University of Central Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts School of Criminal Justice
Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals CJ 1313 CRN 19630 Mondays 1:00pm – 3:45pm LAR 213 Fall 2015 SYLLABUS
Instructor: Tina Buchanan, M.A., M.B.A.
Office: Library 208F Email: cbuchanan10@uco.edu Office Hours: M/W 10:30am – 11:30am Ph. 974-5831
T/TH 4:00pm – 5:30pm & by appointment Texts:
1. Required: Ferree, C.W. and Pfeifer, H.L. (2013). Successful writing starts with knowing the difference between write & wrong: Writing within criminal justice student workbook. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
2. Required: Schwartz, B.M, Landrum, R.E., and Gurung, R.A.R. (2012). An easy guide to APA style. Los Angeles: Sage.
Course Description:
Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals focuses on the unique types of writing required in the criminal justice field, including but not limited to research papers, press releases, search warrants, and probation reports. Emphasis will be placed on clear and effective writing. As part of the learning process, students will critique the writing of others. Students will learn and use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. Course Objectives:
Successful completion of this course will prepare the student to: 1. Clearly and effectively write
2. Be able to write research papers, press release, search warrants, and probation reports
3. Employ APA citation style to correctly cite sources
Transformational Learning Objectives: The University of Central Oklahoma is a learning-centered organization committed to transformative education through the “Central Six,” which include Discipline Knowledge; Leadership; Problem Solving (Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities); Service Learning and Civic Engagement; Global and Cultural Competencies; and Health and Wellness.
This course addresses two of the university’s transformative learning goals: discipline knowledge and problem solving through research, scholarly, and creative activities. Discipline knowledge is covered through the specific reports and other documents written by criminal justice professionals. Problem solving through scholarly and creative
pursuits will be addressed through the written communication showcase. Course Requirements:
Students are responsible for the timely completion of all assignments and are expected to come to class prepared. This course will include lectures, class discussion, reading and critiquing of other’s work, and writing. Class discussions will help students to verbally communicate more clearly and effectively. Outside materials will be presented
throughout the semester to aid in learning the specific types of writing within the criminal justice field.
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Attendance and participation will be counted together. Students who attend class and actively participate in class will receive 100% of the participation points.
Reading Assignments:
Students are expected to complete assignments and come to class prepared. Written Assignments:
Students are expected to complete written assignments and turn them in on time. Throughout the course of the semester, students will write an annotated bibliography, create an APA reference list, and write a: resume, press release, search warrant,
crime/incident report, and probation report. Additionally in class students will practice writing by critiquing others writing.
Plagiarism:
All writing assignments that you submit for this course must either be entirely your own, or properly referenced/cited. Violations constitute plagiarism. A case involving
plagiarism is usually referred to the Discipline Committee, which can recommend in extreme cases dismissal from the University. There are two major types of plagiarism:
1. Word-for-word copying, without acknowledgement, of another writer. Having another person write or dictate all or part of one’s composition is plagiarism. In addition, you should not copy a printed passage, no matter how brief, without acknowledging its source.
2. The unacknowledged paraphrasing of an author’s ideas. You should not take credit for another person’s thoughts. Any distinctive, original idea taken from
another writer should be credited to its author. If you are uncertain about the distinctiveness of an author’s idea, it is best to acknowledge the author.
Course Points____ __Grading Scale____ Class Participation 50 points A = 90-100% Critiquing Others 100 points B = 80-89%
Annotations 25 points C = 70-79% Reference List 25 points D = 60-69%
Resume 50 points F = 0-59%
Press Release 50 points Search Warrant 50 points Incident Report 50 points Probation Report 50 points
Total Points 450 points
Course Outline
The following reading plan and exam schedule is tentative and subject to revision during the semester.
Week 1 – Introduction
Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 1-35
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 3-9 Week 2 – Criminal Justice Library Research
Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 39-53
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 10-24 *Library instruction session (one class period) Week 3 – Plagiarism
Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 61-81
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 27-33
*Online plagiarism test through Indiana University Week 4 – Labor Day – No Class
Week 5 - Organizing a Paper Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 83-95
Week 6 – Mechanics of Writing Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 101-149
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 44-49 Week 7 – Writing an Annotation
Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs.151-169
Week 8 – Creating a Reference List in APA Style Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 171-189
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 59-66 *Annotations due
Week 9 – Citing in the Text in APA Style Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 191-219
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 67-75 *Reference list due
Week 10 – Preparing for the Job Market Ferree & Pfeifer, pgs. 221-239
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 76-82 Week 11 – Writing for CJ: Press Releases
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 83-93 *Resume due
Week 12 – Writing for CJ: Search Warrants Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 97-105 *Press Release due
Week 13 – Writing for CJ: Crime/Incident Reports Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 106-115 *Search Warrant due
Week 14 – Writing for CJ: Probation Reports Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 116-124 *Crime/Incident Report due
Week 15 – Pulling it All Together
Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 125-142 *Probation Report due
Week 16 – Written Communication Showcase Schwartz, Landrum, & Gurung, pgs. 145-162
To access the Student Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment, please go to: http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/files/aa-forms/faculty/StudentInfoSheet.pdf
