Course Project: Managing the Prison Environment

OBJECTIVES

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The Course Project is designed to provide you with an opportunity to research a topic of interest related to some aspect of correctional administration. This project is an effort to allow you to fully explore issues related to either correctional officials or prison inmates.

This project incorporates all TCOs.

GUIDELINES

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The course project is worth 320 total points and will be graded on APA formatting; quality of research topic; quality of paper information; proper use of text citations; proper grammar, punctuation, usage, and sentence structure; and the deliverable components for Weeks 1, 2, 5, and 6.

There are four components to the Course Project.

• title page, topic discussion, and a list of three references
• annotated outline
• annotated bibliography
• Final Paper

Requirements

• APA guidelines must be followed for all course component deliverables.
• At least six authoritative, outside references are required for the annotated bibliography and the Final Paper.
• All DeVry University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy.
• The Final Paper isdue in Week 6of this course.
• The Final Paper must be 8 to 10 pages of text in length, Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, include a cover page, introduction or abstract, body of the report, summary or conclusion, and a works cited page.
• Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A Discussion topic or instructor e-mail.

Course Project Deliverables

Week 1–Title page, description of Final Paper topic, and references to three outside sources. This deliverable should include a properly formatted title and reference page and one page of text describing the topic selected, your reasons for selecting this topic, and what you expect to learn from having explored this topic area.

Week 2–Annotated outline for the Final Paper. Submit a polished outline for your Final Paper. Include in your outline a brief summary, two to three sentences, of key points for each topic area.

Week 5–Annotated bibliography for the Final Paper. Your bibliography should include references to at least six outside sources. Also required is a brief, one-paragraph summary of the publication and your reasoning as to why this source is important to the topic you are investigating.

Week 6–Final Paper. Submit an 8 to 10 page paper that includes a separate title and reference page. This paper should be well organized and follow the outline submitted for Week 2 unless otherwise approved by your instructor. It should also include the list of references, but not the annotations, submitted during Week 5. The Final Paper should adhere to all APA guidelines.

GRADING RUBRICS

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Breakdown of Different Components

• Week 1–title page, topic description, and three references
  • properly formatted title page–10 points
  • one-page topic description–20 points
  • reference to three outside sources–10 points
  • Total: 40 Points

• Week 2–annotated outline
  • a properly formatted outline–20 points
  • a comprehensive outline that addresses key points–40 points
  • a brief summary of key points for all main topics addressed in the outline–20 points
  • Total: 80 Points

• Week 5–annotated bibliography
  • a properly formatted bibliography–20 points
  • a one-page summary of the publication–40 points
  • substantive reasons for selecting the publication–20 points
  • Total: 80 Points

• Week 6–Final Paper
  • title and/or reference page–10 points
  • introduction or abstract–10 points
  • text or body of the paper–60 points
  • APA guidelines–40 points
  • Total: 120 Points

BEST PRACTICES

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Milestones

1. Identify Course Project topic.
2. Locate three sources of interest.
3. Develop a complete outline to include topics and subtopics.
4. Complete your literature search.
5. Develop a complete draft of your paper by Week 4.
6. Submit your Final Paper on or before the due date.

The following are best practices in preparing this paper.

• Cover Page:Include whom you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, and the date.
• Table of Contents:List the main ideas and sections of the paper and the pages where they are located. Illustrations should be included separately.
• Introduction:Use a header on your paper. This will indicate that you are introducing the paper.

  The purpose of an introduction or opening is to

• 1. introduce the subject and explain why the subject is important;
  2. preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered; and
  3. establish the tone of the document.

Include in the introduction a reason for the audience to read the paper. Also, include an overview of what you will cover and the importance of the material. (This should include or introduce the questions you are asked to answer in each assignment.)

• Body of the Report:Use a header with the name of the project. An example is, “The Development of Hotel X: A World Class Resort.” Proceed to break out the main ideas: State the main ideas, state the major points of each idea, and provide evidence. Show some type of division, such as separate, labeled sections; separate groups of paragraphs; or headers. Include the information you found during your research and investigation.
• Summary and Conclusion:Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing but presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and the major support points from the body of the report; minor details are left out. Summarize the benefits of the ideas and how they affect the subject.
• Work Cited:Use the citation format specified in the Syllabus.

Additional hints on preparing the best possible project follow.

1. Apply a three-step process to writing: plan, write, and complete.
2. Prepare an outline of the research paper before going forward.
3. Complete a first draft and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any changes required.
4. Use visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of the report. Examples include graphs, diagrams, photographs, flowcharts, maps, drawings, animation, video clips, pictograms, tables, and Gantt charts.
5. Begin the topic selection process and your literature search on Day 1.
6. Contact your instructor if you have any questions as to the appropriateness of your topic.
7. Follow APA guidelines closely.
8. If you are not familiar with APA guidelines, several publications are available for purchase and information is also available online, as well as in the Syllabus.
9. Turn in your written assignments before the deadline.

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