Criminology Program

Course Syllabus
CRIM 6317 Section 0I1 Courts
Spring Semester 2011 Online section
Room: N/A elearning Syllabus revision date: 10/15/10

I. Course Navigation: Before you begin work, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this web-based course.
The course is totally online in an asynchronous format. You do not have to come to campus and you do not have to be
online at the same time as your professor or classmates. You can complete your course by navigating around the
eLearning CRIM 6317 homepage and reading the materials specified on it and through the material in the organizers on
that page. We will utilize the assessment, discussion, mail, announcement, who’s online, and my grade tools which are all
available to you on the menu on the homepage. All requirements for course completion are listed in Sections VI & VIII of
this syllabus along with the due dates for the completion of the various requirements. Only the due dates specified in the
course syllabus are official due dates and they must be followed. A summary calendar is provided for all graded events at
the end of Section VIII of the syllabus. All graded assignments and assessments may be submitted early. None can be
submitted after the due date without penalty. If you have any questions whatsoever about how to access any of the
course materials or assignments please email me at the course eLearning email site. You must check your course email
and the eLearning course site at least three times per week for emails and announcements. Remember this is your
classroom so please feel comfortable asking me any questions which you would ordinarily ask in class.

II. Professor Contact Information: Dr. O. Elmer Polk, Green Hall, Office #3.406. elmer.polk@utdallas.edu, telephone
972-883-2983. Students are strongly encouraged to use email as the primary method of communication. Your professor
checks email several times per day and you can normally expect a response within 8 hours or sooner.
Office Hours: Students may feel free to contact the professor at any time by email. Hours posted for Spring Semester
2010 are Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:45 am – 9:45 am for those who wish to visit in person.
Graduate Teaching Assistant: None.
Pre\Co-requisite: None.
Technical Support: If you experience difficulties with your UTD account you may send an email to assist@utdallas.edu
or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-883-2911.

III. Course Description: Examines the objectives, institutions and processes involved in the adjudication of offenders.
Topics address the structure and function of the judicial system and principal court actors.

IV. Learning Outcomes:

A. Describe the different functions of law, including social control, dispute resolution, and social change.
B. Understand the different types of law, including common law, civil law, as well as criminal law and administrative
law.
C. Understand the different ways to classify American courts by jurisdiction, by its dual nature, and by type of court.
D. Describe the different types of jurisdiction such as subject matter, geographic, and hierarchical.
E. Understand that the criminal court as an adversarial system seeking to determine the guilt or innocence of
defendants charged with crime.
F. Understand the legal ethics and responsibilities of defense counsels who represent criminal defendants.
G. Describe the different types of judges and the diversity of their powers.
H. Understand the development and operations of juries.
I. Discuss plea bargaining by type and purpose.
J. Discuss the goals and types of sentences imposed in criminal courts and juvenile courts.
K. Describe the role of the media.

V. Required Text and course materials: Siegel, Larry J., Frank Schmalleger & John Worrall. Courts and Criminal
Justice in America ((2011). Prentice Hall Publishing. ISBN#: 0-13-174576-X ISBN 13#: 978-0-13-174576-6. Students
will also be required to access legal databases and articles for the required paper, legal briefs, and essays.

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VI. Grades will be posted based on the standard grading scales for UTD based on the points accumulated in the following
grading events. Due dates are in the course calendar and assignment schedule in Section VIII of this syllabus. Please
note that there is absolutely no extra credit work available in this class and each student should strive to do his or
her best work on each and every grading event as it is submitted. The mathematical rule of rounding will apply to the
computation of the final grade in the course based on the grades received in the following events. Your professor is
open to discussion of your grade on individual grading events and the overall course grade up until the last day of regular
class. He is open to discussion of your final exam grade and the final course grade until the time of submission of formal
grades for the Spring semester to the registrar’s office. Please ask if you have any questions whatsoever about your
grades.

