Dr. Brad Tripp

Office: Kinard 339

Office Phone: EXT 4602

Office Hours: Tuesdays 11-3; and by appointment

E-mail: trippb@winthrop.edu

Web Site: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/trippb/

 

 CRIMINOLOGY

 

SOCL 325, Section 001

CRN: 21020

3 Credit Hours

Spring 2013

Kinard 315

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11:00-11:50

 

 

COURSE GOALS
 
The goal of this course is to offer an in depth look at crime.  The semester will begin with a look at the study of crime itself (AKA Criminology).  Students will examine competing theories on criminal behavior, and the ways in which these various theories lead us towards a better understanding of crime, criminals, and criminal behavior.  Additionally as we will examine crime cross culturally and through different eras, this course participates in the Global Learning Initiative.
 

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

The student learning outcomes of this course are for students to be able to recognize and apply diverse theories of criminal behavior and criminal law formation to a wide array of topics.  Students will be able to identify the broad range of social and cultural variables that influence criminal law and criminal behavior. 

 

SOCL 325 AND UNIVERSITY LEVEL COMPETENCIES ADDRESSED IN THE TOUCHSTONE PROGRAM

 

SOCL 325 helps students make progress towards the following University Level Competencies:

 

Competency 1: Winthrop graduates think critically and solve problems. 

Winthrop University graduates reason logically, evaluate and use evidence, and solve problems.  They seek out and assess relevant information from multiple viewpoints to form well-reasoned conclusions.  Winthrop graduates consider the full context and consequences of their decisions and continually reexamine their own critical thinking process, including the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments. 

SOCL 325 will present students with many theories of criminal behavior.  Throughout the course students will be asked to share their understanding of these diverse theories in assignments, tests, and the term paper.

Competency 2: Winthrop graduates are personally and socially responsible. 

Winthrop University graduates value integrity, perceive moral dimensions, and achieve excellence.  They take seriously the perspectives of others, practice ethical reasoning, and reflect on experiences.  Winthrop graduates have a sense of responsibility to the broader community and contribute to the greater good. 

Students will be asked to examine criminal behavior from a theoretical rather than a moral perspective.  Specifically, theories such as social learning theory and labeling theory will ask students to examine behavior in a positivist manner, rather than from a moralistic/judgmental examination of crime.

Competency 3: Winthrop graduates understand the interconnected nature of the world and the time in which they live. 

Winthrop University graduates comprehend the historical, social, and global contexts of their disciplines and their lives. They also recognize how their chosen area of study is inextricably linked to other fields.  Winthrop graduates collaborate with members of diverse academic, professional, and cultural communities as informed and engaged citizens. 

The theories taught in SOCL 325 will provide students with a myriad of causal factors such as: early childhood experiences, biological and psychological factors, social factors (education, employment, income, social bonds, etc.).  These theories will provide students with a number of causal factors for crime and criminal behavior.

Competency 4: Winthrop graduates communicate effectively. 

Winthrop University graduates communicate in a manner appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. They create texts – including but not limited to written, oral, and visual presentations – that convey content effectively. Mindful of their voice and the impact of their communication, Winthrop graduates successfully express and exchange ideas. 

All SOCL 325 students must present and teach one of the assigned readings to the class.  Additionally, students are mentored by Dr. Tripp as they produce term papers in a series of iterative stages.

 

 

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

 

TEXT BOOK: Criminology (10th Edition)

            Author: Conklin

 

READER: Criminological Theory: Past to Present (3rd Edition)

            Author: Cullen and Agnew

 

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

EXAMS: There will be four distinctly different exams in this course which will be based on class lecture, class discussions, and assigned readings.  All exams will contain multiple choice questions.  However, Exam 2, Exam 3, and the Final Exam (cumulative) will also have essay portions.  Approximately 50% of the test questions will come from the lecture material, so students will need to keep up with the readings and attend class in order to do well on the exams. 

All exams are property of this course.  Students are not permitted to remove exams from the classroom.  Taking an exam out of the class, along with cheating or copying during a test will result in an “F.”

           

HOMEWORK – NEWS COVERAGE OF CRIME: At the beginning of the semester you will asked to do a content analysis of local and cable news coverage of crime.  A detailed rubric about this assignment is available on my web page. The due date is February 15th.  This will be a critical thinking exercise that requires both quantitative and qualitative elements of analysis.

