FALL SEMESTER 2021

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE – CRJU 111 A

Syllabus

Instructor: Steven J. Sondergaard JD

Phone: Office- (419)783-2443 ext. 2443

E-mail address: ssondergaard@defiance.edu

Office: Schauffler 204

Class: Monday / Thursday

8:00 AM – 9:15 AM
TEN 201

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 11:00 am to 12:00 noon

Wednesday 08:00 am to 12:00 noon

All other times by appointment

Text: Criminal Justice Today, 14th Ed., Frank Smalleger

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides a broad overview of the three main components of the criminal justice

system: law enforcement, courts, and corrections as well as their interdependence on one another.

Additionally, this course underscores the philosophical, historical and operational aspects of
criminal justice in present society.

ASSESSMENT:

Course Justice Major Learning Objective

1. Students are required to demonstrate an understanding of the three primary pillars of

the criminal justice system. These pillars include law enforcement, courts, and
corrections. Furthermore, students are required to demonstrate an understanding of
how these pillars operate interdependently.

Documenting Evidence: On the course final exam, students will respond to

essay questions designed to gauge their knowledge and understanding of the
Major Learning Objective.

Course Objectives:

1. To gain a basic understanding of the Criminal Justice System.

2. To be able to identify the various components of the Criminal Justice System,
and their important functions.
3. To be able to understand how each component operates and why, and the
basic interactions between components.
4. To gain an overview of the criminal justice process.
5. To gain an introduction to the nature and causes of crime.
6. To become familiar with some of the experiences and treatment of victims.
7. To gain a basic overview of the history of law enforcement, courts, and
corrections.
8. To examine the organization of law enforcement, critical issues in policing, and the
relationship between law enforcement and the rule of law.
9. To examine court policies and procedures, the critical actors in the court
system, and issues in sentencing.
10. To examine institutional and non-institutional alternatives to punishment.
11. To consider current issues and trends within the Criminal Justice System.
12. To briefly review the special issues of juvenile delinquency, international
criminal justice, and drug abuse.
13. To review interest in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems and potential
Involvement in them.
14. To be able to communicate about issues in criminal justice through class
 discussions, a presentation, and through writing assignments.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Four (4) exams

2. One (1) Research paper

Credit Hour Requirements:

This is a 3 credit hour course. In addition to the 3 classroom contact hours you are expected to
engage in 6 hours of class-related effort outside of class every week. This includes reading
assignments, study, homework assignments and other activities that enhance or reinforce your
understanding of the course content. Consider this a minimum requirement, and not a suggestion
or an option. If you are not devoting the minimum time outlined above, you are not fulfilling
your obligations to successfully complete the course.

Class Attendance – The primary goal of college is to obtain a quality education. In order for this
to occur, it is imperative for students to be present and engaged in the classroom. As such, class
attendance is mandatory. However, students will be given three unexcused absences. After your
third unexcused absence, you will incur a 5% reduction in your final grade. After your sixth
unexcused absence, another 5% will be subtracted from your final grade. Events that are school
related and verified by another professor, coach, or staff member are all excused absences and do
not impact your grade. If you are texting on your phone or using your computer for non-topic
related activities, it will be documented as an unexcused absence.

Attendance and Participation Statement

COVID-19: To protect the health and safety of all, anyone exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 as
indicated on the Campus Clear App required for use, should not come to class. Students who
miss class due to logging symptoms into Campus Clear and communicate with the instructor will
not be penalized for their absence and must follow the protocol below:
1. Log your symptoms on Campus Clear App prior to class.
2. Notify your instructor via email about your absence. This should be done
prior to missing class when possible.
3. Keep up with course assignments. If you cannot do so due to the severity
of your illness, communicate with the instructor immediately.
4. Participate in class activities, Google Meets, and submit assignments as
agreed upon by the instructor
Only students who have reported covid-19 symptoms and have received guidance to
isolate or quarantine by the Wellness Center will be permitted to attend class virtually.
Students who are absent for other reasons will not be allowed to attend class virtually and
should refer to the syllabus and communicate with the instructor regarding the expectations for
learning during their absence.

A seating chart will be developed the first day of class. The student shall maintain their
chosen seat and remain at that location for the duration of the semester

GRADING SYSTEM

A 93 – 100% A- 90 - 92
B+ 87 – 89 B 83 – 86% B- 80 - 82
C+ 77 – 79 C 73 – 76% C- 70 - 72
D+ 67 – 69 D 63 – 66% D- 60 - 62
F BELOW 60%

Student Course Evaluations: Student course evaluations are an important source of information
for curricular and teaching improvement. As such, students are strongly encouraged to complete
the online course evaluation. Information is provided toward the end of the term to students
through email explaining how to complete the evaluation online.

