Instructor: Michelle Meloy, Ph.D.

Office: 405-407 Cooper Street; suite 205

Office Hrs: 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm on Tuesday, Thursday and by appointment

Phone: (856) 225-2724

Email: mlmeloy@rutgers.edu

Teaching Assistant: Melinda Cobian

Office: 405-407 Cooper Street; suite 215; office hours: Tuesdays' free period

Phone: (856) 225-2720

Email: mcobian@camden.rutgers.edu

REQUIRED TEXT

America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System by David Neubauer, 9th edition
Rape and the Culture of the Courtroom by Andrew Taslitz

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This introduction to the American court system includes an overview of the criminal courts at both the federal and state-level with a particular focus of courts as social institutions.  This class is designed not only to familiarize you with the structure, jurisdiction, and culture of the American court system but also to help you better understand how the operations and decisions that occur within the courtroom have implications that extend to society-at- large.  This is especially true of the United State Supreme Court. When the Court of Last Resort makes a legal decision on the constitutionality of a criminal issue, its ruling is binding to all courts, criminal justice agencies, and legislatures.  We highlight the policymaking role of the courts through an examination of key landmark decisions. We also examine the impact that social constructs such as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, and sexuality have on the interpretation, administration, and access to "justice" through our court system. 

Examinations: There will be three examinations in this course designed to test your understanding of the lectures and supplemental materials.  Exams may consist of multiple choice, true & false questions, and essay questions. Exam grades will be computed on the percent of correct answers as follows: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; Below 60% = F.  No make up examinations will be permitted except for emergency situations. Situations that qualify as an emergency are dictated by university standards and must be accompanied by appropriate documentation. The format of make up exams may vary at the discretion of the instructor and may include but are not limited to essay and oral examination.

Grading: Exam 1 consists of 25% of your final grade. Exam 2 and Exam 3 each account for 30% of your grade for a cumulative total of 60 % of all course points. Reaction papers (there will be 5 in total) are worth 10% of your final grade. This means that each reaction paper is worth 2% of your total percentages points for a combined percentage total of 10%.  Each reaction paper MUST be typed, double spaced, and adhere to general formatting requirements. Each reaction paper should be between 1-2 full pages in length. These assignments are an opportunity for you to express your feelings/reactions about the weeks topic and assigned readings. Reactions to you reading assignments MUST be incorporated into each short paper if you expect to receive credit for doing the assignment. If there are current events that correspond to the topic of the week you are encouraged to include a discussion of this along with your reactions to the weeks topic and assigned readings. Points will be deducted for papers that have numerous syntax errors. Proof read your work and/or seek help at the writing center before submitting your reaction papers for a grade. Finally, 5% of your total points come directly from class attendance and participation, especially on Fridays when there will often be active learning exercises or course related field trips.

Reaction Papers	25%
Exam I	25%
Exam II	25%
Exam III	25%

Academic Dishonesty: This includes plagiarism. Under no circumstances will academic dishonesty be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams, helping another cheat in any way or taking another person's work and passing it off as your own. Refer to the following link for more details on the academic dishonesty standards set forth in the Rutgers University handbook and reiterated on the sociology homepage http://sociology.camden.rutgers.edu.  All violations of academic dishonesty will immediately be referred to Rutgers University officials.  The specific rules governing academic dishonesty are addressed in the University undergraduate catalog and student handbook. Sanctions range from failing the course to expulsion.

Course Outline and Reading Assignments: This is a general outline and is subject to change based on the discretion of the instructor. Class lectures are designed to supplement the text as well as raise other issues.  You will be responsible for material contained in the text even if it was not specifically covered in class. Additional readings may be added at the discretion of the instructor.

Click here for reaction paper assignment # 1

Week 1: Overview of Course
Neubauer: Ch.1 & 2
click here for notes

Week 2: The Legal System and Federal Courts
Neubauer: Ch. 2 & 3
click here for notes
click here for notes on chapter 3

Week 3:  Federal (contined) and State Court Organization
Neubauer: Ch. 3 & 4 (continued)
click here for notes on state courts
click here for an overview of NJ court structure

Week 9: Spring Break
No class !!!

Week 16: Final Exam Thursday, May 8 @ 2:00 pm

The final exam can not be rescheduled. If this time does not work with your schedule you should drop this course.  The exam begins at 2:00 pm. Students are not permitted to enter the room once the exam has started.