           

CLASS DISCUSSION LEADER: On January 14th you will sign up in pairs to be the class discussion leaders on one of the readings from the Cullen and Agnew book Criminological Theory: Past to Present.  The date on which you will have to be discussion leader will be listed on the sign up sheet.  You will be responsible for sending out a list of 7 questions about the article that we may discuss in class.  You will need to send this email to the class list serve at least 2 days in advance.  However, half of your grade will come from sending me your questions exactly one week prior to your presentation.  By doing so, I can help you out and redirect you towards any missed opportunities to address key issues.  A more detailed rubric will be available on my web page. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes.

           

RESEARCH PAPER: Students will also be responsible for a research project.  This project will be a report between 6 and 7 pages (double spaced).  This section of the course will allow you to look into aspects of criminology that interest you.  For this project I will help to direct you in a project that we will develop together.  Further rubric is available on my web page.

           

This project will take place in four stages: 

 

1)      You need to look over the “Criminological Theory: Past to Present” reader and find an article that interests you.  You will need to send me an email by 5PM on January 18th, informing which article you have chosen.  This article will act as a starting point for your project.  (No papers on Durkheim’s “Suicide”)

 

2)      Students must sign-up for and attend a meeting with me in my office hours.  The first day that I will be available to meet with students will be on January 22nd .  During this meeting you will need to bring me a list of three different ways in which you could branch out into a research project.  We will discuss the ways in which you can move forward with your project. 

 

3)      Next, you will be responsible for getting me a list of the articles that you will use as references in your paper.  By this point in the semester I will have handed out a rubric for the paper, and we will have taken a “Class Field Trip” to the library to assist you in finding sources.  You will need to have printed out a list and turned it into to me at the beginning of class on April 1st.

 

4)      The project will be due on April 22nd in class.  All late papers (not turned in at the beginning of class) will be marked down 10 points per day late.  The breakdown of points for this project is as follows:

 

·         Email: 5 Points (JAN 18)

·         Meeting: 5 Points (JAN 22-25)

·         Works Cited: 15 Points (APR 1)

·         Written Project: 75 Points (APR 22)

 

GRADING AND CLASS POLICIES

 

I expect students to take the exams on the dates scheduled and during the allotted time period.  Make-up exams are available under dire circumstances (EX: student is hospitalized.)  If you will not be at the exam during it’s scheduled time you must notify me in advance, we will then determine an appropriate course of action.  I reserve the right to give a make-up exam that is different from the original exam. ALL MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN ON STUDY DAY (APRIL 23rd ).

 

GRADES ARE AVAILABLE WHEN TESTS AND PAPERS ARE RETURNED TO STUDENTS.  IF YOU ARE NOT IN CLASS ON THESE DAYS, THEN YOU MUST COME TO OFFICE HOURS TO GET YOUR GRADES.  DUE TO FEDERAL STUDENT PRIVACY LAWS, NO GRADES WILL BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS VIA PHONE OR EMAIL.

 

 

All dates given, and material covered can be changed at the instructor’s discretion, therefore it is your job to keep informed via attendance, and getting make up material from friends in class. 

           

Take pride in your own work and personal preparation for exams.  Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Any student caught cheating on exams or plagiarizing their paper will receive a final course grade of “F.”

 

GRADING

Test 1 = 100 pts

Test 2 = 50 pts

Test 3 = 100 pts

Final Exam = 150

TV Homework = 50 pts

Class Discussion Leader = 25 pts

Research Project = 100 pts

Total Points = 575 pts

 

Grade                  Points

 

A                     575 - 517

B+                   516 - 500

B                     499 - 460

C+                   459 - 442

C                     441 - 402

D+                   401 - 385

D                     384 – 345

F             344 and Below

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

 

1/7: INTRODUCTION

 

1/9-1/16:

·         CH 1: The Study of Crime

·         READING: “Introduction” by Cullen and Agnew

1/18-1/25:

·         CH 2: Measuring Crime

 

1/21: NO CLASSES – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

1/28:

·         CH 3: Crime and its Cost

 

1/30-2/1:

·         CH 4: Dimensions of Crime

·         REVIEW MATERIALS AVAILABLE (1/30)

 

2/4: TEST 1

 

 

2/6-2/13:

·         CH 5: Biological and Psychological Explanations of Crime

·         READING: “Gene Based Evolutionary Theories in Criminology” by Ellis and Walsh

·         READING: “Does the Body Tell? Biological Characteristics and Criminal Disposition” by Rowe

·         READING: “Personality and Crime: Are Some People Crime Prone?” by Caspi et al

 

2/15: TV NEWS HOMEWORK DUE (2/15)

 

2/15-2/25:

·         CH6: Social, Cultural, and Economic Sources of Crime

·         LECTURE: Marx and Durkheim

·         READING:  “A Theory of Race, Crime, and Urban Inequality” by Sampson and Wilson

