Blinn CollegeCourse Syllabus

1. Court Systems and Practices, CRIJ-1306-001, 10026, Monday and Wednesday 10:50-12:05pm, Fall 2012

2. Professor Name: Edwin Ueckert Phone: (979) 830-4223

Office: #126 Bullock Bld., Brenham e-mail:eueckert@blinn.edu

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am-9:00am, 3:00pm-4:00pm; Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am-9:00am, 1:30pm-2:30pm; Friday by appointment.

3. Course Description: The Judiciary in the criminal justice system; structure of American court system: prosecution; right of counsel; pretrial release; grand juries; adjudication process; types and rules of evidence; sentencing.

4. Prerequisites: none

5. Core Course: This course is not a core curriculum course.

6. Measurable Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Explain the American judiciary system and its structure.2. Identify the roles of judicial officers and court participants.3. Identify the trial processes from pretrial to sentencing.4. Examine the historical development of the judicial system.5. Define change of venue and jurisdiction.6. Identify constitutional issues as they relate to the trial process.7. Explain the appeals process.8. Distinguish between statutory law and case law.

7. Required Materials: Textbook: Procedures in the Justice System, Tenth Edition, Roberson, Wallace, Stuckey.Classroom: Students should be prepared to take notes at any time (paper and writing device)Examinations: Students are expected to provide Scantrons for scheduled examinations (Bring a pencil)

8. Course Requirements: The course may include but is not limited to the following:1. Lectures; guest speakers from applicable criminal justice agencies; DVD’s; group

discussion; current events; assigned readings from textbook; handouts and supplemental readings.

2. Completion of learning outcomes, exams, assigned coursework and participation in course will provide students with a comprehensive view of the overall criminal justice system and its components.

3. This course is a required freshman academic course transferable to a BA, BS, BAAS, or BAT.

4. The successful completion of this course is required on the Coordinating Board approved Field of Study in Criminal Justice Associates of Art curriculum.

9. Criteria for grading all assignments and determining final grade in the course:Four major grades which may include but is not limited to the following:1. Chapter examinations, research papers, projects, cumulative assignments or

skills/practical’s and comprehensive final examination.

Percentage 90 – 100 A80 – 89 B70 – 79 C60 – 69 DBelow 60 F2. Student participation points are at the discretion of the instructor but must be 10% of the

overall grade.3. Comprehensive final must be 10%-30% of the overall grade.

10. Blinn College policies on civility; class attendance; scholastic integrity; students with disabilities; final grade appeals; and electronic devices as stated in the Blinn College Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, Blinn College Catalog, and specific technical program handbooks.

A. Civility Statement: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others.

Civility Notification Statement: If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the faculty member: it is the student's responsibility to arrange for this conference.

This statement reflects step one in a possible four step process. The Incivility Protocol is detailed in the Blinn College Student Handbook. www.blinn.edu/student%20handbook.pdf

B. Attendance Policy: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. A record of attendance will be maintained from the first day of classes and/or the first day the student’s name appears on the roster through final examinations. If a student has one week’s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he or she will be sent an e-mail by the College District requiring the student to contact his or her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulate two weeks’ worth of unexcused absences, he or she will be administratively withdrawn from class.

There are four forms of excused absences recognized by the institution: 1. Observance of religious holy days - The student should notify his or her instructor(s) not later Than the 15th day of the semester concerning the specific date(s) that the student will be absent for any religious holy day(s); 2. Representing the College District at an official institutional function; 3. High school dual credit students representing the independent school district at an official institutional function; and 4. Military service.

Other absences may be considered excused at the discretion of the faculty member with appropriate documentation. A student enrolled in a developmental course is subject to College District-mandated attendance policies. Failure to attend developmental classes shall result in removal from the course as defined by the College District.

It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop a class he or she is no longer attending. To officially drop a class the student must obtain the class withdrawal form from Enrollment Services, complete the class withdrawal form, secure the required signatures, and return the completed form to Enrollment Services. The last day to drop this semester with a Q is November 16, 2012.

C. Scholastic Integrity. Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or any other act of dishonesty with regard to the course in which you are enrolled. The following text defines the faculty member’s responsibility with regard to the scholastic integrity expectation for this and all courses at Blinn College.

