CRJU-485: Research
Methods in Criminal Justice
Summer I Semester 2004
Dr. Tod Burke
(540) 831-6657 (office)
About the Course:
This is a
class about how we know what we know. It
is very important for you to be trained as a consumer and producer of
research. That is why this class is
required of all criminal justice majors.
However, students often approach this class with reluctance, either
because it has a reputation for being difficult or because the practical value
may not be readily apparent. It is true
that some of the material in this course is challenging. However, over the course of the semester we
will work to demystify research methods and you will (ideally) see the value of
the research process – and perhaps even discover that it is both worthwhile and
fun (seriously!).
It is
important to note that, for the purposes of this class, “research” means going
out and collecting data (through surveys, observations, interviews, etc.) in
order to test a hypothesis. It is
important for you to see “research” as a sophisticated endeavor that moves
beyond the library and into the “real world.”
It is also
true that research methods is a valuable course – perhaps one of the most
valuable you will take. While “I’m
taking this class because I have to” is a valid and pragmatic explanation, I
think that the following justifications are better:
- Much of what you learn in other
classes is the product of scholarly research. It is important to understand how we’ve
accumulated knowledge about criminal justice, as it has formed the basis
for your other classes.
- As a criminal justice
practitioner, you may be called upon to examine research. For instance, in planning a community
policing program, you’ll want to examine research about effective
community policing programs. It’s
important that you be able to identify what good research looks like and
that you be able to critically interpret research results. This skill will also serve you well in
your remaining career as a student.
- As a criminal justice practitioner
(or graduate student) you may be called upon to conduct your own
research. For instance, let’s say
you’ve just implemented a new drug court program. You don’t want to just leave it at that
– you (and your funding agency) will be very concerned about whether it
actually achieves its goals (say, a reduction in recidivism). You’ll use a research design, such as
those we discuss in this class, to address that question.
- Finally, I assume that you are at
Textbook:
One textbook
has been ordered for this course:
In addition, a
number of readings have been placed on reserve at the library. These are indicated on the schedule.
Graded Activities:
- Final Project = 100 points
You
will work in groups to complete a course project. Further details will follow.
- Daily Exercises = 100 points
On
a regular basis (i.e., practically every day), there will be a graded activity
of some kind. It may be an in-class
exercise, an out-of-class assignment, an article presentation, and so forth. Research methods is a subject that you “learn
by doing,” so I plan to give you plenty of opportunities. Your score out of 100 points will be
determined using the following formula:
- Exams = 100 points
There
will be two exams in the course. Each is
worth 50 points.
Grading Scale:
I will assign
a grade out of 100 points on your final project. I will divide the number of points you earn
by the number of points possible to determine a score out of 100 points for the
daily exercises. The two exams are worth
50 points each. Accordingly, there are
300 points possible in the course. The
grading scale in this class will be:
270-300 = A
240-269= B
210-239 = C
180-209 = D
0-179 = F
There is no
extra credit available in this class.
Late Work:
I expect your
attendance at every day’s class. This
means that you should be physically present in the classroom, PLUS you should
be prepared to fully participate in the class.
Reading, sleeping, talking on cell phones, and other distracting activities
are unacceptable and will result in your being counted absent.
The only
absences that will count as “Excused” are those for which you have a legitimate
and documented excuse.[1] Please consult me if you feel that you have
an excused absence. Unless your
absence is excused, you may not make up any missed work or turn anything in
late – don’t even bother to ask for an extension!
You are
expected to arrive to class on time.
Students who fail to do so may have points deducted from their final grade
and/or may be denied entry to the class.
Written Work:
All written
work prepared out of class must be typed and demonstrate proper grammar and
spelling. Please refer to my paper
writing guidelines, posted online.
Honor Code:
By accepting
admission to
"I do
hereby resolve to uphold the honor code of
I take the
Honor Code very seriously, and will diligently uphold it. You should, too.
While not an exhaustive list, you should feel certain that I will refer the
following cases to the appropriate University authorities, and recommend a
grade of “F” for the course (see Student Handbook for details):
- Cheating on a quiz or exam
- Plagiarism in written work
- Fabrication or falsification of
source material
- Having someone else complete your
assignment
Preparation:
This is a
demanding class. It is essential that
you take this course seriously and keep up with the work load. Accordingly, here are my general expectations
of you (and I will assume that you are doing these things). If you can not do these things, please
drop this class now:
- Complete all readings as
assigned. I will assume that you
have finished readings prior to class.
Our discussions in class will supplement, rather than repeat, the
readings. If you don’t do the
readings on time, you’ll find it difficult to follow class discussion.