·         READING: “Social Structure and Anomie” by Merton

·         READING: “Crime and the American Dream” by Rosenfeld and Messner

·         READING: “Crime in a Market Society” by Currie

·         REVIEW MATERIALS AVAILABLE (2/15)

 

2/27: TEST 2

 

 

3/1-3/8:

·         CH 7: Social Control and Commitment to the Law

·         READING: “Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency” by Glueck and Glueck

·         READING: “Social Bond Theory” by Hirschi

 

3/11-3/15: SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES

 

3/18-3/22:

·         CH 10: Criminal Careers

·         READING:  “A General Theory of Crime” by Gottfredson and Hirschi

·         READING:  “An Age Graded Theory of Informal Social Control” Sampson and Laub

·         READING: “A Theory of Persistent Offending and Desistance from Crime” by Laub and Sampson

 

 

3/25-4/1:

·         CH 8: Learning to Commit Crime

·         LECTURE: Becker, Social Learning, and Identity Theories

·         READING: “A Theory of Differential Association” by Sutherland and Cressey

·         READING:  “A Social Learning Theory of Crime” by Akers

·         READING: “The Code of the Street” by Anderson

·         REVIEW MATERIALS AVAILABLE (3/28)

 

4/3-4/5:

·         CH 9: Opportunities and Facilitating Factors

·         READING: “Routine Activity Theory” by Cohen and Felson

 

4/8: TEST 3

 

4/10-4/12

·         CH 11: The Organization of Criminal Behavior

 

4/15-4/22:

·         CH 15: Solving the Crime Problem

·         TERM PAPER DUE (4/23)

·         REVIEW MATERIALS AVAILABLE (4/23)

 

 

FINAL EXAM: MONDAY, APRIL 29TH , 8 AM   

 

 

Students with Disabilities

 

Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education.  If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 803-323-3290.  Once you have your official notice of accommodations from the Office of Disability Services, please inform me as early as possible in the semester.

 

Phone and Texting Policy

 

There will be absolutely no usage of phones or mp3 players in this class.  If your phone rings, do not answer it.  Everyone forgets every now and then so, first time offenders will not be penalized.  Multiple time offenders will be asked to leave the class.  Students who answer phone calls will be asked to leave class for the day.  Likewise, students caught texting during class will also be asked to leave.  If a person is caught texting a second time they will have 10 points taken off of their FINAL GRADE.  Failure to comply with these regulations will result in failure in the class.  Should you have a personal/family emergency and need your phone to remain active, talk with me before class and we will come to an arrangement.

 

Student code of conduct

 

As noted in the Student Conduct Code:  “Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult individuals.” Additionally my attendance policy is the same as is listed in the student handbook.  Both the attendance policy and the policy on student academic misconduct are outlined in the “Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook:

 

http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf

 

 

Attendance Policy

 

The attendance policy is for this class is the same as the University policy: If a student’s absences in a course total 25 percent or more of the class meetings for the course, the student will receive a grade of N if the student withdraws from the course before the withdrawal deadline; after that date, unless warranted by documented extenuating circumstances as described in the previous section, a grade of F or U shall be assigned.

 

http://www.winthrop.edu/majors/default.aspx?id=9242&ekmensel=db97ad6c_546_548_9242_1

 

 

Winthrop’s Academic Success Center

 

Winthrop’s Academic Success Center is a free resource for all undergraduate students seeking to perform their best academically.  The ASC offers a variety of personalized and structured resources that help students achieve academic excellence, such as tutoring, academic skill development (test taking strategies, time management counseling, and study techniques), group and individual study spaces, and academic coaching.  The ASC is located on the first floor of Dinkins, Suite 106.  Please contact the ASC at 803-323-3929 or success@winthrop.edu.  For more information on ASC services, please visit www.winthrop.edu/success.

 

The Office of Victims Assistance Syllabus Statement

 

The Office of Victims Assistance (OVA) provides direct services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as well as campus-wide educational programming to prevent these crimes from occurring. The staff provides counseling services and assists with obtaining sexual assault forensic exams, STI testing/treatment, pregnancy prevention, housing options, legal prosecution, and access to other support services including assistance with class or course problems resulting from victimization (i.e. missed classes, trouble concentrating or completing assignments). The OVA is located in 204 Crawford and can be reached at (803) 323-2206.  In the case of an after-hours emergency, please call Campus Police at (803)323-3333, or the local rape crisis center, Safe Passage, at their 24-hour hotline, (803)329-2800.

 

For more information please visit: http://www2.winthrop.edu/victimsassistance/Default.htm