Assignments

Go to   Reaction Paper Questions

            Project Paper Subjects

            Final Questions

Go to   Reaction Paper Directions

            Project Paper Directions

            Final Directions

Reaction Paper Questions

Reaction Paper No. One

Should local law enforcement officials enforce national immigration laws?

Reaction Paper No. Two 

In Sexual Aggression against female college students (Joseph, page 19), Joseph says that men and women have different perceptions of sexual aggression.  Is Joseph correct?  If so, why?  If not, why?

Reaction Paper No. Three 

Under Historical Information in Chapter Six of Shusta, the states that the fact of African Americans having been slaves in this country has created psychological and social problems for Blacks and Whites for generations to come.  Is this true for one or both races?  What are the implications for the criminal justice system?

 Reaction Paper No. Four

According to McGee (Joseph, Chapter 14 Weapons-Related Victimization among Urban High School Students, p197), a study of personality differences that lead to variations in the ability to cope among urban minority youth within these war zone environments will contribute significantly to the development of these abilities that will allow individuals to avoid many of the negative life outcomes described.  Is there a Nature versus Environment argument in this study?  If not, why not?  If so, which do you think is the prevalent factor?

Reaction Paper No. Five

According to Shusta (p430), there are seven steps that the criminal justice system can take in order to reduce the incidence of racial profiling.  Of the seven, which to you think might be the most effective and the least effective? And, why?

Project Paper Topics

How does law enforcement balance the need to reduce crime and fight terrorism against the potential for accusations of discrimination, raced based policing and stereotyping?

Explain and explore the difference between hate crimes and traditional crimes.

Why has the implementation of anti-drug laws been viewed as unfair to minority groups?

Why is police discretion to arrest domestic violence offenders considered to be a serious criminal justice problems?

Define and explore the intergenerational cycle of incarceration.

Differentiate between the sentencing disparity issues of dealing with similarly situated men and women convicted of identical offenses.  Focus on specific cases and outcomes.

What role does the interaction of race and gender play in judicial discretion to dismiss chares against juveniles?  Focus on specific cases and research.

Explain and explore the development of sexual harassment law.

How can increased cultural awareness make the criminal justice system more effective?  Focus on specific cases and research.

Describe cross-cultural communications.  Explore verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that can improve the ability of first responders to communicate with victims, witnesses and offenders.  Focus on specific techniques that are supported by your research.

Final Questions:

1. Describe the over-representation of African Americans in the penal system.  Provide an analysis of the possible reasons for the over-representation and potential solutions.

2. Describe the community orientated policing model and its development.  Provide an analysis of the uses and limitations of the model in minority communities. Provide specific examples.

3. Shusta et al gives specific recommendations to law enforcement personnel as to how to improve communications with minority communities.  Provide an analysis of why law enforcement personnel should consider alternative means of communications.  Provide specific examples.

4. Present a narrative outline of racism in the United States.  Begin with the overt racism of slavery and continue through the institutional racism of today.  Provide specific examples of legislation that may not on the face of it be racist, but does have a disparate affect on minority communities.

5. Describe the history of women in law enforcement.  Provide an analysis of the barriers to womens full participation. Specifically, include the police sub-culture, sexual harassment, hiring practices and a general societal view.   

Reaction Papers Students will be required to write five typed, 1-2 page reactions to subjects identified by the instructor.  The instructor will provide more information concerning Issue Paper expectations during class.  The paper will graded on content as well as exposition.  The due dates of the reaction papers are listed on the syllabus and course website.  Late papers will lose one letter grade per week.  Papers more than three weeks late will not be accepted.     

Project Paper - Students will be required to write a typed, 5-7 page analysis of a course related issue identified by the instructor.  The student will have a choice of ten issues which are listed on the course website.  At a minimum, it is expected that the students will produce an academically sound and properly formatted work (APA format is strongly encouraged).  The instructor will provide more information concerning Issue Paper expectations during class.  The papers are graded on content as well as exposition 

Final Examination The final examination will consist of two essay questions and will be cumulative.  Shortly after the Mid-Term, and as a means of preparing for the final, the instructor will provide the students with five essay questions, two of which will be the final examination.  Although this is not an open book test, students may use any notes they took during class or while studying for the final examination.  They must be the students notes refer to the syllabus section on ethical conduct for further information.