Class Detail

Methods of Evaluation

Evaluation of the student will be based upon the following items:

1. Mastery level of course objectives on objective tests which
compare social structure of law and society, history of law,
forces affecting criminal behavior, roles of the criminal
justice system in developing social policy and preventing crime.
2. Reading assignments which reflect the student's ability to
identify the following areas of reasoning: the purpose of the
article or essay, the essential question the reading attempts
to answer; the point of view of the writer; the data, information
and evidence provided; the concepts or ideas expressed, the
inferences, interpretations and conclusions drawn from the
reading; and the implications and consequences of those
consequences of those conclusions to crime prevention and society.
3. Participation in class discussions and evaluations of site
visits which demonstrates clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance,
depth, breadth, logic, significance or fairness.
4. A term paper which is evaluated for the following intellectual
standards:
Clarity-is understandable, the meaning can be grasped
Accuracy-free from errors, distortions or mistruths
Precision-exact to the necessary level of detail
Relevance-relating to criminal justice and society
Depth-containing complexities and inter-relationships
Breadth-encompassing more than one viewpoint
Logic-the parts make sense together without obvious contradictions
Significance-focusing on the important, not trivial
Fairness-justifiable, not self-serving or one-sided

The term paper requires the student to:
Narrow the subject to a topic approved by the instructor,
develop a plan, timeline, outline or draft, select research
methods and resources, use both print and online sources, evaluate
differences among various resources or articles, navigate software
programs, assess resources for accuracy and bias, cite sources
correctly, correctly attribute information to its author preserving
the integrity of information; comply with laws and rules pertaining
to acceptable use of technology, effectively present the information
both in the term paper format and verbally to the class.