The American Court System

Crime & Justice Studies 3317

SPRING 2006
MW, 11:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m.

Dr. Karen L. Hayslett-McCall

Office: GR 3.210
Office Hours: M 12:30pm – 1:30pm (Or by Appt.)
Office Telephone: (972) 883-4767
E-mail addresses: Karen.Hayslett-McCall@utdallas.edu or
klh024000@utdallas.edu

Teaching Assistant: Virginia Carver

Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail address: peanut@utdallas.edu
• Virginia will also be checking and responding to all the e-
mail addressed to me on WebCT.

Course Description:
• This is a topics course designed to introduce students to key literature in the field
and to examine some issues in the Courts.

Course Objectives:
• To be better able to understand yourself and the world around you through a
prism of crime.
• To develop a base of knowledge of the United States Courts system and to
provide secure grounding for other advanced courses in Crime & Justice Studies
and Sociology.
• To better understand the scientific process as it is reflected in Criminology and
Sociology, and to understand the degree to which it is reflected in our courts.

Special Note Regarding this Semester:

• The rhythm of taking collegiate level course work can be very demanding. I like
to remind everyone that regular effort is important on your part to keep up with
the assigned reading, etc. – especially when the class only meets once a week. If
you expect to get information out of class, you must come to class having read the
required materials for the assigned day.

Attendance:
• Students are expected to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies and regular in
their class attendance. Students have the responsibility of making arrangements
satisfactory to the instructor regarding absences on test days and when homework
is due. Such arrangement MUST be made prior to the absence if possible. THERE
WILL BE NO MAKEUP QUIZZES OR EXAMS.
• Attendance during presentations, videos, and guest speakers is mandatory, the
cost of missing one without a university excused absence is a zero on the points
 assigned for that day.
• Under no circumstances will I (or any of my TA’s or the supplemental instructor)
provide notes for students missing class. I suggest that you find 2 or 3 people in
the class that you can contact about notes in case of emergency. I will post
information from in-class discussion on WebCT.
• This syllabus is TENTATIVE. The scheduled readings, videos, speakers, etc. can
change at any time. Changes will be posted on WebCT and announced in class.
YOU are responsible for regularly checking when assignments are due.
• As we meet once a week, 1 missed class is a week’s worth of missed classes.

Requirements:
• Texts: America’s Courts and the Criminal Justice System: David W.
Newbauer.
• Examinations: There will be four midterm exams in this course, and one
cumulative make-up final.
• The exams for this course will comprise of some combination of multiple
choice, short answer, and short essay. NO make-up exams will be given.
Failure to take an exam will result in a zero grade (unless you have been
granted permission from the instructor PRIOR to the exam OR HAVE
DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF ILLNESS, etc.).

• THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. Exams are scheduled well

in advance so that you can plan around these dates. If you miss one of the
midterm exams, you must take the final. If you miss more than one exam,
you will receive a zero for the additional missed exam.

• There are ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. If you

chose not to take the first exam because it is raining, and you
wreck your car on the way to the second exam, you will receive a
zero for one of you mid-term exams. If you have the bubonic
plague for the first exam and have a relapse for the third, you will
receive a zero. I must caution that this make-up final is
CUMULATIVE, and it WILL NOT BE EASY. I highly
recommend making sure that your schedule is such that you can
attend classes during the regular exams. Taking this exam can
either RAISE or LOWER your grade.

• Once you sit for any exam, you will receive a grade for that exam. There
are no exceptions.

• Once the first person taking the test leaves the room, students that come
late are no longer eligible to sit for that exam.

• Bring picture identification to each exam (including the cumulative make-

up final). Failure to bring a picture ID to class will prevent you from
taking an exam and you will have to take the make-up cumulative final
exam.
• Exam questions will be taken from lecture and the text. You will find
daily attendance and note-taking to be helpful in exam preparation.
 • The fourth mid-term Exam will include an essay that can potentially
reflect material that is presented throughout this course (i.e., one
cumulative question asking you to tie together what you have learned in
the course). Keeping track of your notes and outlining the readings is
helpful for students when they prepare for an exam.
• In-Class Writing Assignments: These writings will be conducted on
unannounced days, and will reflect the reading materials for that day. There will
be NO make-up writing assignments and no exceptions to this rule.
• WebCT Assignments and Quizzes: These quizzes will be put on
WebCT to be taken outside of class. These may or may not be announced in
class. I will post them via WebCT and YOU are responsible for checking
regularly these will reflect the reading materials that are going to be covered in
class shortly after the on-line availability of the quiz. There will be NO make-up
WebCT assignments and quizzes. There will be no exceptions to this rule. In
addition to quizzes, there will be WebCT assignments. The first assignment will
be to check into the course. You will receive 5 points for doing so by the
assigned date and time.
• Extra Credit: I do not make extra credit assignments. In order to be fair,
extra credit must be available to the entire class. Also, some form of weighting
must be applied so as to not penalize those not attempting the extra credit
assignment. Extra credit implies that the course is graded on a 100 point scale
and presents the opportunities to earn >100 Points. The potential for
misunderstandings and student perceptions of unfair treatment are very high. We
will avoid this problem and simply not have extra credit assignments.

Evaluation:
ƒ Exam 1: 100 points
ƒ Exam 2: 100 points
ƒ Exam 3: 100 points
ƒ Exam 4: 100 points
ƒ In-class writing assignments, WebCT assignments, etc. (as assigned)
o For example – If I give an in-class assignment worth 10 points, then that 10 points
counts toward the final number of points available in that class (i.e., it figures into
the denominator). So, if I earn 8/10 points, I add the 8 points to the number of
points that I have earned in the class (the numerator), and I add the 10 points to
the number of points possible in the class (the denominator).

