| Syllabus | Lessons, exercises, readings, exams |
| Web Crossing |
This course provides a broad introduction to criminology, which includes the causes and consequences of crime, as well as the major features of the criminal justice system--not just how they're supposed to function but the way they actually work. It meets the requirements for Liberal Education Category 8, Contemporary Social Issues and Analysis. It is also one of four lower-division courses that must be taken by majors in criminology (the others are Sociology 1101, 2155, and 2306); criminology majors need a 2.5 GPA in those four courses, with no grade below a C.
This course is structured as an independent study, with the lessons, exercises, and tests available only through the internet. There are also videos that you will need to watch in the UMD library or that may, provided you have a broad access connection to the internet, be viewed remotely via streaming video. . Successful completion of the course requires the ability to organize and prioritize your time and to work independently. Unless you are willing and able to set aside regularly weekly time, comparable to the time you would invest in a regular course, you are likely to be throwing away your money.
This course will be structured such that you will need to complete one exercise or exam each week. The maximum you can score for a late exercise is 5 out of 10; the maximum for a late exam is 50/100. You are also welcome to work ahead. Unless you are a late registrant, the course begins the first week of each term (for summer, that means the first week of the May term).
You also need, beginning by the fourth week, to post responses to questions on a web forum called web crossing (see link above).
Copyright 2008