"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously
committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the
rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through
the heart of every human being."
Alexander Solzhenitsyn – The Gulag Archipelago |
Office Hours:
10:00 - 11:00 T&Th Otherwise by Appointment
dgulick@udel.edu
Catalogue Description:
A general introduction to the study of the American system of
criminal justice. The crime problem, the police, the judicial system, and
correctional agencies will be examined. Special emphasis will be placed on
depicting both the legal and behavioral realities of each stage
of the criminal justice process.
Expanded Description:
American systems of justice administration (federal, state, local) will be examined from a critical perspective. The content of the course will focus on the following general objectives:
Course Philosophy:
This freshman-level course is
presented within the context of the following working assumptions:
·
A basic knowledge of the
workings (theoretical and actual) of the American criminal justice
apparatus is not only fundamental to a legitimate liberal arts education, it is
a critical element of citizenship.
It justifies both the cost of the course and the considerable investment
in time and effort required both of the instructor and the students.
Corollary – The instructor takes the course seriously. Students are expected
to do so also.
·
Large “lecture” classes,
properly prepared and augmented by additional resources, are effective vehicles
of learning.
Corollary – The instructor is responsible for preparing stimulating and
informative lectures and developing in-class as well as out-of-class resources.
Students are responsible for attending class regularly, proactively thinking
about course-related materials, and taking responsibility for their own learning.
·
Any student accepted to
the University of Delaware is capable of doing well in this course.
Corollary – Should the instructor be presented with the question; “I’ve read
all of the material, studied properly, and come to class regularly and am still
doing poorly, what can I do?” the answer is “I don’t know.” Though this
situation should rarely, if ever, arise, University
Counseling Resources are
available and students are encouraged to take advantage of them early in the
semester.
InsCourse
Requirements and Resources:
NOTE: The text will be the primary resource around which lectures will pivot. Some chapters will be covered in detail. Others will be highlighted only, and some will be skipped. Additionally, some chapters will be assigned for study and inclusion on exams without being discussed in class.
Exam Schedule:
March 25 Exam I – Chaps.
1,2,4,5 and lecture notes
April 29 Exam II – Chaps. 6,7,8,10,11 and lecture notes
Final Exam Date
(TBA) Exam III – Chaps. 12,13,14,15 notes from lectures and films, T/F Items
from Exams I and II included.
Grades:
Grades will be
calculated exclusively by a weighted distribution based only on exam
scores. Do not ask to be given extra points. The following
scoring format will be applied:
90 = A
89 = B+
80 = B-
79 = C+
70 = C-
69 = D+
60 = D-
59 = F