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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
Instructor:
Lynn Greenwood
Course and Contact Information:
Class Location:
Class Duration:
Class Time:
Office:
Office Hours:
Founder’s Hall 209
Aug 25 – Dec 12, 2014
Thursday 11:00am – 1:45pm
Founder’s Hall, Room 217L
Tue/Thu 4:00pm – 6:00pm; Wed 10:00pm – 2:00pm; or by
appointment
Preferred modes of communication:
Phone:
Mobile: 512-525-9173
 If texting, please identify yourself and the course number
 If leaving voicemail, please identify yourself and the course number
Email:
lgreenwood@tamuct.edu
 Please direct all email communication through this email. Blackboard
has an email feature, but I do not check it on a regular basis
 When emailing, always identify yourself and the course number. In
general, when communicating electronically you should use complete
sentences and be very clear about what you are asking or saying to
avoid miscommunication.
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Catalog Description:
This course presents an analysis of contemporary ethical issues in crime and justice. Classical
and contemporary ethical theories will be applied to the discussion of such issues as discretion,
corruption, use of force, racism, deception, professionalism, and the nature and meaning of
justice.
Expanded Course Description:
This course provides an overview of classical and modern theories of ethics as applied to
enforcing order and justice in a free society. Specific topics include: theories of ethics,
philosophies of justice, the ethical use of force, the nature and meaning of professionalism,
discretion, lying and deception; race, ethnicity, and justice; and the prevention of corruption.
The course instructor will emphasize the utilization of the ethical reasoning process for resolving
problems commonly encountered by criminal justice practitioners.
Course Objectives:
1) Students will demonstrate writing skills appropriate to the discipline of Criminal Justice.
2) Students will demonstrate proficiency in use of technology appropriate to the discipline
of Criminal Justice.
3) Students will understand and value Criminal Justice ethics.
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
4)
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a. Students will demonstrate understanding of the nature of justice.
b. Students will demonstrate understanding of basic ethical theories and their
application to criminal justice practice.
c. Students will identify ethical issues commonly occurring during criminal justice
operations.
d. Students will demonstrate ability to apply knowledge and reasoning to resolving
common ethical dilemmas encountered in criminal justice practice.
Students will demonstrate multi-cultural awareness and respect for cultural diversity.
Students will understand key concepts of Criminal Justice.
Students will apply key concepts to Criminal Justice create operational strategies and
formulate justice policy.
Required Textbooks:
Landau, R.S. (2014). The Fundamentals of Ethics (3rd Ed.). Oxford University Press.
ISBN: 9780199997237
Martin, C., Vaught, W., & Solomon, R.C. (2010). Ethics across the Professions: A Reader for
Professional Ethics. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780195326680
Supplementary Materials:
Supplementary material may take the form of handouts, oral presentations and references from
your instructor, presentations by students, power point presentations, and online activities. This
supplementary material is designed to broaden the educational experience and create more
variety to the usual lecture/discussion format of class presentations.
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 have reliable and frequent access to a
computer and to the Internet. In addition, the student must be able to access Blackboard. If you
are unfamiliar with Blackboard, there is a Blackboard Student Orientation link under the My
Courses tab. There is also a link to Blackboard Help. Please utilize these features of Blackboard
before contacting your instructor with non-course related issues regarding Blackboard.
Accessing Blackboard:
 Logon to https://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course
 Username: your MyCT username (xx123 or everything before the “@” in your MyCT
email address)
 Initial password: MyCT password
 Select Senior Seminar from the course list
Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement. Make sure your computer
is configured correctly and address issues well in advance of deadlines. If you have problems
with your personal computer and/or Internet, you have access to the computer lab in Warrior
Hall (room 104). Operating times and days can be found on the TAMUCT website.
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
Technology Support
For technology issues, students should contact Help Desk Central. 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week:
 Email: helpdesk@tamu.edu
 Phone: 254-519-5466
 Web Chat: http://hdc.tamu.edu
When calling for support please let your support technician know you are a TAMUCT student.
For issues related to course content and requirements, contact your instructor.
Student-Instructor Interaction:
This is primarily a lecture/discussion-based class, with some web-based components. Most
communication between the instructor and students will be in the classroom, though all
students are welcome and encouraged to attend office hours or make an appointment for an
office visit.
