University of Delaware

Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

Syllabus – Fall, 2005

Field Experience In Criminal Justice

Dr. David B. Gulick

dgulick@udel.edu
http://www.udel.edu/CRJU/dgulick

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Introduction

Field Experience provides advanced, career-minded, Criminal Justice students an opportunity to apply their education and training in a supervised professional setting. Many criminal justice professionals trace the roots of their careers to experiences gained from courses like this. Students work in environments where daily decisions are made that directly influence many peoples' lives. They observe diverse professional styles and develop insights into how to develop their own skills as criminal justice professionals. They experience the rewards and frustrations integral to careers in the field.

In addition to providing a forum for professional development, the course stresses the importance of sharing experiences and insights with peers. Professionals do not develop in isolation. The ability to function as a "team player" - a skill critically important to successful careers throughout the field of criminal justice - is developed through the process of communication. Therefore, students enrolled in the course will post a journal of their professional activities using the discussion forum on Webct. This will facilitate each student's ability to benefit from others' observations and experiences. The insights and experiences that are shared combine with knowledge developed through study and experience and help prepare motivated students make informed career choices.

Printed copies (printed and archived by the instructor) journals will also benefit students at the beginning of their academic careers (Those registered for CRJU110- Introduction to Criminal Justice) by providing a forum for gaining first-hand knowledge about careers in the field.

Course Requirements:

• Students registered for Field Experience will meet as a class once at the beginning of the semester, and once at the end. Dates and locations of the meetings will be announced. Additional meetings with individual students may be necessary.
  
  
  
• Students are expected to prepare themselves for the course by reviewing their Research Methods course (SOCI 301), concentrating on field research and participant-observer techniques.  Field Experience is essentially an exercise in field research directed toward answering the following research questions:
• What is the primary purpose of the agency?
• What is the formal and informal structure of the agency?
• What identifiable activities are routinely carried out by agency members?
• What relationships exist between the agency and other components of the criminal justice system?
• What career opportunities are available?
• What are the primary issues facing the agency?

Students are additionally expected to have a thorough understanding of the primary tool of the field researcher, the field journal. This is the hand written set of notes taken in the field used as reminders when preparing professional journal entries. Informal field notes are to be made available to the instructor upon request.

Students having not yet taken SOCI 301 Introduction To Social Research may contact the instructor for supplementary readings.

• Students registering for Field Experience must meet with the instructor prior to the beginning of the semester and select a placement that satisfies (1) the interests of the individual, (2) the needs of the receiving agency, and (3) university policy. Many students choose to develop their own placements through networks they have developed on their own. Others, after filling in an application form and being interviewed by the instructor, are placed in a variety of criminal justice settings in Delaware and surrounding areas.
  
  
  
• Applicants for Field Experience must be prepared to work as assigned 10-12 hrs. per week in the receiving agency. In return for the time and effort agency representatives devote to your educational experience, they can reasonably expect students to complete assigned tasks properly and in a timely manner. The receiving agency, as well as the student, should benefit from the Field Experience.
  
  
  
• It is assumed that applicants are prepared to present themselves as professionals. As representatives of the University of Delaware, students will dress appropriately, demonstrate enthusiasm for their work, and meet all professional standards defined by the receiving agency. The initial meeting with the instructor should be viewed not as an instructor-student meeting, but as a pre-employment interview.
  
  
  
• Students must be prepared to communicate with the class and instructors on a regular basis through WebCt. The instructor will check postings from the class at least every other day and will respond with periodic comments. Students unable to access their WebCt accounts regularly do not meet the basic requirements for taking the course.
  
  
  
• A weekly journal of work experience will be maintained and shared with others in the class as well as students enrolled in CRJU110 (see below).
  
  
  
• Students are expected to prepare for Field Experience by reviewing course materials and other academic resources relating to the type of agency where they will be working. Taking an active, informed part in agency discussions is an important element of the Field Experience. Should issues arise that suggest a need for outside information, the student should always be in a position to offer help in locating resources. Few criminal justice agencies have the levels of access to information that are often taken for granted at a research university. The ability to locate and retrieve professional information is perhaps the primary skill university graduates have to offer agencies.

Course Journals:

Many successful professionals agree that developing the skills and discipline needed to maintain a professional journal is one of the primary keys to success. Records of events you experience over the years will become valuable personal and professional resources as your career progresses. Additionally, professional journals are essential tools for communicating and sharing information and experiences with peers. As our technical ability to disseminate information becomes increasingly accessible through the internet , developing the art of maintaining a journal becomes even more critical. Professionals communicating through Usenet groups and LISTSERV lists rarely have time to compose while on-line, especially when the point they are making has been discussed before. Their postings often consist of "cut and paste" thoughts from other sources, including personal journals.

