CJ 416
METHODS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCH
TEXAS A & M KILLEEN
SPRING 2016
Instructor:
Contact email:
Contact phone:
Erin Grant, PhD
erin.grant@tamuct.edu
(785) 670 - 2216
Preferred method of communication is via email. Please direct all email communication
through TAMU email. If you do not have access to your TAMU email or if you have
forgotten your password, please fix this prior to the due date of the first assignment.
When emailing, always identify yourself and what course you are in. In general, when
communicating electronically you should use complete sentences and be very clear
about what you are asking or saying to avoid miscommunication.
Catalog Description: Methods of Criminal Justice Research. This course is an
introduction to the methods of criminological and criminal justice research, with
emphasis on research ethics, research design, and methods of data collection and
analysis.
Prerequisites: Junior or senior level standing.
Course Description: This course is intended for junior or senior level students, and is
required of all Criminal Justice majors. The intent is to assist students in developing
basic social science research skills. Students will be required to demonstrate written
competencies appropriate to upper level standing.
Course Objectives:
At the completion of the course, students are responsible for:
(1) Demonstrating writing skills appropriate to the discipline of criminal justice, as
demonstrated through weekly assignments and exams.
(2) Understanding ethical behaviors associated with social science research, as
demonstrated through weekly assignments and exams.
(3) Understanding key concepts of social science research methodologies as applied to
research in criminal justice and criminology as demonstrated through weekly
assignments and exams.
Mode of Instruction and Course Access:
This course is web-enhanced and uses the TAMUCT Blackboard system. To be able to
successfully complete this course, the student must be able to access Blackboard.
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Student-Instructor Interaction:
Due to this class being online, communication between the instructor and students will
be electronic in nature. I will be checking and replying to student emails on a daily basis
- students should expect a response within 24 hours. This will not include weekends
(5:00 pm Friday – 8:00 am Monday). Assignments will be graded and returned within
one-week time.
Required Textbook:
Withrow, B.L. (2014). Research Methods in Crime and Justice. New York: Routledge.
ISBN: 978-0-415-88443-3
Course structure and expectations:
This course consists of multiple parts: (1) weekly assignments, (2) applied assignments,
(3) eight quizzes, (4) midterm and final exam, (5) weekly chapter reading assignments,
and (6) reading scholarly journal articles.
Weekly assignments: Students will be responsible for completing eight (8) weekly
assignments over the course of the semester – out of a total of twelve (12). These
assignments will help students understand and critically evaluate the methods
discussed in the chapter. Your reply to the questions provided should be saved in a
word document and emailed directly to the professor. Each assignment will be worth ten
points, for a total of 80 points. If you are not happy with your grades, you may complete
more than eight (8) to replace lower scores.
Applied assignments: There will be a total of seven (7) applied assignments posted over
the course of the semester. You will only be required to turn in five (5). The assignment
will further aid in the understanding of methodology, as well as provide feedback for the
student whose work is being reviewed. Each assignment will be worth 20 points, for a
total of 100 points. If you are not happy with your grades, you may complete more than
five (5) to replace lower scores.
Quizzes: There will be a total of eight (8) quizzes over the course of the semester. You
will be required to complete each of these. These quizzes will help you to better
understand your grasp of the material. Each of these quizzes will be worth 15 points, for
a total of 120 points.
Midterm and final exams: There will be two exams in this course. The format of the
exams may include a variety of question types, including multiple choice, fill-in-theblank, and short essay. Each exam will be worth 75 points, for a total of 150 points.
Weekly chapter reading assignment: Students will be required to read one or more
chapters a week from the text.
Reading scholarly journal articles: Students will be required to read scholarly journal
articles in order to complete the applied assignments.
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Course Grading:
Weekly Assignments
Applied Assignments
Exams
Quizzes
80
100
150
120
450 Total
Grade Breakdown
A
405 – 450
B
360 – 404
C
315 – 359
D
270 – 314
F
269 and less
Late assignments: Late assignments will be penalized ten percent per day late.
