CRIMINAL JUSTICE INTERNSHIP AND PRACTICUM
SYLLABUS
Instructor: Dr. O'Connor or assigned instructor
This is a "master" syllabus and may not be your actual syllabus
Assigned instructors may or may not use this material

COURSE DESIGNATION: CRJ 4860 Criminal Justice Internship (3 semester hours as of Spring 2009)

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITES: (Prerequisites: declared major and senior status) This elective course involves a student selecting a site themselves or being recommended to a site by CRJ faculty, APSU staff, a current employer, or others. There is some flexibility in what constitutes an appropriate site, but it should be connected with a field of study which would normally include: law enforcement agencies, prisons, probation and parole offices, social service organizations, governmental agencies, department store security firms, research institutions or foundations, judicial, legal, or political offices, and homeland security or emergency management organizations. A site can be a different area of responsibility or new job within the confines of a current employer.  Interns are admitted into the program only by joint permission of their advisor and the CRJ program manager. The course is designed to provide practical on-the-job experiences which augment in-class experiences. The internship is NOT designed to be a substitute for ordinary or elective coursework, and the internship is NOT designed to give college credit for current employment or life experience. Effort should be made to complete all requirements within the school's regular term schedule, the number of hours to be set by the Internship Coordinator. The best internships are always planned well in advance, and require long-range planning, sometimes at least a year or more.

    A criminal justice internship IS:   

• an opportunity to get real exposure to a variety of agencies in the local criminal justice community
• a chance to meet professionals in the field who can advocate for your future employment
• an opportunity to explore a specific profession prior to committing yourself to it in a full-time capacity
• an appointment as a representative and ambassador of your academic institution
• a privilege
• an opportunity to broaden your educational experience with some real practical experience
• a huge responsibility, the vast majority of which falls upon the student
• unpaid (usually)
• to be set up far in advance of starting, usually five to ten weeks before the internship semester begins
• to be completed by individuals who have declared criminal justice as their major and are of junior or senior standing
• to be granted at the complete and mutual discretion of the internship coordinator and the participating agency
• for students who have demonstrated adequate academic performance, and are in good academic standing with the department, any faculty committees, and the college/university

A criminal justice internship is NOT:

• to be taken for granted
• a filler because you can't find a class that you like
• something to do because you can't think of anything else to do
• a "fast-track" to guaranteed post-graduation employment
• a blow-off course
• a right as a student (see "privilege" above)
• required
• a guaranteed "A" since students are assessed as stringently as in most other courses in the department
• to be done at an agency or business where you already work, or have worked in the past
• for students who have any type of criminal history in their past (or present), and this would include outstanding traffic violations and other minor infractions that have turned into warrants

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. To acquire an understanding of the laws pertaining to the type of work the agency does
2. To understand the daily operations of the agency
3. To examine the historical evolution of the agency
4. To analyze, synthesize, and generalize about the agency and what was learned in classes
5. To articulate an assessment of performance at the agency and skill levels required
6. To articulate a self-assessment of whether the agency or line of work is a desirable career
7. To appreciate the complexities of a criminal justice organization

GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS:

In addition to the above objectives, the more general goals of this course are to provide the student with the following tools to help develop his or her potential:
1. Development of the student's analytical thinking capabilities through comparison and contrast in the application of theories and concepts to social problems
2. Enhancement of the student's literacy skills through assigned readings, discussions, examinations, and other requirements
3. Utilization of the historical perspective which helps with student understanding of evolutionary developments over time
4. Understanding of the scientific method through research requirements and in-depth case studies
5. Improvement in social interaction skills and understanding human behavior through consideration of the impact legal and social systems have on individuals
6. Increased student awareness of cultural and multi-cultural issues through study of how social problems and social movements are related to, and affect, minority groups
7. Preparation for more advanced study in criminal justice/homeland security

CONTENT OUTLINE:

Week 1: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 2: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 3: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 4: no readings, weekly discussion online required, midterm evaluation due

Week 5: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 6: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 7: no readings, weekly discussion online required

Week 8: no readings, weekly discussion online required, final evaluation due, written project due

REQUIRED LEARNING RESOURCES:

Main Textbook/Required Textbook: none

Supplemental Reference: American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5e. Washington DC: APA. Note: students do not have to buy this book, but should have access to it or something similar in order to utilize the correct style or format with writing assignments.

Additional Learning Resources inside Instructor's Internet site.

