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SOCIOLOGY 327 (B1) – CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION IN CANADA Winter, 2022
M W F 2:00-2:50 T B-65 Instructor: Dr. Alison Dunwoody
Office: T 6-12/T 5-28
Office Hours: By appointment Phone: 492-0469/492-3545 E-mail: [email protected]
Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar.
Communication:
For questions about course content or requirements, students are encouraged to use the discussion forums on eClass so that their fellow students can benefit from the information that I provide in response. For more personal matters, students should email me. However, for questions or concerns that require extended discussion (i.e., anything more than a few sentences), students should schedule an appointment. Please note that grades will not be provided or discussed via email.
Generally, students can expect responses to emails within 48 hours, except on weekends or holidays. I will not respond to emails containing questions that can be answered by simply reviewing the syllabus or other course documents. Please also note that I will not open or respond to emails sent from accounts other than the U of A. Be sure to indicate SOC 327 in the subject line of all emails.
Course Description:
This course offers a comprehensive look at the Canadian criminal justice system with particular emphasis on policing, courts and corrections. As we explore this complex and continually evolving system, we will address the broader social forces and conditions that impact the development, implementation, and evolution of criminal justice. We will also discuss some of the current issues facing the justice system including the challenge of balancing retribution with rehabilitation as well as controversies surrounding public policing, victims’ rights, and wrongful convictions. Prerequisite:
SOC 225 or consent of Instructor.
Course Objectives:
• Understand the various components of the criminal justice system and how they relate to and interact with one another
• Understand the nature, evolution, and application of substantive and procedural criminal law
• Understand the problems, injustices, and ironies inherent in the Canadian criminal justice system by:
o critically situating individual experience within broader social contexts and relationships o interrogating forms of power, inequality, and social change and their intersection
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o understanding the ways in which power contributes to marginalization and the implications of these processes for criminal justice system practices
Attendance:
Regular attendance is essential for optimal performance in this course and students who fail to attend class must assume whatever risks are involved.
Academic Integrity:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.
Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
Classroom Policies:
• Students are expected to arrive to class on time and to remain until the end of the lecture.
• While students are encouraged to ask questions and contribute to class discussion, they are not permitted to engage in casual conversations with their fellow students during the lecture.
• While laptops are permitted in class, they are to be used solely for the purpose of taking notes.
The use of other electronic devices (e.g., cell phones) is not permitted.
• The Instructor will not provide lecture notes or videos to students who miss class. Neither will links to videos be provided. Students who miss class are responsible for obtaining the notes from another student and for accessing any missed videos.
• Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the Instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or Instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).
Required Course Text:
Criminal Justice in Canada: A Reader (2022 – Sixth Edition) by Julian V. Roberts and Michelle G.
Grossman (published by Top Hat).
Students are required to have the most recent edition of the text as significant changes have been made since the previous publication.
Course Requirements:
This course requires all students to participate in Community Service-Learning (CSL) by volunteering, as part of their learning experience, with one of the community organizations listed below. The
expectation is that, over the course of the term, students will volunteer a minimum of 20 hours with their chosen organization. Students’ grades will be based on the following requirements:
• Term Exam 1 (25%) – scheduled for February 11 (covers all material up to and including February 9)
• Term Exam 2 (25%) – scheduled for March 25 (covers all material after Term Exam 1, up to and including March 23)
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• Reflective Paper and Project (20% each) – due dates outlined below
• Presentation (10%) – scheduled for the final two weeks of classes (March 28 to April 8) CSL Placement Opportunities:
• Balwin Belvedere Revitalization Team
• Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton (SAVE)
• Sinkunia Community Development Organization - Edmonton Association
• Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS)
• Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP)
• Zebra Child Protection Centre
Details regarding each organization’s specific project(s) have been posted on eClass. Students are advised that placement opportunities are limited and that community partners have exclusive authority in accepting students for their projects. Please also note that some organizations require Police
Information Checks and/or Youth Intervention Record Checks. Students are asked to confirm their placement with the me as soon as they have been accepted by an organization.
Term Exams:
The term exams will be comprised of multiple choice and short answer questions. Students are responsible for all lecture materials, class discussions, videos, and assigned readings from the text.
Sample exam questions will be made available on eClass prior to each exam. There is no final exam for this course.
An unexcused absence from an exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam. Should a student miss a term exam, they must contact me via e-mail within two working days of the originally scheduled exam, or as soon as the student is able, having regard to the circumstances underlying the absence.
Students are advised that excused absences are not automatic and that, depending upon the
circumstances, appropriate documentation may be required (e.g., “Request for Excused Absence or Deferral of Term Work,” “Statutory Declaration,” police report, death notice, court documents).
Students with an excused absence must write the missed exam rather than shift the weight of that exam to other course requirements. Students who have missed the first term exam, and who have an excused absence, will write an alternate exam on February 16 at 10:00 am. Students who fail to write the alternate exam on this date will receive a grade of zero. Students who have missed the second term exam, and who have an excused absence, will write an alternate exam on March 30 at 10:00 am.
Students who fail to write the alternate exam on this date will receive a grade of zero. Please note that alternate exams may or may not be the same format as the regularly scheduled exams.
