Office Hours

Tuesday and Thursday

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday

09:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

or by appointment

COURSE OBJECTIVE

Defines the field of criminology by discussing the different theories of crime causation using the areas of sociology, psychology, and biology in an attempt to explain the nature, extent, cause, and society's response to crime.

The objectives will be:

What is crime? How do we decide what is criminal?
How do we study or measure crime?
What are the different causes of crime?
Applying theories of crime to different types of crimes.
Demonstrate understanding of biological, psychological, and social influences on criminal behavior by distinguishing between a variety of theoretical elements.

TEXT

The following book is mandatory reading for the course:

Lanier, M., Stuart, H. & Desire, J. (2015).  Essential Criminology.  (4th ed). Boulder, CO: Westview. 

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Students are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to class on the week indicated and be prepared to participate in meaningful discussion of the subject matter. The first reading assignment is this syllabus. It is to be read in its entirety prior to the next class period. Any questions about said syllabus should be asked of the instructor at that time. Each student is responsible for knowing the terms and conditions described in this document. Staying in the class past the drop/add date at the beginning of the semester is implicit agreement to abide by the regulations and directives explained in the syllabus. If you know or even suspect you cannot or will not meet these requirements, DROP the CLASS.

Communication with Students

Information about the class will be posted to the professor's web site (http://drkaclontz.mc-companies.net). Students are expected to check this site each day and before each class and to bring the class notes and handouts with them to class. All students must log into the website by the third class session. Any student that has not logged in by this date will miss assignments that are computer graded and there will be no makeup on these assignments.  Any student that has not logged in by the end of the second week of classes will have 5 points deducted per day from their final course grade until they log into the course.

All students are responsible for checking their University assigned email account before each class. This allows the instructor to provide students with class information, handouts, and updates.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

There will be three examinations given during the course and 4 computer generated quizzes. Students will have 1 hour and 50 minutes to complete the final examination. The final examination may be comprehensive. Each previous examination will encompass the material analyzed during that portion of the course and the final examination can cover material presented during the entire course. Each test may consist of multiple-choice, true-false items, and short-answer questions.  Each quiz will consist of true-false or multiple-choice questions and if a student misses an quiz, there is no makeup.

Students with disabilities: In accordance with University values and disability law, students with disabilities may request academic accommodations where there are aspects of a course that result in barriers to inclusion or accurate assessment of achievement. To file an official request for disability-related accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center at 309-298-2512, disability@wiu.edu or in 143 Memorial Hall. Please notify the instructor as soon as possible to ensure that this course is accessible to you in a timely manner.

Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e., fire, tornado, deranged gunman, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Resource Center at 298-2512 for additional services.

You are also responsible for advising me in adequate time (1 week prior to each date) before each exam or assignment any special needs that should be addressed. Failure to meet any or all of these requirements removes all obligation on the part of the instructor to meet or make such accommodations. All students are expected to take the examinations at their scheduled times and dates. Once the test begins, no one may leave the classroom. If you leave, you are done with your test! Students arriving late for an examination will not be permitted to take the exam and will receive a zero for that test. No make-up exams will be given without a written doctor's excuse or other appropriate documentation and the professor reserves the right to check all excuses that are provided by the student. This material must be provided to the professor within one (1) week of the missed test date. If a student fails to provide the written materials within this one week period, a grade of zero will be given for that test. Students who miss the scheduled exam but has a documented excuse approved by the instructor must take the missed test during a period set by the instructor within one (1) week of the missed test.

The class sessions will be most valuable to you if you complete the readings prior to class and then participate in discussions within the class.  If the instructor does not feel that a large enough portion of the class is regularly contributing, or if the professor suspects that many in the class have not been completing the readings, the professor reserves the right to institute "POP" quizzes.  If instituted, these quizzes would count for up to 15 points of your final grade (with the contributions of the exams shrinking accordingly.)  Pop quizzes cannot be made up.  This is another reason to attend class!

Extra-credit projects, such as book reviews or term papers, are not acceptable substitutes for an undesirable grade. If a student cannot do the regularly required work in this course, what would the point be of giving them more? All work, including homework assignments, article critiques, and take home exercises, are to be done on your own. Work assignments are not to be done by a group (2 or more persons), nor are answers to be copied from another. You are to receive no help from anyone except the instructor or materials authorized by the instructor. Any cheating or plagiarizing on an assignment or test will result in a "F" being entered as your grade for the course. Use of any electronic device during a test period, be it cell phone, cell video phone, PDA, Computer, Tablet, MP3 or CD player, etc. in any mode- audio, text messaging, or scanning- will result in an automatic "F" for the class.

The final grade for the course is based on the following:

Up to 5 bonus points that will be added to your final course total, based on your attendance. The more days you miss, the fewer points you receive.  No points will be awarded to students who miss more than 2 weeks of class (6 days on a M, W, and F schedule; 4 days on a T/Th schedule; and 2 days if the class meets once a week).

The point grading scale for the course is given below:

It is solely the responsibility of the student to determine whether or not she or he needs to drop the course. The instructor may or may not suggest that course of action to the student, but it is the individual's obligation to make the determination of whether or not they need to take this step. "The instructor did not tell me to drop the course" is not a valid argument and will not result in a change of grade.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Western Illinois University states that "attendance is mandatory in all class sessions, including lab." A daily roll will be taken (see the Western Illinois Student Handbook). Each student may sign in only him or herself. Signing the roll for another student is a violation of the academic honor code. On random days, attendance will be taken and roll called. Anyone's name that appears on the sign-up attendance roll that is not physically present in class when roll is called receives an automatic "F" for the course.