It is the responsibility of faculty members to maintain scholastic integrity at the College District by refusing to tolerate any form of scholastic dishonesty. Adequate control of test materials, strict supervision during testing and other preventive measures should be utilized, as necessary, to prevent cheating or plagiarism. If there is compelling evidence that a student is involved in cheating or plagiarism, the faculty member should assume responsibility and address the infraction. Likewise, any student accused of scholastic dishonesty is entitled to due process as outlined in Blinn College Board Policy FLB (Local). The Scholastic Integrity Policy is located in the Blinn College Student Handbook, www.blinn.edu/student%20handbook.pdf. In a case of scholastic dishonesty, it is critical that written documentation be maintained at each level throughout the process.

D. Students with Disabilities. Blinn College is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning environment for all students. Support services for students with documented disabilities are provided on an individual basis, upon request. Requests for services should be made directly to the Office of Special Populations serving the campus of your choice. For the Bryan campus, the Office of Special Populations (Administration Building) can be reached at (979)209-7251. The Brenham, Sealy and Schulenburg campuses are served by the Office of Special Populations on the Brenham campus (Administration Building Room 104) and can be reached at (979)830-4157. Additional information can be found at www.blinn.edu/disability/index.html.

E. Final Grade Appeals Policy. If a student wishes to appeal a final grade in a course, Blinn College Board Policy FLDB (Local), Course Grade Complaints, outlines the timeline for the appeal and the four steps in the appeal. This policy is located in the Blinn College Student Handbook, www.blinn.edu/student%20handbook.pdf.

F. Electronic Devices. All the functions of all personal electronic devices designed for communication and/or entertainment (cell phones, pagers, beepers, iPods, and similar devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight in all College District classrooms and associated laboratories. Any noncompliance with this policy shall be addressed in accordance with the College District Civility Policy (Administrative Policy). This information is contained in Blinn College Board Policy FLB (Local).

G. Make-up Examination Policy:As a general rule, there will be no make-up exams. In the event an emergency arises, and the student documents the emergency situation to the satisfaction of the instructor and notifies the instructor in advance or immediately after the emergency subsides, the instructor may give a make-up exam. Your instructor will review each emergency situation separately, and evaluate the circumstances appropriately at his/her discretion. However, any make-up exam allowed may be a different form from that given to the rest of the class, and may be reduced up to 20%. The make-up exam must be taken within the time frame established by the instructor or a failing grade will be assigned for the exam.

11. Course Schedule:The following is a tentative schedule of activities and examinations for the semester. The dates and activities are subject to modifications. Any changes will be made with as much advanced notice as possible.

Monday August 27th Orientation & Pre-testWednesday August 29th Chapter 1… Historical Development of Law and the

Justice SystemMonday September 3th HolidayWednesday September 5th Chapter 2… Search and Seizure

Monday September 10th Chapter 2Wednesday September 12th Chapter 3… Arrest and Custody

Monday September 17th Chapter 4… Initial AppearanceWednesday September 19th Chapter 4

Monday September 24th Complete and review section oneWednesday September 25th Section I Examination

Monday October 1st Chapter 5… The Charging FunctionWednesday October 3rd Chapter 6… Place and Time of Trial

Monday October 8th Chapter 7… Trial Wednesday October 10th Chapter 8… Assistance of Counsel

Monday October 15th Complete & review Section IIWednesday October 17th Section II Examination

Monday October 22nd Chapter 9… Pretrial Motions, Hearings, and Plea’sWednesday October 24th Chapter 10... Courtroom Evidence

Monday October 29th Chapter 11… Trial: roles of Major ParticipantsWednesday October 31st Chapter 12… Jury

Monday November 5th Chapter 13… Trial ProceduresWednesday November 7th Chapter 13

Monday November 12th Complete and review section IIIWednesday November 14th Section III Examination

Monday November 19th Chapter 14...Instructions and Deliberations of the JuryWednesday November 21st Thanksgiving Vacation

Monday November 26th Chapter 15… The Verdict and AppealsWednesday November 28th Chapter 16… Sentencing

Monday December 3rd Chapter 17… Collateral Proceedings and Writs Wednesday December 5th Chapter 18… Victim’s Rights

Monday December 10th Review for Final

The Final Examination will be given according to Blinn College Final Exam Schedule…the closest corresponding time will be used. The time the final will be administered is…..

Final Examination Friday, December 14th beginning at 10:30am (10:30am-12:30pm)

Students must be present at beginning of testing period, no make-ups will be given.