Research Methods for Criminal Justice

CJ 302
Dr. Oberweis
Fall, 2008

Peck Hall, 1231

Syllabus and course description

Contacting Me
To reach me, you may
use email [email protected]; (preferred)
call my office at 650-3292; or
visit me in my office during office hours or by appointment.
Office hours are:
T 12:30-1:30, R 11-12
My office is located in Peck Hall, Room 1231
My preference is that you use email to contact me, but if you havent received a response
within 24 hours, please email again, as I have not received your message or something
has gone wrong.

Course Description
In this course, students will learn the techniques of quantitative research design.
Concepts and techniques will be examined in detail and students will learn what goes into
designing research, as well as learn how to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
published research designs.

Course Objectives
Students who complete this course should be able to
1) define research terms and concepts
2) use those concepts to evaluate others research designs, particularly with regard
to causation
3) have a foundation for data analysis.

Required Course Texts

Maxfield and Babbie (2001.) Research Methods for Criminal Justice, 4th Ed. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth.
*Available through textbook rental
.

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Course Grades
Summary of grading
Two Exams
Three Quizzes
Research Critique
Final

25% each
5% each
5%
30%

50% Total
15% Total
5% Total
30% Total

Quizzes: I will give scheduled quizzes throughout the semester. Quizzes generally
cannot be made up and there will be no extra credit to compensate for missing a quiz.
Quizzes are objective (T/F or Multiple Choice) and will be based on reading and lecture
material. To prepare for the first quiz, I suggest reviewing the quiz on reserve at the
library. Each quiz is worth 5% of your overall course grade, for a total of 15% for all
quizzes combined.

Group Critique: Students will be arranged in groups and each group will review a
study that I will provide. Together, the group will identify the method(s) used and
provide a methodological critique of at least the conceptualization, operational definitions
and the causal inference in the paper. These may be presented for class discussion at any
time after they are due. Keep a copy with you and bring it to class in case your group is
called.

Exams: There will be two regular exams for this course. Exams will be a combination
of objective, practical and list or short answer questions. The objective portion of the
exam will be like the quizzes, and therefore, the material on reserve at the library will be
useful. Exams will build on material from the previous exam. Therefore, it will be
important to study not only the current material, but also that from previously tested
chapters. Each exam is worth 25% of your overall course grade, for a total of 50% for all
regular exams combined. Staying current with the reading and attending lectures will be
necessary for success with these exams. Cramming will not contribute to success. (Note:
If you need to leave the room for any reason (bathroom, kleenx, etc.) during an exam,
that will end your examination and your test must be turned in.) Cell phones must be
turned off and placed inside closed bags or left home on test days.

Final Exam: Your final exam will follow the roughly same format your earlier exams,
but will be comprehensive. It will cover the last few chapters, plus test you on all the
important concepts (from throughout the course) that you will need for data analysis and
for the evaluation of research designs that you may encounter in your professional lives.
A review sheet will be provided. This exam will be worth 30% of your overall grade.

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Professionalism: Students are expected to treat the classroom experience in a

professional manner. Acting with professionalism means arriving on time all the time,
being adequately prepared for class, not leaving class during lectures for any reason, not
speaking when I or anyone else is speaking and paying attention to and participating in
lectures. Students are expected to behave respectfully at all times. Cell phones, pagers,
headphones and other electronics are not acceptable during class. Eating in class is not
allowed, barring special circumstances coordinated with me in advance. Students who
sleep in class will lower their grade in every instance, and students who repeatedly
behave unprofessionally in class will be asked to leave the classroom. Continued
unprofessional conduct will result in the student being dropped from the course at any
point in the semester. Grades may be raised or lowered based on student
professionalism.
Assignments must be submitted on time, in a professional format. They must be printed,
stapled, etc., prior to submission and must be submitted at the beginning of the class
period in which they are due. I do not accept assignment via email, will not print things
for students, etc. Each students responsibility is to bring completed material to class on
time and submit it in a professional way.

Other Classroom Information

Attendance Policy: I will not take attendance at every class meeting. However,
without attending class, success in this class is highly unlikely. It is your responsibility
to get class notes from any days you do not attend class. Generally, quizzes and tests
cannot be made up.