Useful external websites:
1. Turning an Internship into a Research Opportunity (pdf)
2. Sample Internship Papers from UWF's Dept. of Justice

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to read and follow the schedule in the course syllabus, to read assigned text chapters, to read assigned Lecture Notes, and to seek and read additional suggested resources as provided by the textbook and Instructor.  In addition, students are expected to be alert and attentive with note taking in class and have a demonstrated desire to participate in any discussion.  Exams are to be completed within the deadlines given by the Instructor, and any special instructions for the paper assignment are to be followed precisely.  The Instructor will announce all deadlines and instructions as well as provide reminders about the pace or flow of the course.

BASIS AND METHODS FOR GRADING (May vary by instructor):

25% Midterm Evaluation (usually based on form from site supervisor to instructor)
35% Final Evaluation (usually based on form from site supervisor to instructor)
25% Written Project (some kind of written project, a log journal or final paper, must be produced related to the internship experience)
15% Participation and Discussion (Daily logs and/or weekly contact)

Explanations:

25% and 35% - These are forms (available in HTML format or as pdf).  The evaluations of whomever is supervising the intern at the work site carries a lot of weight. These forms should be printed out and sent to the instructor before the end of the term.  If you don't have a site supervisor, then some effort should be made to find a proctor, a current employer, a co-worker with supervisory status, or someone similar to provide these external evaluations of you and your efforts.

25% - The written project may be an organizational analysis of the agency, a crime analysis of the area the agency protects, a survey of workers in the agency, or a proposed policy change which reflects the agency’s goals. The project must be a reflection of information gained through the internship experience and should be supported by the site supervisor and/or employees. The paper, regardless of type, must adhere to the American Psychological Associations (APA) writing style manual and confirm to Senior Level standards. Although not a rigid requirement, papers should try to achieve eight pages in length and be grounded in the current literature in the field.

15% - While a daily log or journal is encouraged to be kept by the student, it is not necessary to turn that in. The student should strive to make a once-weekly telephone call or email to the instructor informing them about how the internship is going.  However, the weekly required discussion forums online usually take care of the participation/discussion requirement and in certain unusual circumstances, sometimes the discussion requirements may take care of the written project requirement, depending upon how extensive the student's participation is within the online learning platform.  It is best to do more, rather than less, on the student's part, within the online learning platform.  Show some initiative and really utilize the opportunities to their fullest.

The grade scale used in this course is a 7-point scale, as follows, although instructors are free to modify this as circumstances require. At times when circumstances permit, the scale may be dropped to a 10-point scale, or slightly more.

A = 93-100
B = 86-92
C = 78-85
D = 70-77
F = 69/below

ATTENDANCE POLICY: An attendance roster is kept (and login records, if this is a web-based course), and students are expected to attend all sessions on time and as scheduled. If a session and/or assignment deadline is to be missed for circumstances beyond the student's control, prior permission of the instructor must be obtained, and arrangements made for submission of the work. Regular late submission of work as well as tardiness and absenteeism will result in reduction of the final grade by at least one letter, depending upon severity. An "Incomplete" can only be given if the student has normally completed at least half the coursework, has a reasonable justification, and makes arrangements with the instructor.

DISABILITY POLICY: Any student who has a disability that may affect his/her academic performance is encouraged to make an appointment with me to discuss this matter, or you may contact Disability Services; telephone 221-6230; voice 221-6278; voice tty.

POLICY ON MINORS: Minors (any non-student under the age of 18) accompanying staff, faculty, students, or visitors on campus are not permitted in the classroom.

ACADEMIC AND CLASSROOM MISCONDUCT: Students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all times. Academic and classroom misconduct will not be tolerated. Students must read the "Code of Student Conduct" in the new Student Handbook for an understanding of what will be expected of them within the academic setting. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated, and any student found cheating or plagiarizing will receive an "F" for the work in question, and possibly an "F" for the course, and may be recommended for suspension from the University.  Cheating is defined as not working on exams or assignments alone, and plagiarism is defined as taking the work of someone else's as one's own.  APSU uses software that will identify plagiarism.

The above schedule and procedures are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Last updated: July 06, 2011
Not an official webpage of APSU, copyright restrictions apply, see Megalinks in Criminal Justice
O'Connor, T.  (2011). "Syllabus for Criminal Justice Internship," MegaLinks in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://www.drtomoconnor.com/4860/default.htm accessed on July 06, 2011.