit pdfs of each article to dropbox with your assignment.
3) For each article, identify the following:
A) The dependent variable and the main independent variable. There will likely be
many independent variables and might be several key variables. If you cannot tell
what the main independent variable is, choose one you believe is important.
B) How the dependent variable and the main independent variables are defined and
measured. This includes the operational definition of the variables (i.e., the
indicator) and the level of measurement (e.g. nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio).
4) For each article, state the author’s hypothesis regarding the relationship between the main
independent variable and the dependent variable. If the author does not state a hypothesis,
please note this and state one yourself. Examples of hypotheses are on page 33 in the
Maxfield and Babbie textbook.
5) Provide an APA formatted reference page for both of the articles.
Note: Approximate length is 1-2 pages
ASSIGNMENT 3
Accessing and Presenting Secondary Data – Uniform Crime Reports
75 points
Assigned:
Due:
Monday, September 29th
Monday, October 21st at the start of class
In criminology and criminal justice we often rely on data collected by governmental agencies
when examining crime rates. Data that we use for analysis that we do not collect ourselves is
called secondary data. This assignment is designed to familiarize you with accessing simple
secondary data on crime rates and presenting it. You are asked to complete the following for the
assignment:
1. You are going to be using the Uniform Crime Reports to present data on crime rates from
the U.S. city or town you grew up in. If you grew up in multiple places, please select one
of those places. If you did not grow up in the United States, select one of Michigan’s
larger cities, such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Saginaw, or Pontiac. Please tell me the
name of the city/town you have selected.
2. Access the Uniform Crime Reports for that city or town’s police department using the
UCR Data Tool (instructions below).
3. Present the 10 most recently available years of data on BOTH violent crime rates and
property crime rates (this will most likely be 2000-2009). This does not mean the
NUMBER of crimes, but their RATES per 100,000 inhabitants. Present them in a table
(example below).
4. For both the violent crime rate and the property crime rate, please tell me the following:
a. The average rate over the 10 years you present.
b. The lowest and highest rates during the 10 years you present.
c. The difference between the violent and property crime rates in the first year and
last year you present.
5. Finally, tell me how the FBI operationalizes violent and property crime rates. In other
words, what are the different crimes go into the calculation of each?
Accessing Secondary Data – Uniform Crime Reports
For this assignment you will be using data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. These are
available online using the UCR Data Tool. Here is how you can access the crime data for the
city/town you have selected.
1. Go to http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/ and click on “Table-building tool.”
2. On the next page, under “Local agency reports,” click on “Agencies, by State.”
3. Next you have to select a table type. Choose “Single agency reported crime”, which is the
left-most option of the three available.
4. On the next page, choose the U.S. State your city/town is located in, and click “Next.”
5. From the first drop-down list under the “choose the agency” option, select the police
department of the city/town you are presenting on.
6. On the variables drop-down list select “Violent crime rates” and “Property crime rates”
(hold down the ‘Ctrl’ button to select them both at the same time).
7. On the years option, choose the 10 most recent years available, which in most cases will
be “2000” to “2009.”
8. Click “Get Table.”
Example for Presenting your Data
This is how I chose to present my data. You can present yours in a different format, as long as all
the information is there and it is not overly difficult to make sense of.
Table 1. Violent and Property Crime Rates (per 100,000)
in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 2000-2009
Year
Violent Crime Rate
Property Crime Rate
2000
249.5
1,849.1
2001
252.2
1,815.3
2002
288.5
2,027.1
2003
247.0
2,056.2
2004
202.0
1,260.0
2005
139.6
1,303.9
2006
190.0
1,230.7
2007
189.2
1,472.6
2008
158.3
1,794.7
2009
290.6
1,829.4
Summaries
Average
Low
High
Difference
2000-2009
220.7
139.6 in 2005
290.6 in 2009
+41.1
1,663.9
1,230.7 in 2006
2,056.2 in 2003
-19.7
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation – Uniform Crime Reports
ASSIGNMENT 4
Unobtrusive Field Observation
75 Points
Assigned:
Due:
Monday, October 21st, 2013
Monday, November 11th, 2013
For this assignment you will be completing an unobtrusive field observation. It will mainly consist of
choosing a location to observe, conducting roughly 1 hour of observations, write a 1-2 page research
memo detailing what you have observed, and produce a hypothesis regarding the behaviors you observed.
Step 1. Choose a public place to conduct field observations. The place that you choose will need to be a
public place where there is no expectation of privacy. This can include an open area on campus, a coffee
shop, a cafeteria, the library, a bus, etc. Make sure to choose a place where there will be enough activity
to observe, but not too much so that you become overwhelmed. If you are unsure as to whether a location
will be viable for observation feel free to e-mail me to check.
Step 2. Conduct ONE HOUR of observations, taking notes on what you observe. At the location you
choose, conduct approximately one hour of observations (you can break it up into blocks if you do not
have time to do the entire hour at once). You can start by observing anything, such as body language,
what people order, how people interact and with whom. You may eventually find a particular set of
behaviors to focus on. The point is to observe BEHAVIOR. Write down what people DO, not what you
believe they THINK. As you observe, take notes. I would prefer that these are handwritten. They do not
need to be neat, only you need to be able to make sense of them. I would recommend using some form of
shorthand to track what you observe.
Step 3. Write a research memo (1-2 double spaced pages) detailing the following.
 Summarize your observational strategy. What location did you choose? Did you stay in the same
location the entire time, or did you have to change locations? Exactly what time did you conduct
your observation?

Summarize what you observed. What were some of the behaviors you observed? Did you select
specific behaviors to observe? If so, what behaviors? Did you notice any patterns?

Hypothesis generation. Based on what you observed, present a hypothesis about the behavior(s)
you observed. In other words, present a prediction about what you would expect to see if you
conducted these observations again on a different date.
For example, if you were observing the way that people sitting together interacted at a restaurant,
you could produce the hypothesis “Based on what I observed at X location, when people sit in
large groups, the groups will tend to consist of people all roughly the same age. Young people
will sit with young people, older people will sit with older people, etc.”
WHAT TO HAND IN…
1. Your handwritten field notes. Do not type them up to make them more presentable, I would like
your raw field notes.
2. Your research memo. This should be typed and printed out.