Course Detail

CJ 499 Colloquium in Criminal Justice

CJ 499 IS Sec 1, University of Mississippi
[See UM Catalog for Description]

3 credit hours

Instructor Information:

Dr. Wes Jennings

Instructor name:
Dr. Wes Jennings
Chair & Professor

Wesley G. Jennings, PhD, is Chair and Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Legal Studies at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).  He has a PhD in Criminology from the University of Florida, and a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.  His major research interests are quantitative methods and longitudinal data analysis.  He has been teaching for over 10 years at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral level.  He enjoys teaching his students and broadening their perspectives on complex (and sometimes controversial) topics, but also values learning from his students.

Contact Information:

If you have questions concerning the content of the course, you may contact the instructor directly using the Email Your Instructor link in the Lessons or Content page. NOTE: Whenever sending email, please be sure to indicate your course title and number in the subject line. You can expect a response within 72 hours, although it may be longer on weekends. Many instructors reply within 24 hours.

For lesson or test administration issues, please contact the iStudy department:

The University of Mississippi
Division of Outreach and Continuing Education
iStudy
P. O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677

Phone: (662) 915-7313, toll-free (877) 915-7313
Fax: (662) 915-8826
E-mail: istudy@olemiss.edu

Course Description

This 5-module independent study course is intended to provide a broad overview of the criminal justice system, criminological theory, criminal justice research methods, and professional development issues pertinent to students interested in graduate school in criminal justice. Modules 1-4 include required readings (textbook chapters and/or journal articles), and each Module has exams and/or assignments. Module 5 includes the Final Exam which is a proctored, comprehensive exam based on the required textbook chapters from Modules 1-3.

Textbook Information:

Textbook information will be provided upon enrollment in your iStudy course.

Course Objectives:

Objectives include (but are not limited to):

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the criminal justice system including the police, courts, and corrections.
  2. Understand the various criminological theories for explaining the etiology of crime.
  3. Demonstrate awareness of the methods used in criminal justice research.
  4. Understand how to write scholarly literature reviews, and create scholarly presentations for dissemination.

Course Outline:

This course consists of 5 instructional modules. Please note that the suggested Pacing Guide to complete the course in a traditional semester is written for Fall and Spring. Full summer students need to make adjustments due to the significantly shorter time period involved.
Module Reading Assignments Due for Grades Suggested Pacing Guide to complete the course in a traditional semester. *Students enrolled in other terms will need to make adjustments due to the shorter time period*
Start Here *You MUST complete the syllabus quiz as soon as you have access to your Blackboard course. This is mandatory to verify your attendance.*NOTE: you must pass the Syllabus and Orientation Quiz for the course materials to appear on the Lessons page. Syllabus Quiz Week 1
0 Introduce Yourself Discussion Board Post Week 1
1 Chapters 1 & 8

 

 Week 1

 

 Chapters 11 & 14 Reflective Essay   Week 2

 

 Chapter 15

 

Week 3



Module 1 Exam Exam Week 4
2 Chapter 4 

 

 Week 5

 

 Chapter 5

 

 Week 6

 

 Module 2 Exam Exam Week 7
MIDPOINT OF COURSE If you are a semester student, you must reach the midpoint of your course by the date specified in your information.
If you are a Flex UM student, you CANNOT WITHDRAW from this course after the exam for Module 2 has been submitted.		 All module 2 assignments and exam need to be completed to reach the midpoint of the course The exact date semester students are required to reach the midpoint is specified in your information.

3

Chapter 2 

 

 Week 8

 

 Chapter 3

 

 Week 9

 

 None Journal Article Critique Writing Assignment Week 10

 

 Module 3 Exam Exam Week 11
4 Barbaret article
Mueller et al. article

 

 Week 12

 

 Neuilly & Stohr article
Pfeifer article

 

 Week 13

 

 None PowerPoint Presentation Assignment Week 14
5
Proctored Final Exam 		Comprehensive exam from all textbook chapters from Modules 1-3 (ensure all work is completed and graded prior to scheduling this exam) To be scheduled
and completed
to finalize credit 		Week 15

The grading scale is as follows:
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
Below 59% = F

FAILURE TO TAKE THE FINAL EXAM WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE.

You must submit the lessons required to take the course exam(s). Lessons required but not submitted will receive a grade of zero. For the final exam, all coursework must be submitted and graded.