Course Description
This is the capstone course for the Criminal Justice concentration and should be taken in the student's last semester. The student can have no more than 6 credits remaining in their concentration to complete in their degree program prior to enrolling in this course. Students will create an original, scholarly work synthesizing criminal justice theories, methodology, and systems, and applying them to a current issue in the field. The goal of the course is for students to integrate the knowledge gained in the Criminal Justice concentration courses. The course must be taken at Charter Oak State College. (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- Students must have completed most of their concentration courses and take this course in their last semester. Academic Counselor approval is required to register.
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Formulate a research project proposal that demonstrates student's ability to effectively compose an undergraduate criminal justice capstone research project by constructing a thesis, analyzing the relationship of the thesis to the student's concentration outcomes and selecting appropriate scholarly resources in support of the thesis.
- Assess critically project proposals and provide constructive feedback to peers in a group setting and revise own proposal based on peer review and professor feedback.
- Evaluate a current issue in the field of criminal justice synthesizing criminal justice theories, methodology and systems while demonstrating mastery of the concentration outcomes.
- Demonstrate writing proficiencies appropriate to the senior college level.
- Demonstrate proficiency in communicating with peers in a group setting.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussion (Weeks 1-8) | 25% |
Project Proposal (Week 2) | 10% |
Research Project Draft 1 (Week 3) | 5% |
Research Project Draft 2 (Week 4) | 5% |
Research Project Draft 3 (Week 6) | 5% |
Research Project Final Draft (Week 8) | 50% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
(Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle)
- Moore Howard, Rebecca. Writing Matters. 3rd ed. McGraw Hill, 2017. ISBN-13: 9781259693557
Additional Resources
- If you need information about APA style which is the writing format for this course, here are websites that you can use as a guide: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,5 | Topic: Planning Your Research Project and Drafting Your Project Proposal
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2 | 1,2,5 | Topic: Review of Project Proposal
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3 | 3,4,5 | Topics: Ethics in the Profession & First Draft
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4 | 3,4,5 | Topic: Second Draft
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5 | 3,4,5 | Topics: Causes of Crime & APA Style
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6 | 3,4,5 | Topic: Third Draft
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7 | 3,4,5 | Topic: Final Revision
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8 | 3,4,5 | Topic: Reflection & Final Draft
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.