DEPARTMENT OF EXTENDED LEARNING

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

CRIMINOLOGY - SOC 4033

Professor:

Evelyn Mercer, Assistant Professor

Disability Disclaimer:

It is the desire of Southwest Baptist University to provide all students with optimum learning experiences. If there are circumstances, due to disability, that may impact your learning in this course, it is necessary for you to inform your instructor within one week of official enrollment (as determined by the Department of Extended Learning) in this course. If you do not notify your instructor, it will be assumed that you do not require special assistance.

Course Text Disclaimer:

The texts used in this course are written from a secular worldview rather than a Christian worldview. Therefore, some of the content may not reflect the views of SBU or of the instructor.

Textbook Required:

Siegel, L. (2008). Criminology:The Core. (3rd edition). Belmont,CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISBN-10: 0495094773. ISBN -13: 9780495094777.

*Larose, A. (2008). Study Guide for Siegel’s Criminology: The Core (3rd edition). Belmont,CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISBN-10: 0495100013. ISBN-13: 9780495100010

*The study guide is optional. It will help you prepare for the exams, but is not required and no assignments are given out of it.

Description:

This course is designed to present a study of sociological theories of crime and delinquency, of crime control including punishment and treatment, and of practices and organizations of police, courts, probation, parole departments and prisons.

Aims and Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. identify crime and the various sociological theories of crime and delinquency.

2. demonstrate a knowledge of the various types of crime.

3. understand how the criminal justice system operates.

4. explain the social reaction to crime in terms of different types of corrections.

Requirements:

1. Report (100 pts): You will do a report on a controversial issue related to criminology. The report will reflect well researched pros and cons of the issue. You will then reach a conclusion of their belief based on the research presented. This should be typed, APA style (see course for details), well documented and include a reference page. This will be turned in to Turnitin.com and checked from plagiarism. Submit BEFORE your REQUEST access to the last exam. Some topics might be gun control, capital punishment, women keeping their babies with them in prison, the influence of media on crime, etc.

2. Discussion Questions (100 pts): You will answer the 3 discussion questions found at the end of each chapter. You will make one submission per unit of study. For example, the first submission is called “Unit 1 Discussion Questions” and contains ALL the questions from chapters 1-3. Both questions and answers must be submitted using the Assignment feature (see course for details). Do not send as email attachments. Create in Microsoft Word 2003 or later. Make sure your name is within all documents. There are a total of 5 submissions at 20 pts each (reflecting 5 units of study). Submit BEFORE requesting access to each unit exam. Please notify me by email when you have submitted them so that I can grade them in a timely manner.

3. Tests (250 pts): There will be five (5) online exams consisting of 50 questions each. They will be objective in nature. There will also be practice quizzes for each chapter. No credit will be given for these, but it will give you a good idea about how the tests are formatted and should help you as you work through the chapters. Should you use the study guide, there are sample questions in the study guide. Access the exams by following the instructions within your course.

Grading Scale

Exam 1 -- Chapters 1-3 50 points 450-500 = A

Exam 2 -- Chapters 4-6 50 points 400-449 = B

Exam 3 -- Chapters 7-9 50 points 350-399 = C

Exam 4 -- Chapters 10-12 50 points 300-349 = D

Exam 5 – Chapters 13-14 50 points Below 300 = F

Report 100 points

Questions 100 points

Total Points 450 points

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email. I hope to answer your questions within 48 hours, excluding holidays and vacation times.