CRJ 4000 - Criminal Procedure

Course Structure

This course combines classroom and web-based experiences. Students are expected to monitor the online course content regularly and complete assignments in a timely manner. Online and hybrid courses require self discipline - but are a great way to learn.

Course Description

A survey and analysis of due process rights of individuals in the criminal process. Emphasis will be on the impact of the Bill of Rights on the practices of police, prosecutors and judges and the remedies available for the violation of those rights.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

Discuss the constitutional requirements that guide the structure and processes employed by governmental entities in the criminal justice system.
Critically analyze the impact of key Supreme Court decisions involving relevant amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Outline criminal procedures and processes in the judicial system during pretrial, trial, conviction and post conviction phases.
Analyze the impact of key Supreme Court decisions involving searches and seizures of persons and property.
Analyze the legal liabilities and other consequences of police, prosecutorial, and judicial misconduct.

Each of the preceding objectives are accompanies with specific learning outcomes. The full matrix is included in the online classroom.

Readings

No textbook is required for this class. Students will work collaboratively, with significant guidance, to discover, modify, ad organize reading materials for this class. In effect, we are writing the textbook as we move through the course. Our goal is to discover and organize materials that will help each students accomplish the objectives outlined above and in the online classroom.

Evaluation Criteria

Mastery Exams (25%)
Online Activities (25%)
Online Discussions (20%)
Course Design Project (20%)
Participation and Engagement (10%)

A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89.99%
C = 70% - 79.99%
D = 60% - 69.99%
F = 59.99% or below

Mastery Exams: (25%)

Five multiple choice exams (quizzes) will be given throughout the semester. Each exam will be completed in the cjcampus classroom. The same format is used for each exam - 20 questions, 30 minutes, multiple attempts. The highests grade earned on the exam will count toward your final grade. Although the exams are open book, you have a limited amount of time. Those who begin the exam fully prepared to succeed, without reference to the text or notes, earn higher scores. The format of the exams provides partial credit for missed responses, so leaving a question unanswered will result in lost points. You will be able to take the exam as many times as you like, eventually seeing the answer to most questions included in the test bank. As a result, you have an opportunity to continually retest your knowledge of key concepts.

The cjcampus calendar and clock is ruthless and will not allow you to take late exams. Missed exams are recorded as a zero. Make-up exams are not available. Please keep up with your assignments. Pace yourself. Do not wait till the last day to complete your assignments. At the end of the term an "extra credit" final exam will be available. The score on this exam will be used to replace the lowest score on a previous exam. While problems with exams are possible, including technical issues, illness, or simply forgetting the exam, it is unlikely that anyone would miss more than one exam. Exams will be available for several days. If computer problems prevent you from completing the exam I can reset to give you another try - but only if I have enough notice. If you wait until the last day to take the exam you have given up the opportunity for another try.

Essay Exams: (25%)

Five essay exams are posted in the cjcampus online classroom. These exams vary in difficulty, but will typically require web site review, outside reading, and/or other preparation.

Specific instructions will be provided for each exam, but in general, essays should have sufficient breadth and depth to indicate more than a passing awareness of the issues raised in the assignment. Grading will be determined based on the thoroughness of response and the ability to properly apply knowledge gained through reading and additional research. Essays submitted for these assignments should be "term paper quality." Pay attention to spelling, sentence and paragraph structure, organization, and citations. Your papers should use APA style, which is described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition, 2009).

All written assignments must be in Word format (with a .doc or .docx extension). If you do not have Microsoft Word you may want to try the free alternative, OpenOffice. This program also includes a spreadsheet and other tools, including an HTML editor. Go to http://openoffice.org to download and install. Other word processing programs may work, but if you cannot save your files in the .doc or .docx format, please "save as" an rtf file.