- Attend classes regularly. Participate in all class discussions and
activities. What we do in class
will supplement the readings. You
may very well be tested over class discussions – and I will expect you to apply
them to your final project – but you may not find the same material in the
book. Accordingly, attendance and
participation are essential to your research methods learning experience.
- Don’t wait until the last minute
to start assignments. The out-of-class
exercises may require some research.
The group project is something you will work on over the course of
the semester. Last-minute efforts
are likely to fall short, resulting in an inadequate product and a low
grade.
- Work well with your group. Don’t be a slacker. It will affect your grade. Your group project is one-third of your
final grade, and you certainly don’t want to jeopardize that.
- Plan to devote substantial time,
outside of class, to this course. I
would recommend that you set aside regular times each week to do the
reading, have group meetings, and so on – make it part of your regular
weekly schedule.
Schedule and
We will try to
stick to the following schedule – however, it may be necessary to make
modifications over the course of the summer.
Accordingly, this schedule is best viewed as “tentative.”
**Please consult
your final project handout for details about final project due dates.** All dates and topic selections are subject to
change!!
Monday, May
17
Topic(s): Course
Introduction
Introducing Research
Writing and Citing
Exercise(s): Introducing
Research; Detecting Plagiarism
Tuesday, May
18
Topic(s): Doing
Library Research
Hypotheses and Research
Questions
Your Research Projects
Criminal Justice Research
Handout, on Dr. Owen’s website
Exercise(s): Library
Research; Hypothesis Development
Wednesday, May
19
Topic(s): Research,
Science, and Knowledge
Overview: Types of Research
Design
Fumento,
M. (1998, August). “Road rage” versus
reality. The Atlantic Monthly, 282, 12-17. (on reserve)
Exercise(s): Reading
a Journal Article; Intellectual Curiosity; Road Rage Research Design (basic and
applied)
Thursday, May
20
Topic(s): Introducing
Research Ethics
Exercise(s): National
Institute of Health Human Subjects Training; “Quiet Rage” Video Exercise
Monday, May
24
Topic(s): Continuing
Research Ethics
Critical Analysis of Research
Designs
1. Milgram, S. (1969). Obedience
to authority: An experimental view.
New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Read chapter 2 and Appendix I.
2. Warwick, D. P. (1973). Tearoom trade: Means and ends in social
research. In L. Humphreys (1975), Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places
(pp. 191-212).
Exercise(s): Role-playing
the Institutional Review Board
Tuesday, May
25
Topic(s): The
Uses (and Misuses) of Theory
The Nature of Causation
Exercise(s): Causality;
Assessing Criminal Justice Theory
Wednesday, May
26
Topic(s): The
Language of Research
Reliability and Validity
Exercise(s): The
Language of Research I & II; Validity; Levels of Measurement
Thursday, May
27
Topic(s): Sampling
Exercise(s): Sampling
I & II
Monday, May
31
Memorial
Day – No Class
Tuesday, June
1
Topic(s): Surveys
McCabe,
D. L. and Trevino, L. K. (1997).
Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: A multicampus
investigation. Research in Higher Education, 38,
379-396
Exercise(s): Scales;
Analysis of Surveys; Writing a Survey
Wednesday, June
2
Exam #1 – Covers Chapters 1-6 and
material through May 27
Topic(s): Interviews
Focus Groups
Exercise(s): Interview
Role-play; Focus Group Role-play
Thursday, June
3
Topic(s): Designing
Experiments
Sherman,
L. W. and Rogan, D. P. (1995). Effects of gun seizures on gun violence: “Hot
spots” patrol in
Exercise(s): Designing
an Experiment; Assessing an Experiment
Monday, June
7
Topic(s): Nonreactive
Observation
Content Analysis
Use of Existing Data
Hartman,
D. M. and Golub, A. (1999). The social construction of the crack epidemic in
the print media. Journal of Psychoactive
Drugs, 31, 423-433. (on reserve)
Exercise(s): Content
Analysis; Observation
Tuesday, June
8
Topic(s): Participant
Observation
Jankowski,
M. S. (1991). Islands in the street: Gangs and American urban society.
Exercise(s): Participant
Observation Design; Ethics and Participant Observation
Wednesday, June
9
Topic(s): Historical
and Comparative Research
Lindgren,
J. (2002). Book review: Arming
Exercise(s): Designing
an Oral History; Lindgren and Bellesiles
Thursday, June
10
Exam #2 – Covers all course material
Topic(s): Quantitative
Analysis
Statistics Are Our Friends
Exercise(s): Crime
Data I & II
Monday, June
14
Project Work
Day[2]
Tuesday, June
15
Project Work
Day
Wednesday, June
16
Project Work
Day
Thursday, June
17
Group Project Presentations
Friday,
June 18
Final Projects Are Due Today by