Criminology is intended: (1) to provide an overview of the phenomenon of crime from a primarily sociological perspective; (2) to provide an opportunity to empirically examine the nature and distribution of crime in the United States; and (3) to provide an understanding of the causes of crime.
Upon completion of Criminology the student should be able to:
First Exam......................30%
Second Exam.................30%
Final Exam.....................40%
TOTAL ......................100%
Office hours are posted at the top of this syllabus. If you need to see me at a time other than the posted hours do not hesitate to contact me. My first priority as your professor is to enhance your learning experience. You are never imposing on my time if it can contribute to your learning experience.
E-mail availability: I can be contacted by e-mail. You may use e-mail me for "nuts and bolts" type questions (e.g., scheduling, to inform me of an absence--though see the policy on class attendance and make-up work below). I do NOT respond to substantive questions by e-mail (e.g., detailed questions about material you are studying for the exam). I require that you stop by my office if you need any sort of substantive review. Normally, I respond to e-mails within one "business day." (If you e-mail me on Friday, I will usually get back to you by the following Monday.)
Week 2: Measuring Crime; First Exam
TOPIC II: EXPLANATIONS FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Week 3: Classical, Choice, Biological and Psychological Theories
Week 4a: Second Exam; Social Structural Theories
Week 4b: Social Process Theories
Week 5a: Societal Reaction Theories
The policy on class attendance is simple: class attendance is required. Any number of mechanisms may, at the professor's discretion, be implemented to enforce this policy: attendance may be taken; announced or unannounced quizzes may be given; in all circumstances, if you miss class for whatever reason, it will be your responsibility as a student to acquire the information that you missed on your own.
If you must miss for whatever reason, including university-recognized excuses, it is mandatory that you inform the professor in advance of the class day that you will miss, except in those circumstances that absolutely prohibit such notification (e.g., that you were in an accident on the way to class). If you fail to notify the professor prior to a scheduled exam or due date on an assignment, you will not be allowed to make up this work or turn it in late. This policy is in effect for university-recognized excuses as well as other excuses not officially recognized by the university.
The student may contact the professor in advance in any of the following ways: (1) by phone (provided at the top of this syllabus; (2) by e-mail (provided at the top of the syllabus); or (3) in person. In all cases, it is the student's responsibility to be certain that the professor has received the message. If notification is by telephone, talk with the professor personally if at all possible, or at least emphasize to the secretary that it is extremely important that I get the message prior to the date and time of the class. In the case of e-mails, I will respond, acknowledging that I have received the e-mail. It is absolutely critical that you follow these steps if you are to be allowed to make up any missed work. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
It is the policy of Aauburn University ro provide accessibility to its programs and activities and reasonable accommodation for persons defined as having disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
If any student has a certifiable disability, he or she should contact the Program
for Students with Disabilities located in 1234 Haley Center, (334)844-2096.
All reasonable accommodations will be made for students with appropriate
documentation from the Program for Students with Disabilities.
This documentation must be presented prior to or within the first week of class
Students may withdraw from the course without grade penalty
until the mid-term date for the semester. (Check the calendar on the university
website for the specific date.) Any withdrawal prior to this date will simply
be designated on your transcript as a "W" and will not affect your grade point
average.
Auburn University expects students to pursue their academic work with honesty and integrity. Violations of this principle may include:
A. The possession, receipts or use of any material or assistance not authorized in the preparation of any essay, laboratory report, examination, or class assignment to be submitted for credit as a part of a course or to be submitted in fulfillment of a University requirement. The possession, receipts or use of unauthorized material while an exam or quiz is in progress, or cheating of any other nature, will be a violation of the Code.
B. Knowingly giving assistance to another in such preparation.
C. Selling, giving, lending, or otherwise furnishing to any other person any material which can be shown to contain the questions or answers to any examination scheduled to be given at some subsequent date in any course of study, excluding questions and answers from tests previously administered and returned to a student by the instructor.
D. The submission of themes, essays, term papers, tests, design projects, similar requirements or parts thereof that arc not the work of the student submitting them. When direct quotations are used, they should be indicated, and when the ideas of another are incorporated into a paper, they must be appropriately acknowledged. Almost every student has heard the term "plagiarism." Nevertheless, there is a danger of failing to recognize either its full meaning or its seriousness. In starkest terms, plagiarism is stealing -- using the words or ideas of another as if they were one's own. If, for example, another person's complete sentence, syntax, key words, or the specific or unique ideas and information are used, one must give that person credit through proper documentation or recognition, as through the use of footnotes.
E. Altering or attempting to alter an assigned grade on any official University
record. This violation may also be subject to review and action by the Student
Disciplinary Committee.
F. An instructor may delineate in advance other actions he or she considers a violation of the Code. For example, the teacher may consider dishonest or unethical the submission of papers substantially the same in content for credit in more than one course unless specific permission has been given in advance.