Special Needs: Any student with special circumstances, whatever these are, should
see me or contact me so that I am aware of these circumstances. Students living with
disabilities, working full time, or in any other special circumstance should let me know as
soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary hardship. I am able to work with you to
support a variety of special needs, as long as arrangements are made in advance of a
graded assignment. Students who fail to coordinate special circumstances with me well
in advance of graded work, or who do not supply the appropriate documentation should
not expect any exceptions to be made to support such circumstances once a grade has
been given.

Make Up Exams: A student with an extreme situation may be able to take an allessay make up exam/quiz. Students must alert me to the problem before test time, or no
make up will be allowed. Simply not showing up and contacting me later will result in a
zero. Documentation of a serious illness or other extreme situation is required. No
student will be able to make up more than one exam/quiz. A desire to travel, a failure to
coordinate a work schedule, failure to adhere to the time change are all insufficient
reasons to require a make up exam.
Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

General Classroom Etiquette: Please use the restroom prior to the beginning of
class to avoid the disruption during lecture and discussion. When one student is talking,
others are expected to respect him/her. Please do not interrupt each other and please
treat each other with dignity and respect.
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Any student caught plagiarizing or
cheating will be turned into the Committee on Academic Dishonesty and will not pass the
class. If anyone is uncertain about the proper way to reference others' work in their
papers, please come see me about this. Its simple, but very important. Please make no
mistake about this, as cheaters will not be tolerated.

Notes for Success: I expect students to come to class prepared. This means that
before you come to class you should have completed the assigned reading and taken
notes on the chapter. I strongly recommend that you make an outline of the chapter and
use class time to be sure your outline is accurate and complete, as well as to address any
questions that arose during your reading. Students who read effectively before class,
attend class regularly and ask questions often are likely to be successful.

Grading Policy: A C represents average performance (and scores between 70-79).

A B represents above average performance (and scores between 80-89). Be aware
that it will require effort on your part to achieve at the above average level. In
particular, it is quite unlikely that students who elect not to do the reading will be able to
perform at an above average level. An A represents excellent performance (and
scores between 90-100). It will require sustained effort on your part to achieve at the
excellent level.

Course Calendar
Week 1

Course intro and overview

What is Science?
Read: Ch 1: 1-13

Week 2

5 Errors of Personal Inquiry

3 Tensions in Science
Read: 14-28
Induction, Deduction and the Traditional Model of Science
Read Chap 2: 30-34

Week 3

Some examples of induction and deduction

Read: 35-40
Research Terms
Read: 40-50

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Week 4

Quiz 1 Chapters 1-2

SKIP CHAPTER 3
Three Criteria for Causal Inferences
Read: Chapter 4: 79-82
Validity and Causal Inferences
Read: 83-89

Week 5

The Time Dimension

Read: 95-102
Review for Exam I, over Chapters 1,2, and 4

Week 6

Exam I over Chapters 1, 2, and 4

Chapter 5, Conceptualization
Read:114-123

Week 7

Chapter 5, Levels of measurement, Measurement quality

Read: 124-141
Quiz 2, Chapters 4-5

Week 8:

Research Evaluations due, presentations

Chapter 6, Measuring Crime
Read:143-163

Week 9

Chapter 6, Measuring Crime

Read: 163-171
Chapter 7: Classical Experiments
Read: p 175-190

Week 10

Chapter 7: Quasi Experiments

Read: p 190-204
Catch up and Review for Exam II, over CH 5- 7

Week 11

Exam II, Chapters 5-7

Chapter 3: Ethics
Read: p 52-74

Week 12

Ethics, continued
Read: p 52-74
Introduction to Sampling, Chapter 8
Read: 209-216

Week 13

Probability Sampling
Read: 217-220, 228-243

Week 14

Fall Break

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Week 15

Quiz 3 over Chapters 3 and 8

Chapter 9: Survey Research
Read: 246-278

Week 16

Chapter 10: Field Research

Read: 282-316
Review Session for Final Exam

Final Exam Week

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM

Wednesday, December 17
8-9:40

Please note that I generally do not accept late assignments, allow make-up tests, or offer
extra credit. Extreme circumstances with documentation may, in rare cases, offer
exception. In extremely rare cases, attendance at something outside class may result in
the entire class being offered an opportunity for extra credit, but absolutely no individual
extra credit assignments will be offered, in fairness to other students.
Finally, the syllabus should be regarded as a tentative schedule. I reserve the right to be
flexible in the timing of all discussions and assignments, and will alert you in class of any
changes.

