Class links:
go to Sakai (log in from this page)
NOTE: class contract is available on Sakai

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CJ 600: Research Methods in Criminal Justice
Fall 2009

Jon'a Meyer, Ph.D., 405 Cooper #207 & ATG 342, (856) 225-6207                                          Office Hours: M 4:20-5:50, W 1:30-2:40 & by appointment

 

Course description:

This course will discuss the quantitative and qualitative methods of research that are commonly used in criminal justice and other social sciences. You will learn about survey research, experiments, observational/field work, and interview studies. We will cover methods of inquiry, causality, sampling, research instrument design, data collection, coding, ethics, and statistics (briefly).

 

Maxfield, M.G. and Babbie, E. (2006). Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. [ISBN:0534615678] --OR-- Maxfield, M.G. and Babbie, E. (2005). Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology (4th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.  If you have not taken methods in a while, I recommend the second book as it has more examples and explanation in it. 

Warren, C.A.B. and Karner, T.X. (2007). Discovering Qualitative Methods: Field Research, Interviews, and Analysis. Oxford University Press. [ISBN: 0195330382] NOTE: the 2005 Roxbury Press edition is also okay- it's actually the same book with a different publisher and ISBN.

Various PDF readings available on the class Sakai page in the readings subdirectory. You will also be responsible for reading materials tied to the class project.

Optional texts:

Vogt, W.P. (2005). Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology (3rd ed.). Newbury Park: Sage. (A truly snazzy resource that will also be helpful for the comps!) [ISBN: 9780761988540]

Various PDF readings available on the class Sakai page under "optional readings" in the readings subdirectory

Student evaluation:

Grades will be based on the following:
-Reading questions & participation in discussion (10 pts)
-Presentation on assigned chapter from the book (5 pts)
-Human Subjects Certification Program test (3 pts)
-Citation certification protocol (2 pts)
-In-class exam (40 pts)
-Paper (35 pts)
-Project presentation (5 pts)

Paper:

This is not your average class, so there isn't a "paper" in the typical sense of the word. Instead, you will write a research proposal for a project, much like you would have to do as researchers in the real world. While you will work on the project in pairs, your final writeup must be your own work. Through this course, you will learn how to do research in addition to learning the pitfalls and triumphs researchers encounter during the "process of finding out." Directions for the paper are described more fully on Sakai. You will also do a group presentation on your project.

Class Sakai page:

We have a Sakai page for the course that contains copies of class readings. We will not read all of them; some are included for your reference in the future (including a number of resources on statistics). Everyone will be auto-enrolled via the roster upload process (all registered students will be enrolled within one business day of enrolling). If you do NOT see the course in your Sakai Portal," let me know. To access the course, go to: https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal/

-login to Sakai (use your NETID & password [i.e., your university email ID/name and your email password]).

-click on the appropriate tab to access the course.

All researchers at Rutgers, including graduate students, must pass a certification test in human subjects protocols before engaging in actual research, including drafting proposals that are ethically sound. Directions for taking this class and test are on Sakai.

Based on questions from prior students, I have created an online course that covers proper citation protocols. Proper citation is very important in research because it allows our readers to know what we are adding to the literature and what we learned from prior research. Directions for completing this assignment are on Sakai.