Graduate: A=94-100, A-=90-93, B+= 87-89, B=84-86, B-=80-83, C+=77-79, C=70-76, F=0-69

1. Required Syllabus Quiz (all students – please complete this quiz during the first week of class before doing any
other work in the course. Please repeat taking it until you get a score of 100).
2. Introduction postings (due by the end of the first week).
4. Discussion grade Forum 1 (100 points) Answers to five of the discussion essay questions on the discussion board
must be posted in essay format of 300-500 words per answer by Feb.4. Each question answer must be followed
by bibliographic information on the text PLUS TWO additional sources used in the answer. Deductions will be
made for writing less than the minimum number of words. You must do a word count for each posting and post
the word count at the end of your essay. Repeating the questions and the words in the bibliographic entries do not
count in the official word count. Do not post answers as file attachments.
5. Discussion grade Forum 2 (100 points) Answers to five of the discussion essay questions on the discussion board
must be posted in essay format of 300-500 words per answer by Feb. 25. Each question answer must be followed
by bibliographic information on the text PLUS TWO additional sources used in the answer. You must do a word
count for each posting and post the word count at the end of your essay. Do not post answers as file attachments.
6. Discussion grade Forum 3 (100 points) Answers to five of the discussion essay questions on the discussion board
must be posted in essay format of 300-500 words per answer by March 25 (Details Below). Each question answer
must be followed by bibliographic information on the text PLUS TWO additional sources used in the answer. You
must do a word count for each posting and post the word count at the end of your essay. Do not post answers as
file attachments.
7. Responses to five of your classmates’ postings either agreeing or disagreeing and stating why. (100 points)
(Details Below)
8. Written Legal Briefs (5 @ 20 points each) (100 points) (Details Below)
9. Written Paper (100 points). (Details below)
10. Final Examination (100 points) 3 hours only, online, open-book; questions from textbook, PowerPoints and
internet sites (Details Below under Examinations heading). Exam is a breadth of knowledge assessment and is
lengthy and rigorous. It consists of 200 objective questions. Please know your textbook, PowerPoints and
required websites well before beginning. While it is open-book, you will not have time to look up all the answers.
Exam must be completed at one sitting – break time away from the computer counts towards the three hours.

Total possible points = 700 points

Incomplete Grade Policy: As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved
within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and
to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically
to a grade of F.

Syllabus Quiz: All students are required to complete the syllabus quiz within the first week of class. Please complete it
before beginning any other work in the course and please take it until you receive a score of 100 on the quiz. Email me
with any questions.

Introductions: All students should go to the discussion board and post a brief introduction about themselves during the
first week of class. Please do not post addresses or other personal contact information on the discussion board. Give a
brief summary about yourself including where you are in the program, your major, and any future career goals if you have
formulated them.

Examinations: There is one open-book final examination that will consist of 200 objective items each with a maximum
score of 100 points on each exam. Questions are taken primarily from your textbook with some from the chapter
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PowerPoints and required internet sites. Your points will be posted in your gradebook with a maximum score of 100 on
the exam, 100 points for each of the three discussion forum grades, 100 points for your responses and 100 points each
for the Legal Briefs and required paper. Please be aware that the exam is rigorous. You will be given a maximum of three
hours to complete it. Please read and study the text, internet sites, and posted chapter PowerPoints in detail before
beginning the exam. Although the exam is open book you will not have enough time to look up the answers unless you
are thoroughly familiar with the material. The professor will manually curve the class scores depending upon the highest
grade made on each graded event. The manual adjustments will be entered into your gradebook within one week of the
due date for each grade. The exam is accessible one week prior to the due date noted in the syllabus and all students are
highly encouraged to take it early to avoid last minute complications. No extensions will be granted on the due dates and
students not taking the exam will receive a grade of zero. No grades are dropped in this course and there is no extra
credit. The exam will be removed from the course one day after the due date. No student will be permitted to wait
until the end of the course to submit writing assignments. The due dates for all grading events are clearly
detailed in Section VIII of the course syllabus and in the outline following Section VIII. Please know them.

Discussion Board Questions: Fifteen of the twenty-four discussion items on the discussion board must be answered
with each item worth 20 points for a cumulative score of 100 for each Forum. Five discussion question answers must be
posted from Forum 1 before by Feb. 4; five more must be posted from Forum 2 by Feb. 25, and the final five discussion
items must be posted from Forum 3 by March 25. Discussion Board items may be posted early if the student wishes (very
highly encouraged). Due dates for the postings are detailed in the Course Calendar and Assignment Schedule in Section
VIII of the course Syllabus. Questions not posted by the due dates will be reduced in grade 10 points per calendar day.
Any questions not received by the last day of regular class will receive a score of zero. Discussion question answers
must be the student’s own original work and should be 300-500 words and each answer must be followed by the
bibliographic information on two sources of information in addition to the textbook or internet site. Each student
must do a word count and place the word count at the end of the narrative portion of each discussion answer. The
question itself and the words in the bibliographic information do not count towards the word count for each posting.
Answers that are simply blocked and moved from any other site that are not the original work of the student posting the
answer will receive a grade of zero and the student will be referred for disciplinary action by the university. If you think you
absolutely must use a direct quote in your discussion answer you must properly cite it and limit it to thirty words or less.

