CJL 355-01 Crime In America

  
CJL 355-01 Crime In America

Theoretical Paper on:
 Mass Shootings in America,  who commits them, the punishment they usually face, why are white people who commit mass shootings treated differently and always classified as mentally ill when others who commit them are people of color or of other national origin are labeled as terrorists? 

Due: October 10th (Hardcopy)

7-8 pages long

Attached are 2 sample papers

  
The purpose of this course is to provide a solid foundation of criminological theories by reading original works and applying them to present day issues. This paper is dedicated to exploring both sections thoroughly in a theoretical paper. Students will choose a popular criminological issue and apply it to one of the theories discussed in class.
Paper Objectives
1. Critical thinking: The most important objective of this paper is to demonstrate critical thinking by applying one or more theoretical frameworks to a popular criminological issue. This means that one must go beyond the “surface” of the issue and analytically assess the issues surrounding the crime and how a theory or theories would explain the phenomena.

2. Research: Students are expected to search online databases for articles that relate to their topic. It is expected that six to seven outside scholarly works in addition to course readings from respected journals or edited volumes, and reputable news sources will be used. Books from respected academic authors are also acceptable. Students should ask for help from the instructor if they are unable to locate appropriate reference materials. The length of the paper should be seven to eight pages, not including cover and reference page.
3. Grammar: My expectations are high when it comes to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Therefore, no short cuts are allowed. This includes no contractions, no “conversational language”, and bad formatting (e.g. not indenting paragraphs, large spacing). In addition, this should be a formal paper. Therefore, “first-person” should not be used. All of this will result in a deduction of points.
Paper Components
1. Background: Provide background information on the popular criminological issue. Issues that are appropriate for this paper include: police brutality, biological explanations of crime, poverty and crime, as well as the link between stereotypical images of people of color and how it relates to perceived criminality. This should only be a brief summary as most of your paper should be devoted to critically assessing how the topic chosen is linked to your theoretical framework. Be sure to address what you will analyze about the issue. There should be at least two to three issues of the case or topic that will be analyzed through a theoretical lens. (Ten points.)
2. Theory: Talk about the theory chosen for your issue. Include a description of the theory / theorist, theory origin and context (social, political, biological), as well as how the theory has been applied to crime in the past. (30points.) ·
3. Application: Apply the fundamentals of the theory to the issue you have chosen to analyze. How does the theory/theories explain the crime chosen and how does it  fall short of completely explaining the behavior? In addition, how might the theory predict the outcome (or potential outcome) of the crime issue chosen ? Why is this theory (or combination of theories) the best fit for your case? (60points.)
HINTS:
1. Choose cases that you can find a great deal of information on for your paper.  In order to do an in-depth analysis you must have good, solid information.
2. To help you choose the concepts you want to focus on look at the key terms given for each theorist covered in class.
Other Important Information
Preparation
Please follow these instructions carefully. Points will be deducted from your written assignment for failure to do so. 
Format
· The papers should be at least seven but no more than eight pages in length. This does not include title page and references. There is no need to include an abstract. 
· Papers should have 1″ margins all around.
· The type font should size 12.
· Must have six to seven outside scholarly sources. DO NOT use Wikipedia, Webster’s dictionary or dictionary.com as a reference.
· Reference page must be in APA format. Please be sure to reference the class materials if you cite from it.
· Do not include lengthy quotes. If it is longer than four sentences it must be paraphrased.
· All text other than references should be double-spaced; type references in single space.
· All pages except the first page should be numbered.
· Be sure to include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.
· There is no need for large spacing between paragraphs.
· Expect at minimum fifteen point deductions for failure to follow correct format.
Plagiarism
Be careful to avoid plagiarism.  Any information taken from other sources needs to be cited. Direct quotations should be placed in quotation marks; indent quotations that are at least four lines long. All text that paraphrases the work of someone else should list the source as a citation. For this assignment you will submit it to Turnitin. Papers will be uploaded into this system to check for improper citation. Turnitin will be available starting November 1st. Students will have a month to submit their paper into the system to check for plagiarism.  This will allow students to address any citation issues and resubmit their paper. Only the final submission will be counted. If a large portion of your paper is plagiarized (over 40%) it will result in an “F” for this assignment.
Paper Submission
· Draft: Submit a hardcopy. There is no need to package your paper in covers or folders. Simply staple it in the upper left corner.
· Final Paper: Submit a copy of your paper to the Blackboard system, Turnitin.
· Late submissions will be penalized according to the time overdue. Expect a minimum of five points deducted for a late paper per day. Keep in mind that the draft is worth fewer points. 

Grading: Please use the following criteria for your paper.
A: Excellent Work
ü Provides a clear thesis statement;
ü provides six to seven scholarly sources;
ü uses appropriate course concepts and readings to fully develop ideas and arguments;
ü ideas/arguments demonstrate critical thinking, are convincing, and are thought provoking;
ü uses well-documented and thoughtful evidence & examples to support ideas/arguments;
ü the paper and paragraphs are effectively organized – sentences are skillfully written overall writing demonstrates clarity, synthesis, and sophistication;
ü follows proper format and is free of errors (e.g., spelling, grammar, etc.);
ü provides two to three issues that are analyzed through a theoretical lens;
ü provides detailed description of theory;
ü appropriate application of theory to issue chosen;
ü has minimal plagiarism issues (<20% in Turnitin).
B: Very Good
ü Demonstrates strong commitment to the assignment;
ü provides six scholarly sources;
ü uses appropriate course concepts and readings to develop ideas and arguments;
ü ideas/ arguments demonstrate critical thinking and are convincing;
ü uses evidence and examples to support ideas/ arguments;
ü the paper and paragraphs are well organized – sentences are written clearly – overall writing demonstrates clarity and synthesis;
ü follows proper format and contains very few errors (e.g., spelling, grammar, etc.);
ü provides two issues that are analyzed through a theoretical lens;
ü provides good description of theory;
ü appropriate application of theory to issue chosen;
ü has some plagiarism issues (20-25% in Turnitin).
C: Good/ Average
ü Completes the assignment;
ü provides five scholarly sources;
ü uses some course concepts and readings to develop ideas and arguments;
ü ideas/ arguments demonstrate some independent thinking and are mostly convincing;
ü lacks strong evidence and examples to support ideas/arguments;
ü the paper and paragraphs are organized, though simplistically and formulaically – overall writing is clear but may be difficult to understand;
ü problems with formatting and /or contains some errors (e.g., spelling, grammar, etc.);
ü provides two issues that are analyzed through a theoretical lens;
ü provides sufficient description of theory;
ü there is some application of theory to issue chosen;
ü has some plagiarism issues (26-30% in Turnitin).
D: Weak
ü Does not complete all parts of the assignment;
ü no scholarly articles;
ü does not use course concepts or readings to develop ideas and arguments;
ü ideas/ arguments do not demonstrate independent thinking and are not clear or convincing;
ü fails to draw on evidence or examples to support ideas/ arguments;
ü presentation lacks organization and clarity;
ü does not use proper format and/ or contains many errors (e.g., spelling, grammar, etc.).
ü provides one issue that is analyzed through a theoretical lens;
ü limited description of theory;
ü minimal application of theory to issue chosen;
ü has significant plagiarism issues (31-40% in Turnitin).
F: Poor
ü Does not complete the minimum requirements for the assignment;
ü does not complete the assignment;
ü major plagiarism issues (>40% in Turnitin).
Improvement from draft to final paper will be factored into final grade.