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Research Methods Study Sheet for Midterm Exam

Maxfield and Babbie, Chapters 1-4
Definitionsknow these backwards and forwards:
Variable
Attribute
Aggregate
Dependent Variable
Independent Variable
Idiographic
Nomothetic
Empirical
Qualitative
Quantitative
Theory
Hypothesis testing
Deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Grounded Theory
Intersubjective agreement
Replication
Objective reality

Fact
Law
Hypothesis
Paradigm
Probabilistic
Validity
Ecological Fallacy
Reductionism
Cross-Sectional
Scientific realism
Longitudinal
Units of Analysis
Validity
IRB
Voluntary participation
Confidentiality
Anonymity

You should know these concepts and their parts:

Five Errors of Personal Inquiry
Three tensions
Traditional Model
Four purposes of research
Criteria for Causal Inference
Two types of cause (necessary and sufficient)
Two types of causal explanation (molar and micromediational)
Four kinds of Validity Threats
Units of Analysis
Three types of Longitudinal Studies
Approximations for Longitudinal Studies
Guidelines for ethical concerns
Tearoom study
Simulated prison study

Syllabus- 302-Fall 2008

Study Guide Exam 2

Research Methods
Maxfield and Babbie, Chapters 5-7
Terms
Concept/Conception
Conceptual definition
Conceptualization
Operational definition
Operationalization
Reliability
Validity
Dimension
Mutually exclusive
Exhaustive
Precision
Incident-based measure
Summary (Offense) based measure
Self-report
Victim-report

Hierarchy rule
Classical Experiment
Control Group
Experimental Group
Experimental Stimulus
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Generalizability/general-ization
Case study
Variable-oriented research
Case-oriented research
Quasi-Experimental design

Comparison Group
Non-equivalent groups
Time series

Richer Concepts
Four types of validity threats
Four levels of measurement
Criteria for measurement quality
Why would we use multiple measures?
Operationalization process
Reaching a conceptual definition
Incident vs. summary or offense based measures
For each of these, know how they work, on whom data are collected and know the
validity/reliability issues associated with each:
UCR, Part I and II
NCVS and revisions
UCR compared to NCVS
NHSDA
MTF
ADAM
DAWN
Issues with self-report measures
Experimental design and causal inferences
Benefits of randomization/random assignment
Threats to internal validity
Threats to external validity
Tradeoff between internal and external validity

Research Methods CJ 302

Final Exam Review Sheet
Older terms and concepts:
Criteria for causal inferences
Nomothetic/idiographic
Validity of causal inferences
Units of analysis
Operationalization
Validity
Reliability
Dependent Variable
Independent Variable
Errors of Personal Inquiry
Current Study Terms:
Unobtrusive
Probability sampling
Sampling bias
Equal probability of
selection method
Sample element
Population parameter
Sample statistic
Population
Sampling frame

Variable
Attribute
Levels of Measurement
Traditional Model
Theory
Hypothesis Testing
Probabilistic
Hypothesis
Deduction

Sampling units
Sampling distribution
Standard error
Sample
Stratification
Questionnaire
Open/close ended
questions
Exhaustive
Mutually exclusive

Broader concepts
Three sources of data
Advantages of probability sampling
6 probability sampling techniques
4 non-probability sampling techniques
Know the sampling strategies for the
NCVS and BCS

327050210.doc

Contingency question
Matrix questions
Likert scale
CATI
Focus groups
Response rate
Field research
Environmental survey

Guidelines for survey questions

Advantages of 3 different questionasking formats
Illustrations of field research
Driving While Black