I will be checking and replying to student emails on a daily basis - students should expect a
response within 24 hours. Any deviations from this will be announced on Blackboard. During
office hours, emails will be responded to more quickly, and Blackboard chat, Skype, Facetime, or
some other method of communication can also be utilized if pre-arranged.
There will be a discussion board available for students to post general questions that will be
checked and responded to on a regular basis – students should expect a response within 48
hours. This is highly recommended for general questions (for example, what chapters will be
covered on an exam), so that all students in the class may benefit from the answers.
Required Course Work:
1. Attendance:
I expect you to attend class. I will not take roll – you are an adult and can make the decision to
attend or not. However, anything discussed in class will be possible test material. I do not give
out my lecture notes. If you are not able to attend class, it is up to you to obtain notes from
another student. I do not need to be notified if you are not going to attend, unless you will be
missing an exam. Over the years, I have found that students who attend class regularly tend to
have higher grades than those who do not…something to think about…
2. Reading:
Reading assignments are to be completed prior to class meetings (see course calendar). You are
expected to be familiar enough with the readings to apply the material to class discussions as
well as to respond to written and oral questions based on the readings. We will not spend class
time going over the book, per se. Readings and lectures for this course are complementary
3. Exams (200 points):
There will be two (2) non-cumulative exams in this course. Each exam is worth 100 points of the
total course grade. This is a Writing Intensive course – therefore, exams will be in essay format.
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
Exams may contain questions from the required course textbooks, from other materials
provided by the instructor, from in-class discussions, and from writing assignments.
4. Writing Assignments (500 points):
Students will be responsible for completing five (5) writing assignments; each assignment is
worth 100 points of the total course grade. The assignments will be posted on Blackboard – due
dates are listed in the course calendar. These writing assignments are intended to require you
to engage in critical thinking and logical reasoning as well as to further assist you in developing
your written communication skills.
Requirements for Blackboard writing assignments
 2-4 pages in length; double-spaced; 12-pt. font; New Times Roman, Calibri, or Arial font
 Grammatically correct and free from proofreading errors
 Paragraph, narrative format; 3rd person speech, unless otherwise specified
 Must be completed in Microsoft Word and uploaded in the Assignment section of
Blackboard. No other method of submission will be accepted.
 An example for formatting your paper can be found on the Blackboard homepage for
this course
 At least two (2) outside sources (beyond the course textbooks or notes) must be used
for each assignment; sources must be appropriately cited in text and in a reference
section as per APA standards. Information on APA formatting for citations and
reference lists can be found on the Blackboard homepage for this course.
5. In-Class Assignments (300 points):
There will be seven (7) unannounced in-class assignments throughout the semester worth up to
50 points each. These assignments may vary between individual and group work. Six (6) of the
seven assignments will be part of your final grade – this means you can miss one assignment and
not be penalized. You must be present in class on the day of the assignment to receive credit.
Late assignments: Late writing assignments will not be accepted.
Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion:
Final course grades will be assessed on the following scale:
Assignment
Exam 1
Exam 2
Writing Assignment 1
Writing Assignment 2
Writing Assignment 3
Writing Assignment 4
Writing Assignment 5
In-Class Assignment
In-Class Assignment
In-Class Assignment
In-Class Assignment
Points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
My Grade
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
In-Class Assignment
In-Class Assignment
Total
50 points
50 points
1000 points
895 - 1000 points A
795 - 894 points B
695 - 794 points C
595 - 694 points D
0 - 594 points
F
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University Information
Academic Integrity:
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of honor in
personal and scholarly conduct. Any deviation from this expectation may result in a minimum of
a failing grade for the assignment and potentially a failing grade for the course. All academic
dishonesty concerns will be reported to the university’s Office of Student Conduct. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work,
plagiarism and improper citation of sources, using another student’s work, collusion, and the
abuse of resource materials. When in doubt on collaboration, citation, or any issue, please
contact me before taking a course of action. More information can be found at
http://tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/academicintegrity.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 have or believe you have a disability and wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing
documentation to the Disability Support Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek
information about accommodations to help assure success in their courses. Please call 25450105831 or visit Founder's Hall, Suite 114. Additional information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/disabilitysupport/index.php.
UNILERT:
Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives TAMUCT the ability to communicate
health and safety information quickly via email, text message, and social media. All students are
automatically enrolled in UNILERT through their myCT email account. Connect at
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
www.TAMUCT.edu/UNILERT to change where you receive your alerts or to opt out. By staying
enrolled in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related information,
regardless of your location.
