CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY- FRESNO DOWNTOWN PROGRAM
Fresno P.D. Annex Training Room

AUG/SEP  2009

Syllabus for Crim 112
Professionalism in Criminal Justice Class#77431 (3 units)

Instructor: Dr. Harald Otto Schweizer  Office: S2-138
UNIVERSITY OFFICE HOURS beginning 25 August

TU/TH 0830-0920; TU/TH 1050-1230 on campus.  Before and after class downtown.
Other hours as arranged. All hours subject to change when circumstances dictate.
Office Phone:278- 8880  E-mail: haralds@csufresno.edu 
Web site at: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~haralds/LECTURENOTES/crim112/Crim112fall09classpage.htm

 

 

Meets Wednesdays from 1800-2200 on 5, 12, 19, 26 August and 2, 9, 16, 23 September 2009* Also meets on the following Saturdays from 0800-1430: 15 August and 19 September 2009.

Required Text: written material for review will be provided in class via CD, in hard copy, or on line. Students must provide a blank CD or bring a USB drive to class in order to transfer reading material to be read for the course.

COURSE SPECIFIC PREREQUISITES:  Same as requirement for enrollment in downtown degree program

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  An examination of the role and importance of professionalism and ethics in the operation of the American Criminal Justice System. Discussions will include the issue of formal and informal controls, political activity, the use of discretion, conflicts of interest, rights of clients, ethical, gender, and ethnic issues, and other relevant topics. Students will be required to examine and discuss the complexity of making ethical decisions and to demonstrate their ability to recognize and make ethical decisions that are the essence of being a criminal justice professional. Students will be directed to analyze and critique decisions made by persons in the criminal justice field, based on their own readings, and examples provided in class. The course will consist of lecture, student discussions of their research and professional experience, the use of audiovisual aids, and rely heavily on current and up-to-date written information available on the Internet..

COURSE GOAL:  To familiarize students with the nature of professionalism and its components and challenges as they related to professions in the Criminal Justice field.

Internet Use is essential in this course and computer literacy is required for all CSU students. If you are totally unfamiliar with the use of the Internet, you should contact the instructor for other options.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students successfully completing the course should be able to:

1.  Identify and discuss what makes an occupation a profession, or factors which make an individual a professional within an occupation.

2.  Provide examples of occupational fields within the criminal justice system and discuss the rationale for calling persons employed in those fields “professionals.”

3.  Identify the major components of codes of ethic or conduct utilized by governmental organizations and discuss problems or issues with those codes.

4.  Discuss the steps applicable to ethical decision making and be able to distinguish ethical from unethical decisions based on a structured assessment of those decisions.

5.  Identify and describe issues and challenges involving the conduct or activities of law enforcement, court, or correctional officials.

COURSE SCHEDULE (Approximate)

Aug 5

Introduction to course and course requirements.

Aug 12/15

Professionalism defined. What is a profession, when is one a professional (Wed and Sat 15 Aug)

Aug 19

Role of ethics in professions. Review of codes of ethics or codes of conduct-on line readings and quiz posted on/before 19 Aug 09.

Aug 26

Analyzing ethics; Use of force; Corruption , Integrity tests.

Sep 2

Corruption; whistle blowers; on line readings and quiz (posted on or before 2 Sep 09.

Sep 9

Ethical Decision making process and External Review of Police

Sep 16

term research results due Student presentations

Sep 19/23

Student presentations, Overview and final discussions, final exam-on 23 Sep 09.

 

 

COURSE PROJECTS/MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS/EXAMINATIONS

 

  1. Students must select at least FOUR articles involving ethical or professional lapses/issues* in at least three different professions within criminal justice (Police, Judges, Prosecutors, Correctional Officers, Probation/Parole officers, etc.), write summaries in their own words, and answer specific questions as instructed during class. Students must also review the Independent Police Auditor or similar office for TWO of the cities assigned during class. 

