CJUS230: Criminal Justice Research and Writing

11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 08/08/2024

Course Description

This course is an introductory course to research in the social sciences, both in traditional and online venues. It covers plagiarism, APA formatting, case briefing, academic writing, formal reporting, and memoranda. A major research paper is required.

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to assist the student in becoming a competent writer and researcher.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

The student will take part in two Discussions in this course. Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student must create a thread of 300–500 words in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. In addition to the thread, the student must post a 150–300-word reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. In both the thread and replies, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 1 reference from the Learn materials and 1 biblical citation. Responses must also support the major points with examples and thoughtful analysis, and include at least 1 reference from the Learn materials and 1 biblical citation for each response. All citations must use current APA formatting.

Research Paper Assignments (3)

Throughout the course, the student will complete a Research Paper. This major project is broken into the following three assignments: 

• Research Paper: Thesis Assignment 
• Research Paper: Annotated Outline Assignment 
• Research Paper: Final Assignment 

Investigation Project Assignments (2)

The student will complete an Investigation Project of a hypothetical case. Two assignments will be completed for the Investigation Project:

• Investigation Project: Suspect and Property Sheet Assignment 
• Investigation Project: Incident Report and Narrative Assignment

Case Brief Assignment

The student will complete a 1–2-page Case Brief based on the assigned judicial opinion provided in the course. The Case Brief must include the following sections: Caption, Facts, Procedural History, Issue, Rule of Law, Holding, and Rationale.

Quiz: Video Response

The student will complete the Quiz: Video Response. 

The student may take the Quiz: Video Response twice; the highest score will count toward his/her overall grade.

Quizzes (3)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the Module: Week in which it is assigned. The quizzes will be open-book/open-notes.

The student will complete the following three quizzes:

• Quiz: APA References 
• Quiz: Paper Elements and Writing Style 
• Quiz: Mechanics of Style 

The student may take each quiz an unlimited number of times; the highest score will count toward his/her overall grade.