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 Warrior Hall, Room 111. 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 tutoring@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, log into your Blackboard
account and click “Online Tutoring.”
Library Services:
Library distance education services aims to make available quality assistance to Texas A&M
University Central Texas students seeking information sources remotely by providing digital
reference, online information literacy tutorials, and digital research materials. Much of the
TAMUCT collection is available instantly from home. This includes over half of the library’s book
collection, as well as approximately 25,000 electronic journals and 200 online databases. Library
Distance Education Services are outlined and access at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/library/deservices.php
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.tamuct.edu/departments/library/index.php
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 Records 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, you will receive an F in the course.
Extra Credit: Extra credit is not available in this class.
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
Conduct:
Mastery of course content is greatly enhanced through professional conduct in the classroom.
You will be expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times in this class.
Professionalism includes but is not limited to:
Punctuality – chronic lateness will not be tolerated. If you need to leave class early, please
do so as quietly and with as little disruption as possible.
As in any Criminal Justice and Social Science course, 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
classroom.
Use of tobacco products in the classroom or elsewhere in this building (including
smokeless tobacco) is a violation of Texas law.
It is inappropriate and unprofessional to listen to an iPod, mp3 player, or any other such
device in the classroom; this also includes Bluetooth headsets.
Please refrain from dressing in such a way as to be distracting to other students; the
classroom should be treated as a professional setting and your dress should reflect this
environment.
Unless you are “on-call” or dealing with some type of emergency, please turn off your cell
phones and other mobile devices during class; this includes ‘vibrate’. Having a cell phone
or pager in sight during an exam may be treated as a cheating incident
Tape recorders are permitted in class, if accompanied by their owners.
Eating and drinking is allowed; please clean up after yourself!
Do not sleep in my 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.
Key for readings:
MVS = Ethics across the Professions – Martin, Vaught, and Solomon
SL = The Fundamentals of Ethics – Shafer-Landau
Date
Aug 28
Sep 4
Course Calendar: Subject to revision, if necessary, during the semester
Description
Reading/Assignments
Course expectations
Syllabus
Personal introductions
Plagiarism
What is it to be Professional?
What are ethics and morality?
Reading:
 Chapter 1 (MVS)
 Introduction (SL)
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CJ 412 – Criminal Justice Ethics – Fall 2014
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How to be Ethical
Ethical Perspectives
Reading:
 Chapter 2 (up to p. 69) (MVS)
 Chapters 17, 6, 13, 14 (SL)
Sep 18
How to be Ethical
Perspectives
Reading:
 Chapter 2 (remainder of chapter) (MVS)
 Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12 (SL)
Sep 25
Professional Duties, Clients’ Rights
Hedonism
Reading:
 Chapter 3 (MVS)
 Chapters 1 & 2 (SL)
Oct 2
Truth, Lies, and Deception
Morality and Religion
Reading:
 Chapter 4 (MVS)
 Chapter 5 (SL)
Oct 9
Truth, Lies, and Deception
Morality and Religion
Reading:
 Chapter 4 (MVS)
 Chapter 5 (SL)
Oct 16
Exam 1
Oct 23
Privacy, Confidentiality, Secrecy, and
Trust
Reading:
 Chapter 5 (MVS)
Oct 30
Integrity and Loyalty: WhistleBlowing and Self-Regulation
Egoism
Reading:
 Chapter 6 (MVS)
 Chapters 7 & 8 (SL)
Nov 6
Integrity and Loyalty: WhistleBlowing and Self-Regulation
Egoism
Nov 13
Professionalism, Justice, and Social
Welfare
Feminist Ethics
Professionalism, Justice, and Social
Welfare
Feminist Ethics
Thanksgiving Week
Reading:
 Chapter 6 (MVS)
 Chapters 7 & 8 (SL)
Reading
 Chapter 7 (MVS)
 Chapter 18 (SL)
Reading:
 Chapter 7 (MVS)
 Chapter 18 (SL)
Take a break, eat some turkey, and watch the
game…
Nov 20
Nov 27
Dec 4
Dec 11
Reciprocity, Conflicts of Interest, and
Government Regulation
Pluralism
Exam 2
Reading:
 Chapter 8 (MVS)
 Chapters 15 & 16 (SL)
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