Course
Description

Course Texts

Student Responsibilities

• Course Preparation

• Attendance

• Assignments

• Exams

• Make-Up Policy

• Learning Disability
  Policy

Grading

Course Itinerary

Final Comments

Instructor: Craig T. Robertson, Ph.D.
Office: 558 Stevens Hall
Office Phone: 765-4530

Office Hours: Monday: 8:30-10:00am
Tuesday: 10:30-noon
Wednesday: 8:30-10:00am
Friday: 8:30-10:00am

E-mail: Always use the Blackboard (Bb) e-mail system for this class.  Under
"Browse for Recipients..." select me as "All Section Instructors".  This symbol   will appear by the e-mail icon in Bb signifying that you have unread e-mail.

Dept. of Sociology Website:  http://www2.una.edu/sociology  Check out the website to learn more about the department, the major, the faculty, our courses, careers, etc.

My Website:  http://www2.una.edu/crobertson

Course Description

Criminologists aim, through use of logic and reliance upon widely accepted procedures or methods that structure empirical observation, to understand the processes whereby behaviors are classified as "crimes." Criminologists also aim to develop and test explanatory theories of criminal and victim behavior in order to predict when criminal incidences might occur.  Finally, criminologists aim to control the deleterious effects of crime through creation of enlightened public policy (i.e., whatever governments choose to do or not to do in the process of allocating valuable and limited resources).  In this course I hope to expose you to a study of crime that captures all the above aims.  More specifically however, our goals are:

• to examine the extent of crime and variables associated with crime;

• to understand the strengths and weaknesses of various methods
  of data collection and to improve our data interpretation skills;

• to study various expressions of criminal conduct (i.e., what is commonly called a typological approach) and the role of victims; and

• to learn and apply respected criminological theories

Course Texts

Siegel, Larry J.  2009.  Criminology.  Belmont, CA:  Thomson Wadsworth.

Additional readings will be made available as needed

Student Responsibilities

Course Preparation, Participation, and Attendance:  I expect my students to be active participants in this class.  To be an active participant you must read your assigned chapters and stay current with those chapters.  To be an active participant you must attend class.  My attendance policy is as follows:  Attendance is taken and graded for a total of 50 pts.  Each time you miss class, I deduct 2 points from your 50 pts. total.

Assignments:  Written assignments must be formatted using the APA style.  Please view the APA PowerPoint presentation provided for you within Bb.  Work that is inconsistent with the APA format and other expectations concerning content, basic instructions and professionalism of presentation will be returned to be resubmitted as late work before the next class meeting begins at 80% maximum credit.  Please understand that not every assignment requires you to prepare internal citations or reference page/s.  I will inform you in my assignment instructions when this is necessary.  Failure to submit assignments on time will result in a maximum 80% grade before grading begins.  Late assignments must be submitted before the next class meeting begins.  Late work will not be accepted after that point.

Three assignments will be posted to Bb with each counting 50 points.

Unless otherwise stated, assignments must be typed (use either an 11 or 12 point font, always use a top, left, right, and bottom margin of 1" and double-space the work), grammatically sound and paginated.  Your work will be graded on the basis of content, grammar, adherence to the APA format, and conformance to standard expectations related to ethical writing.  You must internally cite all your sources, avoid lengthy quotes, avoid plagiarism, and work independently of other students enrolled in this course.  Your work will be returned immediately if the above expectations are not met.

A link to the UNA Writing Center is available on the Bb "Course Tools" menu.  We all need to improve our writing skills and the writing center has helpful resources and staff.

Exams:  Examination dates are noted on the tentative course itinerary (see below).  My examinations for this course are based on multiple-choice and essay questions.  Examinations 1 and 2 will count 100 points each and Examination 3, the comprehensive final, will count 150 points.  It will be administered on Dec. 8th at 8:00am.  To help in your exam preparation, study guides will be posted to Bb.

Make-up Policy:  Make-up quizzes and exams are given at the discretion of the instructor under extenuating circumstances, and requests for make-up quizzes and exams must be made by the student within three days of the scheduled quiz or exam date.  Illnesses and death of an immediate family member are the only non-university approved reasons that will justify make-up quizzes or exams.  All make-up requests must be accompanied by official written notice and make-up work must be completed on the date defined by the instructor.  Instructors are not responsible for informing students of missed work.

Learning Disabilities Policy:  It is UNA's policy to provide equal opportunity in education.  Students should contact me within the first three class meetings to file a student disability statement if they have a disability that may prevent them from meeting course requirements.  Course requirements will not be waived but accommodations will be made that allow students to meet those requirements.  I recommend that students requiring assistance visit Developmental Services (RM. 111) in the GUC.

Grading 

The following grade point scale (A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%,  D=60-69%, and below 60%=F) is employed.  No grades are dropped and there is no extra-credit work.  Course averages may be calculated at any point in the semester by adding together the total number of points you accumulate from all graded work and then dividing that sum by the total number of points that could possibly have been earned.  For example, if a student made 8 out of 10 on a quiz and 45 out of 50 on an exam, the student's grade would be 53 out of 60 or 88.3%.  Please see me during office hours to discuss grades and e-mail me with requests for final grades.

Where do my course points come from?

1st. Examination = 100 pts.
2nd. Examination = 100 pts.
3rd. Examination = 150 pts. (Comprehensive)
3 Mandatory Assignments at 50 points each = 150 pts.
Attendance = 50 pts.

Course Itinerary

Date and Event/Subject (Dates for examinations are tentative)

8/20 - Classes begin, review of syllabus
9/1 - Holiday
9/17 - Last day for refund
9/29 - Exam 1
10/13 - Midterm
10/20 - Last day of W period
10/21 - Begin WP/WF period
11/3 - Exam 2
11/19 - End of WP/WF period, Last day to completely withdraw
11/26-30 - Thanksgiving
11/27 - Last day to drop a class or withdraw from UNA
12/4 - Study day
12/8 - Final Exam at 8:00am.  
12/12 - Commencement