Criminal Investigations I – CJUS 420

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course will address the constitutional requirements for conducting criminal investigations, essential techniques for processing a crime scene, and methodology for collecting evidence via subpoenas and interviews.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of principles of criminal investigation in the United States.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and MindMap Assignments

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (7)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, there will be 7 Discussions throughout this course. The student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided topic for each Discussion. Each thread is to be a minimum of 250 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at minimum of 100 words.

Research Paper: Topic and Thesis Statement Assignment

The student will choose a topic for the Research Paper related to criminal investigation and submit it along with at least 2 references.

Research Paper: Final Assignment

The student will write a 7-page research-oriented paper in current APA format that focuses on criminal investigation. The paper must include at least 5 sources (not including the class textbook and the Bible). The final paper will be submitted through SafeAssign.

Homework: You Decide Assignments (17)

The student will complete these short interactive assignments. Each assignment is worth 5 points. The student will have two (2) attempts to complete the assignment and the best score will be recorded.

Homework: Video Case Assignments (17)

The student will complete these short interactive assignments. Each assignment is worth 5 points. The student will have one (1) opportunity to complete each assessment.

Quizzes (4)

There will be a four (4) Quizzes. Each exam will cover the textbook readings and will be open-book/open-notes, and have a time limit of 2 hours. Three of the quizzes will contain 70 multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks, and short answer questions, and one quiz will contain 68 questions.