Discussion Board Responses: Students are required to briefly and respectfully comment on five discussion postings of
other students to discussion questions. There is no length requirement for the responses to other student answers.
Attention to proper writing and correct spelling when answering and posting the discussion question responses is
expected and is a part of the grade received for the assignment. Use proper grammar and spelling and do not use any
type of abbreviations not found in a commonly accepted, standardized English dictionary. All comments posted by
students must be in formal language with no intolerant, rude, abusive, or obscene language. Violations of this
policy will be referred for appropriate disciplinary proceedings.

Written Legal Briefs: Each student must chose five opinions of the United States Supreme Court relevant to this course
and write legal briefs of the opinions. Please be aware that opinions of the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals are not
appropriate for this assignment nor are decisions of any state courts. You must submit five briefs by the due date in
Section VIII of this syllabus. Each brief can be submitted individually or you can wait and submit all five at once. You are
encouraged to submit all of them before the due date to avoid last minute issues with illness, computer crashes, power
outages, etc. Each brief is worth 20 points for a total of 100 points with a zero score if no briefs are received. The briefs
will be reduced in grade by 10 points for each 24 hour period of time after the due date. Each brief should be limited to
two pages or less, printed on standard paper with one inch margins, single spaced with double spaces between sections
in font 11 or 12. An example of a properly formatted brief will be placed on the course homepage showing the proper
sections and content to include in your briefs. Another handout will be posted with a brief explanation of the legal
terminology pertaining to writing a brief and details on what to include in each of the required sections of the brief.
The briefs may be emailed as a Word file to elmer.polk@utdallas.edu or via the course email.

Required paper: The topic paper will be graded on a100 point scale with a zero score if no paper is submitted. The
paper, like the discussion questions, can be submitted early if the student wishes and papers not submitted by the due
date will receive a penalty of 10 points per day for each calendar day that it is late. Early submission is encouraged.
Attention to proper writing composition and correct spelling is expected and is a part of the grade received for the
assignment. Your topic may be selected from anything you read in the course from the textbook, the chapter PowerPoints,
or the internet sites. Topic choice is made by the student and is part of this assignment but I am happy to discuss your
topic for scope and appropriateness to the course before you proceed. The paper should address the history and
emergence of the topic selected as well as the current state of the topic and future trends or implications. The paper must
be between ten and twelve pages and must have a properly formatted bibliography containing at least ten references,
which may include books (including your textbook), scholarly journal articles ( a minimum of three), newspaper articles (no
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more than 2), government reports, or scholarly internet articles that have a known author and date of publication. The
paper must be printed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins at top, bottom, and both sides. Font size must be 11 or 12
and the paper should no more than one page of pictures, charts, diagrams, tables, etc. The paper may be emailed as a
Word file to elmer.polk@utdallas.edu or via the course email.

Netiquette: Please express all posted comments in formal English without street jargon or employment related jargon,
acronyms, or abbreviations that will not be understood by all students. Avoid being critical of your fellow classmates and
focus your responses to the content of what they posted. Do not make emotional outbursts on the discussion page and
always remember that anything you post will be retained exactly as you post it for a long time and can be referred to
exactly as you post it in the future. Some yes and no rules to follow in the course:

 Yes, you can email your professor as often as you like at elmer.polk@utdallas.edu
 Yes, you can critique postings in your responses in any way you like as long as it is not offensive and not
critical of another student personally.
 Yes, you can ask the professor any question you have
 Yes, every email is appreciated and answered
 No, you should not use a lot of acronyms and jargon in your postings
 No, you should not try to use humor as it sometimes comes across online with unintended consequences.
 Remember that even if you are posting your comments in the privacy of your home, they will be viewed online
exactly as comments would be heard in a live classroom and comment accordingly and with proper respect for
fellow students.

VII. Students wishing information on the following topics and policies should visit the website following the list. Student
Conduct & Discipline, Student Grievance Procedures, Incomplete Grade Policy, Disability Services, Religious Holy Days,
Academic Integrity, Copyright Notice, Email Use, Withdrawal from Class, and Off-Campus Instruction and Course
Activities: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies.

VIII. COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Please note that all chapter reading assignments made in this assignment schedule refer to readings in the required
textbook. Additional readings are required in the individual chapter PowerPoints and the internet sites identified in the
following assignment schedule. Most test questions are taken directly from the textbook and the other readings are
support materials for the information in the text.

