22 Jun Upon completio
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Define and explain the concepts of crime, criminal law, and criminology.
2. Provide descriptions for sources of crime data and explain the measures and impact of crime data.
3. Compare and contrast the differences between early criminal behavior and today’s modern forms.
4. List and explain the biological and psychological theories of criminal behavior.
5. Explain the sociological theories of criminal behavior using the social structural approach.
6. Explain the sociological theories of criminal behavior using the social-process approach.
7. Distinguish between the various types of crime, those that are more serious than others, and state the impact
each have on society.
8. Define property crime and describe the effect property crimes have on society.
9. Define government and business related crimes and describe the effects on society.
10. Define drug abuse and illegal drug activities and their relationship to organized crime and legitimate business.
11. Identify and describe the major components and characteristics of the U.S. Criminal Justice System.
12. Discuss and explain the evolution of today’s formal policing in the United States.
13. Describe and discuss the components of today’s court system.
14. List the major events and discuss the evolution of today’s prison system in the United States.
15. Explain the use of corrections within the community as alternatives for incarceration.
Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit.
Course Structure
1. Unit Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Unit Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and
knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.
2. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses unit material.
3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook.
Supplemental Readings are provided in the Unit VII study guide to aid students in their course of study.
4. Key Terms: Key Terms are intended to guide students in their course of study. Students should pay particular
attention to Key Terms as they represent important concepts within the unit material and reading.
5. Unit Assessments: This course contains four Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Unit I, II, IV,
and VI. Assessments are composed of written response questions.
6. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units III, V, and VII. Specific
information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. A grading rubric is included with
assignment instructions to provide you with a guideline your professor will use to assess your assignment. A
MCJ 5135 Theory of Crime
and Criminology
Course Syllabus
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 2
grading rubric is included with the assignments in Unit III, V, and VII. Specific information about accessing this
rubric is provided below.
7. Final Exam: Students are to complete a Final Exam in Unit VIII. All Final Exams are proctored—see below for
additional information. You are permitted four (4) hours to complete this exam, in the presence of your approved
proctor. This is an open book exam. Only course textbooks and a calculator, if necessary, are allowed when
taking proctored exams. The Final Exam is composed of multiple-choice questions.
8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or
course content related questions.
9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.
CSU Online Library
The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases,
journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library
webpage. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also
access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard.
The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail (library@columbiasouthern.edu) and telephone
(1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The
library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.
Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information.
Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other
services.
Unit Assignments
Research Paper Overview
The paper for this course requires students to select one criminological theory and evaluate how that theory impacts an
individual’s decision to commit crime as well as how it assists criminal justice officials in understanding criminal activity.
This research paper is broken down into the following three components that will be completed during the course:
1. During Unit III, students will submit an overview of their Research Paper and an Annotated Bibliography.
2. During Unit V, students will submit the section of the Research Paper that discusses the selected criminological
theory.
3. During Unit VII, students will submit the Final Research Paper.
More detailed descriptions of each component are provided below. Students will be expected to incorporate any
recommended changes to resources in the Annotated Bibliography and suggested changes to criminological theory
section based upon the feedback from their instructor into their Final Research Paper.
Unit III Research Paper
Part 1: Overview and Annotated Bibliography
Part 1 of the Research Paper includes both an overview of the research project and an Annotated Bibliography. In the
overview section, students must identify the criminological theory that will serve as the basis for their research project and
briefly describe how that theory explains why individuals decide to commit crimes. The overview section should be no
more than two pages in length.
The Annotated Bibliography must include a minimum of six scholarly resources that the student plans to utilize in the
Research Paper. Each resource must be formatted per APA (6th ed.) guidelines, include a brief description of the
information included in the resource, and why it is relevant to the research paper. Students will be allowed to utilize more
scholarly resources in the Final Research Paper as appropriate. The intent of the Annotated Bibliography is to
demonstrate that the student is headed in the right direction with his or her research for the paper.
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 3
Part 1 of the Research Paper should be approximately four-five pages in length (a two page overview and two-three page
Annotated Bibliography), not counting the cover and reference pages. Please review the general guidelines for papers to
obtain a description of other formatting requirements.
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit V Research Paper
Part 2: Criminological Theory
Part 2 of the Research Paper includes the section focused upon the selected criminological theory. In this section,
students will (1) discuss the foundations and principles of the theory, (2) compare and contrast the theory to at least two
other criminological theories, and (3) discuss why this theory was selected to explain why an individual decides to commit
crime as well as how the theory assists criminal justice professionals in understanding criminal activity.
Please note that students are only explaining why the theory was selected in the last part of this section. A full discussion
on the topics highlighted in item three (3) above shows what will be included in the final paper.
In addition to the textbook, students must incorporate at least four additional scholarly resources as part of their
discussion about the selected criminological theory.
Part 2 of the Research Paper should be five-seven pages in length, not counting the cover and reference pages. Please
review the general guidelines for papers to obtain a description of other formatting requirements.
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit VII Research Paper
Final Research Paper
During Unit VII, students will submit the Final Research Paper. The Final Research Paper will consist of the following
components: (1) overview section submitted during Unit III; (2) criminological theory section submitted during Unit V; and
(3) evaluation of how the selected theory impacts an individual’s decision to commit crime and how it assists criminal
justice professionals in understanding criminal activity. Information presented in each section should be supported with
scholarly resources.
Sections of the Final Research Paper that were previously submitted in Units III and V must be included:
Unit III Annotated Bibliography
Unit V Criminological Theory
Unit III and Unit V must include any updates that were recommended by the course instructor through his or her feedback.
The final section of the paper (Section 3: Evaluation) will be created and submitted with the final draft.
While the level of detail in each section of the Research Paper will vary, it is anticipated that Section 3 will be
approximately three-five pages in length. This should result in a Final Research Paper (Parts 1, 2, and 3) that is 10–14
pages in length, not counting the cover and reference pages. Please review the general guidelines for papers to obtain a
description of other formatting requirements.
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