REEDLEY COLLEGE 
 Introduction to Criminology 
FALL-2013-WEB #50020
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

INSTRUCTOR:		RAY CLARKSON
EMAIL:				elray.clarkson@reedleycollege.edu
OFFICE:	On campus office meetings with Mr. Clarkson must be                                  scheduled in advance.

BASIC SKILLS:   Eligibility for Engl 126

Course Description

· The history and philosophy of Criminal Justice as it has evolved throughout the world.
· An in-depth study of the American Criminal Justice System,
· Role concepts, expectations, and the interaction of the sub-systems within it. 
· An introduction to crime causation, punishment and rehabilitation, victimization, and ethics. 
· Education and training for professionalism within the Criminal Justice System.  
Course Objectives 
•	Students who successfully complete this course will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the evolution of the Criminal Justice System of the United States of America.  
•	They will develop an awareness of the objectives of the system, including an awareness of relevant social issues pertaining to it and the inherent crime problems within our society.  
•	They will also gain an understanding of the role expectations of criminal justice personnel and the demands and requirements of the different career options within the justice system. 
•	Students will gain an appreciation for the need of a well-organized Criminal Justice System where the various sub-systems within it functions harmoniously and with a high degree of professional integrity.
•	Students will understand and appreciate the need of a highly educated and well-trained body of professionals to work within the Criminal Justice System.  
Instructions for Accessing the Course 
The course will be accessible to students by Friday, of the week preceding the first day of classes.  Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the class site and each of the sidebar buttons.  An introductory letter was sent out by email to all who were signed up for the course two to three weeks before the semester began. (To those who listed their email addresses when they registered).  If you did not receive a letter you may obtain the information you need to log into the course by going to the college web page, and looking at the criminal justice page.  You may also contact the instructor by email for assistance.
Once you are logged in, go to the Discussion Board and Post a brief introduction of yourself so that we may become better acquainted.
Course Textbook 
ESSENTIALS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ... 7th or 8th EDITION, by Larry J. Siegel (WADSWORTH PUBLISHING)   
The text is required reading.  It is imperative that you read the assigned pages thoroughly to stimulate discussion and provide content for written assignments.  Pay particular attention to words and terminology and how they apply to the discipline of criminology.

Online Site 
E-Mail: To access the website go to the following URL:  
http://www.blackboard.reedleycollege.edu or... go to the Reedley College web site, then go to "Online classes" then click on "Blackboard courses" (RC).  
LOGIN, using your user name (student ID number) and password (student ID number).  Go to Personal Information and enter your e-mail address.  You will need to be officially enrolled before you will be allowed to enter the site.  
If you do not have an e-mail address, you can obtain one for free through State Center Community College District (www.scccd.org); if you do not have Internet access at home, you can get low-cost access from this site as well.  Free e-mail accounts such as Hotmail (www.hotmail.com) or Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) are available as well.  Throughout the semester I will be using e-mail for announcements of assignments and special events; you should check your account often. YOU MUST HAVE AN ACTIVE E-MAIL ACCOUNT AT ALL TIMES.  IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE INSTRUCTOR FOR QUESTIONS, CONCERNS AND/OR PROBLEMS CONCERNING THIS CLASS.  If I do not see a post from you for an extended period of time (TWO WEEKS) I will assume you have discontinued the course and I will make the course inaccessible to you.  
For a more complete discussion of what you need to know before taking an online class, please see "Electronic Necessities” 
Necessary Computer  Programs: 
Students need the below listed computer programs (software) or their equivalent to be able to properly function as a student in this course.
•	Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) 
•	E-mail program 
•	Word processor (MS Word, see Submitted Paperwork below)   Other word processors like Note Pad, Note Book, Microsoft Works, etc.,  do not work . 
•	Adobe Acrobat Reader is fine for research materials.  

Submitted Paperwork: 
Blackboard accepts files in the following formats: MS Word documents (Preferred) Also, RTF, HTML, or PDF.  Unfortunately, Microsoft Works and WordPerfect do not work well.  You must be able to ship your work to me in an acceptable format.  If I can't receive it ... I can't read it, which means I didn't receive it. 
Attendance:  (By participation)
Although an online class does not chart attendance per se, you do need to make your presence known every week.  There will be credit/no credit assignments requiring a response from you every week along with Discussion Board assignments.  If you fall behind at any point during the semester, you will find it extremely difficult to catch up.  Most assignments will have both a date and a time that they are due.  I will accept no late assignments, unless you have contacted me prior to the due date and time.  There will be no makeup's of late reading response assignments for any reason. 
Grading: 
I will evaluate your participation in discussions, turn in assignments, quizzes and examinations.  Each will be given/posted a value.  At the close of the semester I will total all points that you have accumulated and calculate that against the total points possible for the course.  You will then receive a letter grade according to the following scale: 
STANDARD COLLEGE GRADING SCALE
90% = A  
80% = B  
70% = C  
60% = D  
59% = F	
Participation and  Quality of  Responses:...............................60% 
Mid-Term Examination ................20%  
Final:  ........................................ 20% 

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT
Your assigned responses and participation will be graded together.  In other words, it is not enough to simply make a response to an assignment.  The response often includes interaction with other students and/or with the subject matter, as well as applying in depth critical thinking principles and concepts to the assignment.  The course is designed to stimulate thought, open-mindedness, logic and deductive reasoning.  The student is expected to be able to make choices and decisions concerning the lesson material based upon the above stated principles and to be able to articulate an appropriate response. Your grades will reflect your ability to do that to the satisfaction of the instructor.

Extra Credit 
If you miss an assignment, you may NOT make it up by completing the assignment late; however, you may obtain extra credit by doing the following: 
Extra credit may be earned by Court Sittings or Ride-a-long’s with a law enforcement agency.  To receive credit for court sittings you must be present in the courtroom for a minimum of two hours while arraignments, a preliminary, or a court case is going on. You must obtain a stamp or signature form the court clerk or bailiff, and complete and turn in the college form.  To receive credit for a ride-a-long, you must ride around with a police officer for a minimum of four hours, obtain the officer's signature, fill out the college form and turn it in.  You may send them in by E-MAIL, regular mail, or drop them off at the college and they will place them in my mailbox. Each court sitting or ride-a-long is worth 25 points or more, depending upon the quality of the report and time spent.  You may accumulate up to 100 points by this process.  The forms are available in COURSE DOCUMENTS.  Just print yourself a copy as needed.  Use the same form for court sittings or ride-a-longs.  In order to receive credit all forms must be received by me no later than Friday of the week preceding finals week. 
Academic Dishonesty: 
Plagiarism … passing off another’s work as your own is dishonest and is a very serious offense; it is also easy to detect.  If you are caught you will face disciplinary action. Having someone else respond in your place to any of the assignments for this course is also dishonest and places your academic standing in jeopardy. Submitting duplicate work actually done by others without properly identifying the contributor’s work is cheating. Failing to observe computer security systems and software copyrights is illegal.
Incidents of cheating and plagiarism may result in sanctions and penalties, which may range from a failing grade on an assignment or test to a failing grade for the course.