Journals developed for this course are expected to reflect the student's best efforts (You are writing for a career, not a simply grade). Journals must contain more than simply a chronology of tasks performed. They are to represent a legitimate field research project addressing the questions listed above. 

General Suggestions for Maintaining a Course Journal

No two people have the exact same style for maintaining a professional journal. Some journals are highly structured, well organized diaries. Others are more like the electronic counterpart of a shoe box overflowing with notes, receipts, reminders, etc. The more organized the journal, the more accessible and useful the contained information will be. The following suggestions may be of help for getting started:

• Maintain the participant-observer mind set. You are not a full working member of the agency (Though, of course, you are expected to complete tasks as assigned). Nor are you a student in the conventional sense. You are a researcher with the specific goal of understanding agency dynamics and communicating your findings to others.
  
  
  
• Maintain a pocket notepad for field notes while at work. Quick notations made during the work day will refresh memories for later reflection and writing. Many find it helpful to develop a "coding system" for jotting down field notes quickly.
  
  
  
• When at a loss for a starting point for describing a day's activities, try going back to the basic what-when-where-who-why format. Professional journalists do it every day. Your goal is to record, understand, and communicate the day's activities. If these questions are answered, your entry is probably complete.
  
  
  
• Include as many professional and legal terms and concepts as possible in your writing. In the future you may want to search your documents using these key words to remind you of concepts and events.
  
  
  
• Never use actual client names in your course journal. You have a professional, ethical, and legal obligation not to expose the names of any individual unless permission is granted to do so. If an incident, no matter how interesting, cannot be described without identifying individuals, it must be excluded from your journal.
  
  
  
• Write journal entries every day in at least a rough format. Though many people wait for a convenient time (about twice per week) to organize and re-write rough notes, thoughts and impressions must be recorded often. Memories fade fast.
  
  
  
• As a professional courtesy, plan to give a copy of your journal to the agency where you worked. Many criminal justice professionals enjoy working with students and are interested in your impressions of life within their agency. You do not need to refrain from well thought out and professionally structured criticism. Experienced criminal justice professional are rarely "thin-skinned." Remember, however, they are your hosts and you are guests. Be professional.
  
  
  
• Daily journal entries are often not written in paragraph format. People develop their own styles and codes as aids for later reconstruction of thoughts and experiences. The objective is to develop a format that you can use each day to record facts and impressions with enough detail to allow for accurate reconstruction when needed. You should review recent entries daily and reflect on their content. By the end of the week, as you prepare to post your journal, organizing your thoughts into a few concise pages will not be a chore.
  
  
  
• When the semester is completed, you should write an Introduction and Conclusion to the final draft of your journal and print a copy for your records.
  
  
  
• When making a journal entry, always keep in mind that you and other professionals will be reading it in the future. Do not make entries such as "..we really didn't have anything to do today." If you are not busy, make the free time an "opportunity" to explore some new aspect of the position.

Text

Henry, Stewart. Inside Jobs: A Realistic Guide to Criminal Justice Careers for College Graduates. Salem, Wisconsin. Sheffield Publishing Company, 1994. (Not required - You may use the copy in the CJ office).

The text should be briefly scanned throughout. It provides some excellent information about criminal justice careers and will provide a valuable resource as you explore career options. You will want, however, to read the articles directly relating to your Field Experience in detail. Your first journal entry, after introducing yourself, should be based on your expectations developed from reading about the jobs you are being placed in. The conclusion section of your journal should include a critique of your experience as it compares to your expectations.

Course Evaluations:

The overall value of your Field Experience has three elements; (1) the value of the course to the student, as measured by course evaluations; (2) the value of your contribution to the agency, as reported to the instructors; and (3) the quality of the course journal. Course grades will be awarded on a pass-fail basis. This grading system was established to allow students to focus energies normally spent preparing for exams and writing term papers on learning about, and contributing to, their assigned agencies. It does not suggest a willingness to accept less than excellence in performance. A passing grade represents:

• A course journal, published at least weekly to the class, of a high enough quality (e.g., more than simply a record of activities) to be cited in a future letter of recommendation;
• An agreement between the instructor and agency representative that a student's performance met the standards of excellence expected of graduating University of Delaware students.

Many graduating criminal justice students have discussed how much they enjoyed and profited from their Field Experience. You should look forward to enjoying what is probably your first exposure to the criminal justice profession. Be cautioned, however, this course does not tolerate mediocrity. If for any reason you are not prepared to function as a criminal justice professional and as a representative of the University, please wait for a more appropriate time to register for Field Experience.