Online Discussions: (20%)

Nine online discussions will be posted in the classroom. These include internet activities that direct you to content that you will review and discuss with classmates. In general, students will be expected to formulate an informed response to a discussion question and post at least two comments that refer to the responses of other students. Posts must demonstrate your understanding of the readings and/or your analysis of assigned reading, videos, or other media content. Posts that are limited to personal opinion are not acceptable. All discussions will be completed in the online forum, with submissions evaluated and commented on by classmates. The rating of these activities is an important component of the class participation score. More information, including a discussion rating rubric, is included in the classroom.

Course Design Project: (30%)

This class will participate in the design of the textbook to be used for this course. With the wide variety of internet options, including readings and multimedia content, this subject can be learned without reliance on a traditional textbook. This is a group assignment and you will be graded for your contributions as well as your efforts to help others improve their contributions to this project. More information will be provided in class.

Participation and Engagement: (up to 10 points will be deducted)

This course will be better if you talk more and I talk less. I prefer not to dominate the discussion, so each of you will need to remain active throughout the course. You all have interesting ideas and viewpoints and we learn more by sharing and trying to understand various views.

Note that this criteria includes participation and engagement. While we may be able to assess participation through a simple count of posts, we are also interested in active engagement throughout the course. Engagement is demonstrated by remaining active each week, submitting assignments on time, joining discussions at the beginning of each week, and helping each other create a vibrant learning environment.

Course Policies

Learning Strategies

This course has been designed as an "online learning environment." You are all familiar with the dynamic of the classroom - the professor may lecture while students listen and occasionally interact. Most classrooms are designed as "teaching environments." Students may not be an integral part of a teaching environment and in some cases the class could be held even if no students were in attendance.

In contrast, the online learning environment requires student engagement. In fact, the environment fails to function if students are not engaged. This course contains materials that if consumed, will result in learning. Like the story of "leading a horse to water," this course environment is the water. To make it work, you must each "take a drink." an open mind is also quite important.

You are all expected to help each other. Your professor has a great deal of knowledge about the subject matter. Each student in this class also has knowledge that can help us learn. For example, if a student posts a question to the discussion forum we do not need to wait for an "official" response form the professor. Help each other learn as we make our way through the materials.

Deadlines

Deadlines are not suggestions. All written material will rapidly lose points in the days following the due date. Zero points will be awarded for missed assignments.

ADA

Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first week) as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Building, 910-521-6695. Please see http://www.uncp.edu/dss/ for more information.

Class Withdrawal

Class withdrawal is your responsibility. If you disappear, we will wonder where you are. However, we will not drop you from the class. Withdrawals should follow University procedure. The student is responsible for obtaining all necessary signatures on drop slips.

Academic Misconduct

A very high price can be paid when you are caught cheating. Too high to risk. All written material must be your own composition. It is not appropriate to submit work originally completed for another course. Appropriate credit must be given for sources used in developing your ideas and arguments. You must provide appropriate citations, following APA Style guidelines. It is easy to see when large sections of text have been lifted from web pages or other sources. This is quite easy to verify as well.

NOTE: The penalties for engaging in any of these acts of academic misconduct will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but will follow general university guidelines as to severity.

Classroom Climate

Classroom climate is not solely the Professor's responsibility. We encourage each of you to engage in conversation on any issue. The University is a place for free speech, limited through individual choice. These choices may be altered with awareness of the real or potential reaction of others. However, you should not be intimidated into keeping quiet. We do not condone racist, sexist, homophobic, or other hateful speech. You are all adults, capable of understanding generally accepted rules of conduct and modifying your behavior in an effort to comply with these social or legal expectations. You are responsible for your behavior.

Final Grades

If grades are made available online, be advised that if there is any error the grade you receive from the registrar is your official grade. Grade changes will be made only in cases of data or computation error. Please do not ask, beg, or otherwise attempt to change a properly computed grade.

Course Outline and Schedule

This course outline is intended to define much of what will happen throughout this course. Changes are possible. Any changes will be clearly presented to the class and will often include class discussion. Changes will apply to all students enrolled in this course, without regard to whether they were involved in the discussion.