Office 325 Armitage.             Office Hours: MW 1:30 to 3:00.                        Office phone: 225-6013
email: goertzel@crab.rutgers.edu

For up-to-date information on assignments and class discussions, consult the Course Log.

For suggested World Wide Web Links go to the WEB Links Page.

For links to students' WEB pages, go to Student URL's.

This is an upper level course in criminal justice.  I assume that students have had introductory courses in criminal justice and have some familiarity with research methods.  If you have enrolled in this course at the very beginning of your studies in criminal justice, you may wish to defer it until later.

Our core textbooks will be Ethics in Crime and Justice by Joycelyn Pollock and  Sense and Nonsense about Crime and Drugs by Samuel Walker, both of which should be purchased at the bookstore.  The Pollock book covers ethical theory, and applies it to law enforcement and corrections.  The Walker book provides a good overview of research findings and policy arguments about crime and drugs.  on a national level.  Reading assignments will be made for each class and students are asked to do the reading prior to attending class and to be prepared to participate in class discussions.

This course WEB page will be at http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/cj99.htm
Students should check the WEB page regularly for assignments, notes, references and study guides.  It is especially important to check the WEB page if you miss class.  There will be links to readings available only on the WEB.  Everyone should subscribe to the New York Times online, at http://www.nytimes.com.  Students should also be familiar with WEB searching, so as to be able to use the WEB for their assignments.  Early in the semester, we will have a session in a computer lab to make sure everyone is prepared in this area.  A good deal of material is available from our textbook publisher at http://www.wadsworth.com/cj.html

Grading will be based on the following formula:
midterm examination:   25%
final examination:   40%
attendance and participation: 10%
Options Memorandum: 25%

It is your responsibility to sign the attendance roster for each class.  No more than three classes can be missed during the semester without losing attendance credit.  If you miss class, check the WEB page for assignments so you can be prepared for the next class.  If materials were handed out in class, you will find copies on the desk outside the door of my office (325 Armitage).

The Options Memorandum will be a paper presenting and analyzing the policy options on a specific issue.  The memorandum will be written as if it were intended for a specific policy maker on the local, state or national level.  Memoranda will be presented in class and/or posted on the WEB site so as to be accessible to other students.  We will open a Web Community on Excite for this purpose.  Topics will be assigned by the instructor; if you have a particular interest in a topic, please send me an email with a one paragraph description of your interest.