I will not formally require attendance.  However, attendance will both directly affect your grade, as you will lose bonus points.  If you do not attend this class, it will be very difficult to pass.  Attendance will be reported to University officials to assist students that have missed 4 or more days of class, and to discuss the reason(s) for not attending.  The professor will decide if an absence is excused or not! For an absence to be excused, you must provide written documentation that shows the date of the class missed, the reason why, the name of the student, and the name of the person issuing the excuse, along with a telephone number to contact this person for verification.  All written documentation must be provided within two weeks of the dates missed.  If you fail to provide the written documentation within this time frame, the absence will not be excused!

BE ADVISED:  ANY AND ALL EXCUSES OR EXPLANATIONS FOR ABSENCES, TARDINESS, ETC. ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY THE INSTRUCTOR.  Any falsifying of the reason why is a violation of the Academic Integrity policy.

Arranging to make up work missed because of legitimate class absence(s) (again, as determined by the instructor) is the responsibility of the student. Students are to get the notes for the day(s) missed from other students in the course. If there are any questions over that material, please see the instructor during scheduled office hours.

Please check the student rights and responsibilities web page for information about academic dishonesty and other issues.

ETIQUETTE

University values, Title IX, and other federal and state laws prohibit sex discrimination, including sexual assault/misconduct, dating/domestic violence, and stalking. If you, or someone you know, has been the victim of any of these offenses, we encourage you to report this to the Title IX Coordinator at 309-298-1977 or anonymously online at: http://www.wiu.edu/equal_opportunity_and_access/request_form/index.php. If you disclose an incident to a faculty member, the faculty member must notify the Title IX Coordinator. The complete Title IX policy is available at: http://www.wiu.edu/vpas/policies/titleIX.php.

For the few to whom it applies, there are some basic rules for classroom behavior. Students are to refrain from talking or reading newspapers or other materials when the instructor is giving the lecture. Please eat before you come to class, as food is not allowed in the classroom. If you have food in the room, you will be asked to either throw the food away or leave the room. You may bring a drink to class, but you are responsible for cleaning up any spills and you must take the drink with you when you leave or place the container in the trash.

Students are to refrain from playing with their telephones, texting, talking, or reading newspapers or any other materials when the instructor is giving the lecture. No book bags, backpacks, handbags or other items are permitted on the desks. All that is allowed on the desk during class is a notebook or paper and a writing instrument. A drink is allowed, depending on the assigned classroom.

Students are not to put their heads down on the desk(s). This is an adult learning environment, and the instructor has every right to expect you to be alert and awake for the duration of the class session. If you are so tired you cannot hold your head up, or you fall asleep during class, you will be directed to leave.

Students who fail to follow directions will be: warned for the first offense, removed from class for the second. The student then will have to speak with the professor during his office hours before coming back to class. For the third offense, students will be referred to the Register's office for removal from the class.

Being late for class and walking in after the class is in session is both disruptive and rude. Students are expected to be on time. Class starting time is clearly scheduled. If you arrive after that time, it counts as an absence. And do not tell me the bus was late- we all are aware the buses are not reliable. The professor reserves the right to lock the classroom door if students are coming in late. If a student needs to leave the class early for a verifiable, approved reason, he or she must inform the instructor before class begins, and sit near an exit so as not to unduly disturb the class when leaving. Simply getting up and exiting class and returning during a lecture is not acceptable- this is a live lecture, not television. If a student must exit class, he or she is not to return while the lecture is in progress.

Computers, ipads, other electronic tablet, or other electronic devices may not be used during class. Unfortunately, some students abused the privilege, which resulted in rescinded privileges for all. Also, no photography or recording of this class is permitted without the explicit permission of this instructor.

All portable phones, pagers, or any other electronic devices are to be TURNED OFF upon to entry into the classroom, and all versions of headphones and/or earpieces removed. Put all electronic devices away- meaning off the desk, off your lap, not in your hand. If your device is visible, you are in violation and subject to penalty. The ONLY electronic devise(s) a student may have on during class is a medically prescribed pacemaker or hearing aid.

If you are required by an employer to remain on call, or there is an emergency necessitating leaving such an article activated, turn it to its silent mode of operation, if possible, and inform this instructor immediately (obviously this means before the device might go off). Otherwise, a ringing phone or beeping pager will result in the deduction of 1 day as an absence.

Use of any electronic device during class or any test period, be it cell phone, cell video phone, computer, tablet, PDA, MP3 or CD player, etc. in any mode- audio, text messaging, or scanning- will result in an automatic F for the class. This includes any and all imaging of tests- write your score down or check the on-line gradebook.

No eating during the class period. This is not the cafeteria, a kitchen, or your living room.

(If directed to leave the classroom for a violation on your part, you may not return to class until you have met with the professor during office hours and received permission to return.)  

I am certain a majority of you already know these guidelines, but recent experience has proven to me that not everyone has gotten the message on proper classroom behavior. It became necessary to formally present it in writing.

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING

Please check the student rights and responsibilities web page for information about academic dishonesty and other issues. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity policy will receive a grade of "F" for the course.

Important Dates