Tentative Course Outline
Week 1 (January 18):
Chapter One
Week 2 (January 25):
Chapter Two
Week 3 (February 1):
Chapter Three
Week 4 (February 8):
Chapter Four
Week 5 (February 15):
Chapter Five
Week 6 (February 22):
Chapter Six
Week 7 (February 29):
Exam I
Week 8 (March 7):
Chapter Seven
Week 9 (March 14):
Spring Break
Week 10 (March 21):
Chapter Eight
Week 11 (March 28):
Chapter Nine
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Week 12 (April 4):
Chapter Ten
Week 13 (April 11):
Chapter Eleven
Week 14 (April 18):
Chapter Twelve
Week 15 (April 25):
Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen
Week 16 (May 2):
Exam II
Academic Integrity:
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards
of personal and scholarly conduct. Students found responsible of academic dishonesty
are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to,
cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the
abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for
each case of academic dishonesty and report the incident to the Associate Director of
Student Conduct. More information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/facultyresources.php.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, most simply defined, is not
properly crediting your sources of information through the use of textual citations and
the provision of a works cited list. If something is not your own original idea, thought,
words, or the product of your original data collection and analysis, you need to cite your
source in the text. You must also include a works cited list. Failure to do so is cheating
and will be dealt with as such.
Submitting the same, or essentially the same work, from another class may also be a
form of academic dishonesty, unless I approve it in advance. Work handed in should be
your own, not that of a friend, relative, Internet site, published article, or anyone else.
Disability Support Services:
If you believe that this course may present barriers to learning due to a disability, please
contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall, Ste. 212. For
more information, please visit their website at www.tamuct/disabilitysupport. Any
information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such. The
instructor cannot accommodate your disability unless you communicate with Disability
Support.
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Tutoring:
Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects
tutored include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA). Tutors
are available at the Tutoring Center in Founder's Hall, Room 204, and also in the Library
in the North Building. Visit www.ct.tamus.edu/AcademicSupport and click "Tutoring
Support" for tutor schedules and contact info. If you have questions, need to schedule a
tutoring session, or if you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support
Programs at 254-501-5830 or by emailing cecilia.morales@ct.tamus.edu.
Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for almost any subject on your computer! Tutor.com is an
online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive FREE
online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing,
Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. To
access Tutor.com, click on www.tutor.com/tamuct.
The University Writing Center
The University Writing Center at Texas A&M University-Central Texas is a free
workspace open to all TAMUCT students. The UWC is located in 416 Warrior Hall. The
center is open 11am-6pm Monday-Thursday during the spring semester. Students may
work independently in the UWC by checking out a laptop that runs Microsoft Office suite
and connects to WIFI, or by consulting our resources on writing, including all of the
relevant style guides. Students may also arrange a one-on-one session with a trained
and experienced writing tutor. Tutorials can be arranged by visiting the UWC. Tutors are
prepared to help writers of all levels and abilities at any stage of the writing process.
Sessions typically last between 20-30 minutes. While tutors will not write, edit, or grade
papers, they will help students develop more effective invention and revision strategies.
Library Services:
INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live
and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the
development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of
secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of
information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject
databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library
resources are outlined and accessed at
http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/
Drop Policy: If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the
Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students;
this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for
which the form must be returned, completed, and signed. Once you return the signed
form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into DuckTrax and confirm
that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, you must FOLLOW-UP with the
records office immediately. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure,
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you will receive an F in the course.
Extra Credit: Extra credit is not available in this class.
Conduct: Mastery of course content is greatly enhanced through professional conduct
in the classroom. Although this is an online class, professional conduct must still be
observed in your written communication. You will be expected to conduct yourself in a
professional manner at all times in this class.
Netiquette – Communication Courtesy Code: All members of the class are expected
to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and
chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message
to the Chair of the department and the online administrators and appropriate action will
be taken, not excluding expulsion from the course. In addition, all students should refer
to the TSUCT Student Handbook for classroom conduct policies, as it applies equally to
online students as well as to students in traditional face-to-face courses. The TSUCT
Student Handbook is available online at the TSUCT website.
Note: as in many criminal justice and social science courses, the issues of racial and
ethnic diversity must be considered part of the course content. In addition, topics may
come up in class that not everyone will be comfortable with or agree upon. Civility and
courtesy to everyone in the class, including the instructor, is expected. Incivility or
discourtesy to anyone in the class will not be tolerated and may result in your expulsion
from the course.
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