Drop date statement for syllabus

Important! Drop Date Information
The deadline to drop without a “W” is Sunday, February, 22nd for Spring, 2015. If you must drop a course, drop before the specified deadline for dropping a class without a grade of "W." Dropping after February 22nd will result in a “W” on your transcript. Effective July 1, 2012 students will only have 3 attempts to pass a class. If a student gets a "W" or grade of "D", "F", “I”, or "NP" in a class, that will count as an attempt. A student’s past record of course attempts district wide will also be considered. Therefore, prior to January 7th, you should carefully consider if you can reasonably manage this course with the other factors in your life (e.g. work, family, course load). If you think you will not be able to complete this course with a C or better, drop by Sunday, February, 22nd. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. You may also see a counselor in the Counseling Center in AD 108.

Contacting the Professor
Please note that when contacting me, do so through private messaging. If however, the matter is urgent or if you need to discuss an issue with me personally, feel free to call me at my office on extension 2949.

Course Description
Students examine the basic elements of criminology - the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior. This will include, but not limited to, an analysis of the following concepts; social deviance, crime, delinquency, victimization, the criminal justice system, social control, and terrorism. There is an extensive review of the major sociological explanations on the causes of crime and criminality in addition to a consideration of the biological and psychological perspectives. An examination of the research methods employed by criminologists in the collection and analysis of data will also be undertaken.

Course Objectives
Compare and contrast the scientific approach in explaining crime with non-scientific explanations.
Describe the difference between deviant and criminal behavior.

Identify and briefly describe the major goals of criminology and criminologists.

Compare and contrast the main sources of data on crime in the United States.

Evaluate the classical and positivistic explanations of criminal behavior.

Evaluate the study of chromosomal abnormalities in research on the causes of crime.
Describe how biological and neurophysical factors may be linked to criminal behavior.

Examine the effectiveness of the psychological explanations of criminal behavior.

Differentiate among the various sociological explanations of criminal and deviant behavior.

Describe the types of violent crimes used with the American criminal justice system to identify criminal behavior:

Describe and discuss the different types of property crimes committed by offenders.

Define the concept of white-collar crime. Discuss the reasons why people may embezzle, or steal from their employers, or commit fraud.

Describe and distinguish the various kinds of sexual offenses recognized by the American criminal justice system. Describe and distinguish the various kinds of substance abuse offenses recognized by the American criminal justice system.

Identify the key roles and functions of the police in the criminal justice system. Compare and contrast police organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. Describe the U.S. dual-court system and the judicatory process. Evaluate the arguments for and against the death penalty.

Define the concepts of corrections and retribution. Evaluate the trends in corrections from the rehabilitation of offenders to the use of retributive justice. Evaluate statistics on rates of prison release, re-arrest, and reentry in the United States. Describe the main categories of community-based corrections.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Required Text
Criminology. Second Edition. Frank Schmalleger, 2014. Pearson Publishers. ISBN, 10:0-13-296675-1

Course Requirements