Reflective Papers/Projects:
All students must submit one reflective paper and one reflective project. Each paper/project is worth 20%. Details regarding these papers/projects, as well as the criteria by which they will be evaluated, are outlined below and will be discussed in class. Complete rubrics are also available on eClass. All
papers/projects must be submitted at the beginning of class. Papers/projects sent electronically will not be accepted. Extensions will not be granted. Students who do not complete their paper or project in time for submission at the beginning of class on the due date chosen must wait to submit their work on the next available due date.
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Students can choose which due dates on which they would like to submit their work (and in which order – i.e., paper first or project first), though it is strongly encouraged that students not wait until the end of the term to submit. A student cannot submit their paper and project together on the same date.
Due date options: January 31, February 14, February 28, March 14, March 28
The reflective papers/projects must be specifically focused on students’ placement experiences and will serve as the means by which students critically reflect on those experiences and their connections to course topics/issues. Critical reflection is about identifying insights, tensions, gaps, limitations, or contradictions related to a topic or issue that is relevant to the course.
Reflective Paper: Papers should be between 1500 and 1800 words. Please note that these limits do not include the title page details or any bibliographic information.
The following questions will serve as a guide for the preparation of your reflective papers:
• What? Briefly report on the details of an experience to provide context for your discussion. In doing so, please be mindful of the importance of confidentiality and anonymity.
• So What? Analyze the experience (e.g., How and why is it significant? How does it connect – or not – with what you are learning in class?).
• Now What? Reflect on the impact of this experience (e.g., Has your thinking/perspective about this issue changed? How will this experience affect you going forward?).
Grades will be based on the following (a complete rubric is available on eClass):
• Topic for discussion is relevant, specific, and well-articulated
• Paper is focused, demonstrates a sophisticated and in-depth analysis of the issues, and is well- organized; discussion is insightful and thought-provoking
• Overall presentation is professional with no errors in syntax, spelling, punctuation, citations, etc.
Reflective Project: Reflective projects must be arts-based which includes, but is not limited to, poetry, video, collage/story board, painting, digital graphic art, photography. Again, please be mindful of the importance of confidentiality and anonymity. No specific individual should be identified or identifiable in students’ projects. All reflective projects must be accompanied by a narrative that describes students’
creative process and their learning. This narrative should discuss what was produced, how and why.
Narratives should be between 800 and 1000 words. Please note that these limits do not include the title page details or any bibliographic information.
Grades will be based on the following (a complete rubric is available on eClass):
• The theme or concept for the project is clear, relevant, and meaningful
• The finished project reflects careful planning, attention to detail, an appropriate degree of skill, and reflects creativity/originality
• The accompanying narrative clearly articulates the meaning and significance of the project and is professional with no errors in syntax, spelling, punctuation, citations, etc.
Presentation:
During the final two weeks of the term (March 28-April 8), students will give a brief presentation on their placement projects. The length of each presentation will be established once the total number of presentations to be given has been determined. Given the variety of projects undertaken by students,
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the details regarding these presentations (including how they will be evaluated) will be discussed in class.
Grading:
Description Percentage Grade Value
Excellent 95 – 100 A+ 4.0
90 – 94.9 A 4.0
85 – 89.9 A- 3.7
Good 80 – 84.9 B+ 3.3
75 – 79.9 B 3.0
70 – 74.9 B- 2.7
Satisfactory 66 – 69.9 C+ 2.3
62 – 65.9 C 2.0
58 – 61.9 C- 1.7
Poor 54 – 57.9 D+ 1.3
Minimal Pass 50 – 53.9 D 1.0
Fail 0 – 49.9 F 0.0
Grading Policies:
Grades will not be assigned on the basis of a particular distribution (e.g., bell curve) but will be assigned based on the individual merits of students. Grades are not negotiable. Grades will not be rounded up. For example, students who obtain a final course grade of 74.9% will be assigned a grade of B-, not B.
Requests to re-write exams or to submit extra work to increase grades will not be considered under any circumstances. Likewise, pleas for higher grades to get into quota University programs will not be heard under any circumstances.
Tentative Lecture Schedule and Assigned Readings:
Date Topic Reading
Jan 5-10 Introduction to the Course and Module 1 - Criminal
Justice in Canada: An Overview Ch 1, 3, 4 & 24 Jan 12-14 Module 2 - Criminal Justice and the Charter Ch 2
Jan 17-19 Module 3 - Policing: History, Structure, and Organization Ch 5 Jan 21-24 Module 4 - Police Oversight and Accountability Ch 13 Jan 26 Module 5 - Criminal Law and the Court System
Jan 28 Module 6 - Key Players: Lawyers and Judges Ch 6, 7 & 8 Jan 31-Feb 4 Module 7 - The Criminal Court Process Ch 14 Feb 7-9 Module 8 - Sentencing
Feb 11 Term Exam 1
Feb 14-18 Module 9 - Institutional Corrections Ch 11 & 27
Feb 21-25 Reading Week
Feb 28 Module 10 - Community Corrections Ch 10, 26 & 28
6 Mar 2 Module 11 - Conditional Release
Mar 4-7 Module 12 - Offender Populations Ch 15, 16, 22 & 23
Mar 9 Module 13 - Youth Justice Ch 18
Mar 11 Module 14 - Domestic Violence Ch 21 & 25
Mar 14 Module 15 - Crime Victims Ch 9 & 19
Mar 16 Module 16 - Corporate Crime Ch 20
Mar 18-21 Module 17 - Wrongful Convictions Ch 12 & 17 Mar 23 Module 18 - Capital Punishment
Mar 25 Term Exam 2
Mar 28-Apr 8 Presentations