As per the UTD Academic Calendar, spring semester classes begin on Monday January 10, 2011 and end on Monday,
May 2, 2011 with a Final Exam due by Thursday, May 5, 2011 by midnight. Each week in the following schedule is
composed of a seven day period with week one beginning on January 10.

First Week of Class (Jan. 10-16): Read chapter 1 in the text as well as the entire class syllabus available on the course
website. Welcome to the class! These readings will introduce you to the course, the professor, and the expectations of
you in the course. The topic this week is Legal Foundations.

JANUARY 14, 2011 FRIDAY or earlier: SYLLABUS QUIZ: ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THE POSTED QUIZ
BY MIDNIGHT.

JANUARY 14, 2011 FRIDAY or earlier: Introductions: ALL STUDENTS SHOULD GO TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD
UNDER Introductions and post a brief introduction of themselves. Please do not post any personal addresses or contact
information. Just tell us a little bit about yourself such as what year you are in, your major, your interests, and future
career plans if you have formulated any at this time.

Week 2 (JAN. 17-23): Read chapter 2 in the text. Topic: Who Controls the Courts?

Week 3 (JAN. 24-30): Read chapter 3 in the text. Topic: Federal Courts.
Required Internet Site #1: http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/court.html . Explore the site and be familiar with its
content and the structure and purpose of the U.S. court system. Which federal court conducts felony criminal trials? How
many of them are there in the United States?

Week 4 (JAN. 31-FEB. 6): Read chapter 4 in the text. Topic: State Courts.
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Required Internet Site #2 : http://www.courts.state.tx.us . Be familiar with the court structure of Texas. What is the name of
the highest court in Texas for criminal appeals?

Suggested Internet Site: LexisNexis Academic. Go to The UT Dallas Library page and click on databases and find the
LexisNexis Academic database. Log in and then click on Legal Research at menu on left and then click on Law Reviews.
Practice pulling up law review articles by typing in the subject you are planning to do your class paper on such as: death
penalty, prisons, corporal punishment, etc. Students may want to consider using this site to find their cases required for
the legal briefs.

FEBRUARY 4, 2011 FRIDAY  MUST POST FIVE FORUM 1 DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO
RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS BY MIDNIGHT.

Week 5: (FEB. 7-13): Read chapter 5 in the text. Topic: Juvenile Courts.
Required Internet Site #3:
http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/files/userfiles/History_of_JJ_Policy_In_TX,_Pt.1.pdf Read the Texas
coalition website introduction and note the competing philosophies of protection or punishment at that time as well as the
date of the first Texas Juvenile Court statute.

Week 6 (FEB. 14-20): Read chapters 6&7 in text. Topic: Specialized Courts, Judges.
Required Internet Site #4: http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/ Put cursor on statistics at top of page and then scroll down to
statistical reports and then click on CY 2008 and open the report. Read over it. What is the amount paid to the highest
paid Chief Juvenile Probation Officer in Texas? Read the table on Texas Juvenile Population by Race and Age. Which
group in the total column has the highest number of referrals? Is delinquent conduct up or down between 1995 and 2208?
Which category of delinquent behavior increased?

Week 7 (FEB. 21-27): Read chapters 8&9 in the text. Topic: Prosecutors & Defense Attorneys.

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 FRIDAY  MUST POST FIVE FORUM 2 DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO
RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS BY MIDNIGHT.

Week 8 (FEB. 28-MARCH 6): Read chapter 10 in the text. Topics: Defendants and Victims.
Required Internet Site #5: http://ncjrs.gov/ On menu at left click on Victims. Scroll down the page to Criminal Victimization,
2009, BJS, October 2010 and click on the pdf file. According to the National Crime Victim Survey (NCVS) in Table 1 Was
violent crime up or down in 2009 compared to 2008? By how much? Was property crime up or down in 2009 compared to
2008? By how much? In Table 2 Was violent crime up or down during the period 2000-2009? By how much?

Week 9 (MARCH 7-13): Read chapter 11. Topic: Arrest and Beyond.

Week 10 (MARCH 14-20): Spring Break

Week 11 (MARCH 21-27): Read chapters 12. Topics: Plea Bargaining and Guilty Pleas

MARCH 25, 2011 FRIDAY  MUST POST FIVE FORUM 3 DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS ONE
RESPONSE TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS BY MIDNIGHT.