Detailed instructions are accessible at: COMPLETE COURSE PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

 

Students must be able to present the results of their research on the Independent Police Auditor on or before 19 September, and the course project is due in written form sent as an attachment in WORD via Email on the last day of class, but it may also be submitted early as installments during the 8 weeks of instruction.

 

ATTENDANCE:

Students should make every effort to attend class.  Students missing one or more days due to job related obligations must contact the instructor for alternative assignments.

 

EXAMS:

There will be two quizzes and one final exam.  Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions and the final exam of multiple choice and essay questions.  Material for the quizzes/exam will come from required readings, lectures, powerpoints and class discussion.  Quizzes and the final exam is given on line.  Students should take and complete the quiz or exam within 48 clock hours.

 

MAKEUP EXAMS:

Students prevented from taking the exam within the 48 hours due to work related assignments will be able to take a makeup exam as arranged by the instructor.

Students who have completed the quizzes and final exam but are still working on the course project after the last week of class, should contact the instructor and request an Incomplete grade, which will then be changed once all work has been completed.  To qualify for this option, the student must submit a rough draft of their research project with the request for an incomplete grade.

 

GRADING:

Term Project:  500 points

Quizzes:          200 points

Final Exam:     300 points

Total:              1000 points

A=900+; B=800+; C=700+; D=600+

Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library 1049 (278-2811).

Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in the University Center Room 5 (278-2811).

 

Honor Code:  “Members of the CSU Fresno academic community adhere to principles of academic integrity and mutual respect while engaged in university work and related activities.”  You should:

a)      understand or seek clarification about expectations for academic integrity in this course (including no cheating, plagiarism and inappropriate collaboration)

b)      neither give nor receive unauthorized aid on examinations or other course work that is used by the instructor as the basis of grading.

c)      take responsibility to monitor academic dishonesty in any form and to report it to the instructor or other appropriate official for action.

 

Instructors may require students to sign a statement at the end of all exams and assignments that “I have done my own work and have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.” If you are going to use this statement, include it here.

 

Cheating and Plagiarism: "Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term 'cheating' not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one's own work." Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Class Schedule (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).

 

Computers: "At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a workstation (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary by academic major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology Services (http://www.csufresno.edu/ITS/) or the University Bookstore. In the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer workstation and the necessary communication links to the University's information resources."

 

Disruptive Classroom Behavior: "The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. ... Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms which are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop and understanding of the community in which they live . . . Student conduct which disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class."

 

Copyright policy: Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the material. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research.  Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder.  The user of this work is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code).  To help you familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page:  www.csufresno.edu/library/about/policies/docs/copyrtpolicyfull.pdf. 

 

Digital Campus course web sites contains material protected by copyrights held by the instructor, other individuals or institutions. Such material is used for educational purposes in accord with copyright law and/or with permission given by the owners of the original material.  You may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for non-commercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (1) do not modify it, (2) use it only for the duration of this course, and (3) include both this notice and any copyright notice originally included with the material.   Beyond this use, no material from the course web site may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without the permission of the original copyright holder.  The instructor assumes no responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted material placed on the web site.

 

Last modified: June 24, 2009

OFFICE HOURS, STUDENT COUNSELING, AND CLASS ATTENDANCE:

An outline of class lectures will be posted on the instructor's website, time constraints permitting. This outline would not replace a student’s own  "lecture notes" and reading it, would not be an appropriate substitute for attending class. Any lecture outline would NOT contain all of the relevant and important information discussed during the lectures.

Students having to miss class due to work related obligations, should confer with classmates about what was covered during those classes, and also notify the instructor who will assign additional readings to make up for the missed class time.

*Students noticing possible errors (listed dates, numbers, assignment  conflicts, etc.) in this syllabus should bring it to the attention of the instructor.

NOTE: Upon due notice and at the discretion of the instructor, the schedule and procedures of this course are subject to change. If any changes become necessary, it will not involve an increase in course requirements.  All temporary or permanent adjustments will be posted on the class web site, explained in class, and posted on Dr. Schweizer’s class website, when time permits.  Students are responsible for any changes announced in class even if they are absent.