ƒ GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON WebCT. I do keep permanent records, but YOU are
responsible for keeping track of how you do in this class. Please write down your scores
on all assignments, as well as the total number of points that are available for that
assignment. Remember -- a review of grades can go both ways.

Final grades will be awarded according to the following percentage

scale:
A+: 100 and above B+: 87-89 C+: 77-79 D: 60-69
A: 94 and above B: 84-86 C: 74-76 F: 59 and below
A-: 90-93 B-: 80-83 C-: 70-73

• Grade Rounding: I DO NOT round grades. Thus, in order to achieve an A you must
 have achieved a 94 in the class (93.5 is NOT an A, but rather it is an A-).
• Grades are EARNED: I do not GIVE grades, students earn them. It is important that
you take responsibility from the very onset of all of your classes for learning the
material and doing your best on each and every assignment or exam.
• Review of grades: I will assign your final grade according to what you have earned in
the course. If you wish to contest a grade, you must follow.
Academic Integrity:
• Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and
deception and is an educational objective of this institution.
Academic Dishonesty:
• This includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarizing (including the failure to
properly cite sources), fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of
academic dishonest of others, having unauthorized possession of examinations,
submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.
• Violations of academic integrity will be reported to the Dean of Students.
• ANOTHER NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism will not be tolerated and
any instances will be immediately referred to the Dean of Students. I AM
SERIOUS! Unfortunately, I have found that students are often unfamiliar with
what constitutes plagiarism. The Student Life Office at UTD includes a definition
on its website: “To submit to your instructor a paper or comparable assignment
that is not truly the product of your own mind and skill is to commit plagiarism.
To put it bluntly, plagiarism is the act of stealing the ideas and/or expression of
another and representing them as your own”
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/scholastic.html
• Now, there are multiple ways to steal someone else’s ideas. Stephen Wilhoit in
his article entitled, “Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism,” lists several forms of
plagiarism (College Teaching, v 42 (Fall 1994): 161-164):
• Buying or lifting a paper, or any portion of a paper, off the internet.
• Turning in a paper written by a fellow student, with or without her
knowledge.
• Copying information directly from a source without providing
documentation (i.e., without a citation explaining where you got the
information). Keep in mind that changing the order of the sentence or
replacing a few words does not make the sentence yours!
• Copying information directly from a source and providing a citation, but
not putting the copied material in quotations, even if you cited the author.
• Putting the source’s information in your own words, but without providing
a citation. Even if they are your words, the ideas were the author’s. As a
general rule, any information that you gathered by reading a source (i.e.,
information you did not know previously) must be cited!
Disability Services:
• We have an excellent Disability Services office on campus. If you require special
accommodations, please make sure you go and see them immediately if you have
not already done so.
• The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing educational
opportunities for all persons. If you anticipate needing accommodations for
learning differences, please let me know. If you require accommodations, please
 make sure that you are properly registered with the Disabilities Services Office
(972) 883-2070.
• If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please speak
with me after class or in office hours during the first week of class. I will be
happy to make appropriate accommodations provided timely notice is received
and the arrangement is consistent with any recommendations from Disability
Services, when applicable.
 Tentative Class Schedule:
Changes may be made to this schedule. I will announce changes in
class and/or will post information on WebCT. YOU are responsible
for all changes (e.g., reading assignments, assignment deadlines,
etc.).

DATE TOPIC Pages Assigned

(read BEFORE class)

Jan 9 Orientation;
THE LEGAL SYSTEM
Jan 11 Courts Crime and Controversy Ch 1
Jan 16 NO CLASS – In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 18 Courts Crime and Controversy/ Law and Crime Ch 1 & 2
Jan 23 Federal Courts Ch 2 & 3
Jan 25 State Courts Ch 3 & 4
Feb 1 Review for Exam
Feb 6 EXAM #1
LEGAL ACTORS
Feb 8 The Dynamics of Courthouse Justice Ch 5
Feb 13 Prosecutors / Video (It’s Not My Fault) Ch 6
Feb 13 Defense Attorneys / Video (Myths of the Courtroom) Ch 7
Feb 15 Judges Ch 8
Feb 20 Defendants and Victims Ch 9
Feb 22 Review for Exam
Feb 27 EXAM #2
PROCESSING THE ACCUSED
March 1 Arrest to Arraignment Ch 10
March 6-11 SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
March 13 Bail Ch 11
March 15 Disclosing and Suppressing Evidence Ch 12
March 20 Voir Dire
March 22 Negotiating Justice and the Plea of Guilty Ch 13
March 27 Trials and Juries Ch 14
March 29 Review for Exam
April 3 EXAM #3
MURDER TRIAL READ AHEAD!
April 3 Murder Trial
April 5 Murder Trial
April 10
SENTENCING THE GUILTY
April 12 Sentencing Options/Sentencing Decisions Ch 15 / Ch 16
APPELLATE, LOWER, AND JUVENILE COURTS
April 17 Appellate Courts/ The Lower Courts Ch 17 / Ch 18
April 19 The Lower Courts/Juvenile Courts Ch 18 / Ch 19
April 24 EXAM #4
TBA Final Exam Week is April 25th – May 1st
(This will be used only for students needing to take the make-up final exam)