Week 12 (MARCH 28-APRIL 3): Read chapter 13 in the text. Topic: the Jury and the Trial.

Week 13 (APRIL4-10): Read chapter 14 in the text. Topic: Sentencing, Appeals, and Habeas Corpus
Required Internet Site #6: http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/ Go to site and click on select code and then select Penal
Code and then select Chapter 12 Punishments and click go. Scroll down and read classification of misdemeanors and
classification of felonies. Then read all of Subchapter C Ordinary Felony Punishments. What is the range of punishment in
Texas for a Second Degree Felony?

APRIL 8, 2011 FRIDAY. LIBRARY RESEARCH PAPER IS DUE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. LATE PAPERS WILL BE
REDUCED IN GRADE 10 POINTS FOR EACH DAY IT IS LATE.

Week 14 (APRIL 11-17): Read chapter 15 in the text. Topic: Differential Treatment and Wrongful Convictions

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Week 15 (APRIL 18-24): Read chapter 16 in the text. Topic: Technology, Alternatives, and the Future.

April 22, 2011 FRIDAY  Five legal briefs due today by midnight if not already submitted. BRIEFS WILL BE
REDUCED IN GRADE 10 POINTS FOR EACH DAY LATE.

Week 16 (APRIL 25-30): Review the text. Prepare for final examination.

May 5, 2011.  EXAMINATION ON TEXTBOOK, POWERPOINTS, AND REQUIRED NTERNET SITES. Thursday by
midnight (please note exam will open one week previous to this date and you are encouraged to take the exam
early. Midnight on the 5th is the absolute deadline – no extensions. Persons not taking the final exam will receive
a grade of zero). There is a three hour time limit from the time you log on to the exam.

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 Course Calendar at a Glance

Calendar due dates for all events contributing to students’ course grade.
All exams are accessible one week early and early completion is strongly suggested to avoid last minute
conflicts leading to serious grade reductions.

Date Exams and Quiz Discussion Board Dates

JANUARY 10, 2011 FIRST OFFICIAL PLEASE EXPLORE THE eLearning

DAY OF CLASS COURSE HOMPAGE AND READ THE
SYLLABUS CLOSELY.

JANUARY 14, 2011 FRIDAY BY EVERY STUDENT MUST TAKE THE
MIDNIGHT SYLLABUS QUIZ BY MIDNIGHT. IT
MAY BE TAKEN TWICE IF YOU ARE
NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR FIRST
SCORE.
PLEASE POST YOUR INTRODUCTION TO THE
DISCUSSION BOARD UNDER THE TOPIC
INTRODUCTIONS BY MIDNIGHT.

FEBRUARY 4, 2011 FRIDAY BY Forum 1 due - MUST SUBMIT THE FIRST FIVE
MIDNIGHT DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO
RESPONSE S TO YOUR CLASSMATES ANSWERS.
LATE ANSWERS ARE REDUCED IN GRADE BY
10% PER DAY.

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 FRIDAY BY Forum 2 due - MUST SUBMIT FIVE ADDITIONAL
MIDNIGHT DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS TWO
RESPONSES TO YOUR CLASSMATES’ ANSWERS.
LATE ANSWERS ARE REDUCED IN GRADE BY
10% PER DAY.

MARCH 25, 2011 FRIDAYBY MIDNIGHT Forum 3 due - MUST SUBMIT FIVE ADDITIONAL
DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS PLUS ONE
RESPONSE TO ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES’
ANSWERS. LATE ANSWERS ARE REDUCED IN
GRADE BY 10% PER DAY.

APRIL 8, 2011 FRIDAY BY MIDNIGHT LIBRARY RESEARCH PAPER IS DUE.

LATE PAPERS WILL BE REDUCED IN
GRADE 10 POINTS FOR EACH DAY
IT IS LATE.

April 22, 2011 FRIDAY BY MIDNIGHT
ALL 5 WRITTEN LEGAL BRIEFS DUE.
LATE PAPERS WILL BE REDUCED IN
GRADE 10 POINTS FOR EACH DAY
THEY ARE LATE (graduate students
only).

MAY 5, 2011, THURSDAY BY (FINAL EXAM) Online on

MIDNIGHT textbook, PowerPoints, and
internet sites (3 hour time limit)

Please note all exam and participation dates carefully and contact your professor if there are urgent and compelling
reasons why you need a date changed. (Remember that early completion of the exams and assignments is permitted
without prior discussion). The final exam date is not flexible regardless of cause if it is late but arrangements can be made
for it to be taken early if required.