Research paper:
Each class member will choose a topic. Two to three topics will be provided to you to choose

from. You must do an individual paper on this topic that will include the following:

 Cover page
 Abstract
 Body 5 pages
 Conclusion
 Works Cited Page – 3 sources

Due date is November 4, 2021 at the beginning of class. The papers will be submitted
electronically by email to the Professor

Reading, Exam and Assignment Calendar

 Weekly Written Assignments will be posted on Moodle

Week of August 23, 2021 Introduction; Review Syllabus; Moodle

Week of August 30, 2021 Moodle Review, Research & Chapter 1

Week of September 6, 2021 Chapter 2

Week of September 13, 2021 Chapter 3

Week of September 20, 2021 Chapter 4, Exam #1

Week of September 27, 2021 Chapter 5

Week of October 4, 2021 Chapter 6

Week of October 11, 2021 Chapter 7, October 15, 2021 NO CLASS

Week of October 18, 2021 Chapter 8 Exam #2

Week of October 25, 2021 Chapter 9

Week of November 1, 2021 Chapter 10; Research paper #2 DUE November 2, 2021

Week of November 8, 2021 Chapter 11; Examination #3

Week of November 15, 2021 Chapter12

Week of November 22, 2021 Chapter 13 No Class November 25, 26 & 27, 2020

Week of November 29, 2021 Special topic

Week of December 6, 2021 Examination #4 Final per Exam Schedule

Defiance College Academic Integrity Policy

All members of the DC community are expected to engage in their academic tasks with integrity
and respect for others. A major part of the learning accomplished in college is the development
of critical thinking skills, and these skills are only developed when each person’s work reflects
his or her own original thought. Defiance College is committed to helping each student to
understand and practice the highest degree of integrity in his or her academic work, and to take
from that work the greatest intellectual and ethical benefit.

The basic rule for academic honesty is that a student’s work should always be his or her own.
Any misrepresentation in academic work, including plagiarism, is a form of academic
dishonesty. Examples of dishonest academic practices include, but are not limited to, using
unauthorized notes or material during an exam, exchanging information with another student
during an exam (regardless of whether or not both students are aware of the exchange), falsifying
data on which the student’s conclusions are based, having another student take an exam in place
of the student registered in the course, and submitting the same work in two different classes
without the permission of both instructors.

Examples of plagiarism (a non-exclusive list):

  Using the exact words from a source, including cutting and pasting from a Web site,
without BOTH quotation marks to indicate the extent of the material borrowed and a
citation of the original source.
 Paraphrasing or summarizing ideas from a source without proper citation. Changing the
words while maintaining the ideas from a source is a paraphrase that must be cited.
 Submitting for credit a work written or created by another, whether such work is written
by a friend, a recognized scholar or is downloaded from the internet.
 Quoting from an unacknowledged source during an oral presentation.
 Using data other than that produced by the student’s own original research without proper
citation of the source.
 Patching together a work using phrases and ideas borrowed from a number of different
sources.
 Accepting assistance or collaborating with other students beyond what is explicitly
permitted by the instructor.

How academic dishonesty will be dealt with: All sanctions for academic dishonesty, even
those involving only remedial actions, are required to be reported to the Provost’s Office for
possible further consequences. Please refer to the Defiance College catalog for the complete
Defiance College Academic Integrity Policy.

Plagiarism and cheating on tests will result in a 0% for the assignment. Be aware that faculty
has access to internet sources that will assess whether papers have been generated through a wide
variety of internet sources. You should not repeat a paper that you have used in another class.

Exams are expected to be taken on the assigned date. If an emergency arises that keeps you
from meeting a deadline, you must seek approval and rearrange prior to the assigned date. If an
exam or other assignment is delayed past the deadline without prior approval, a significant
penalty will result.

Statement on extenuating circumstances: Components of this course may change due to

extenuating circumstances or learner needs. When and if that happens, those changes will not
jeopardize the student in terms of requirements or time to complete assignments.

ACCOMMODATION POLICY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Defiance College is committed to providing educational opportunities for qualified students with
documented disabilities through the provision of reasonable accommodations, in compliance
with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). The purpose of accommodations is to provide equal
access to educational opportunities without altering essential elements of programs or courses.
All requests for accommodations are evaluated on an individual basis after review and evaluation
of documentation. It is the responsibility of the student to request necessary accommodations
and the student should do so as early as possible, as some accommodations may require time to
implement.

Students with a physical, psychological, or learning disability must meet with Defiance College’s
Accessibility Services Coordinator, Tracy Armey at extension 2349 or tarmey@defiance.edu. Please
refer to pages 21-22 of the Course Catalog for Defiance College’s Accommodations Policy for
Students with Disabilities which includes the documentation required for accommodations.
Student Support Services available specifically for the class (such as supplemental instruction
through the Learning Commons), or a statement about support services available at Defiance
College, such as the following:

For extra help in this class or many of your other courses, please be sure to visit the Learning
Commons in the Pilgrim Library, Room 216, for free tutoring and writing assistance. The
Learning Commons writing consultant can help with any writing assignment at any stage of the
writing process. The Learning Commons also offers supplemental instruction for some courses,
the structured study program, as well as study skill workshops, handouts, and LibGuides to help
students’ success in their classes. Further information is available at:
http://libguides.defiance.edu/learningcommons, 419-783-2389, or learningcommons@defiance.edu.

Title IX Statement

While I want you to feel comfortable coming to me with issues you may be struggling with or

concerns you may be having, please be aware that I have some reporting requirements that are

part of my job requirements at Defiance College.

For example, if you inform me of an issue of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or discrimination

I will keep the information as private as I can, but I am required to bring it to the attention of the

institution’s Title IXCoordinator. If you would like to talk to this office directly, contact Lisa

Marsalek, Dean of Students/Title IX Coordinator in 132 Hubbard Hall or 419‐783‐2587 or

lmarsalek@defiance.edu. You can also get support at the Counseling Center, Defiance Hall 201,
783‐562, the Health Center, 783‐2527 or the Campus Chaplain, 783‐ 2444. For more information

about your options at Defiance College, please go to:

http://www.defiance.edu/information/documents/sex‐gender-harassment-discrimination-and-misconduct-policy-

2015.pdf