NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Fundamentals of Criminal Law

Course prefix, number, and section number:  CRIJ1310, Sec 0380

Semester/Year of course: SP23

Semester start and end dates:  January 17 - March 8

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid):  online

Class meeting location, days, and times:  online

Lab meeting location, days, and times:   n/a

Semester credit hours:  3

Course description: A study of the nature of criminal law; philosophical and historical development; major definitions and concepts; classification of crime; elements of crimes and penalties using Texas status as illustrations.

Course prerequisites:   none

Required course materials:

Samaha. , J. (2016). Criminal Law. (12^th Ed) Wadsworth: Cengage Learning with MindTap (Required).

Warning: If you choose to use a different edition, you do so at your own risk. Using a different edition may affect your performance in this class.

Name of instructor:   Cliff J. Downey

Office location:           Gainesville Room 2107

Telephone number:   940-668-3313

E-mail address:           cdowney@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:

M -TR   10:00 am – 2 pm  Student access

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments: GRADING CRITERIA

Final grade scale: 
90-100 A
80 - 89 B
70 -79  C
60 -69  D
59 and Below-F

Late work policy:  

All late assignments will be subject to a deduction of 10 percent for each day the assignment is late. The late period will end 5 days after the assignment is due. After 5 days  the assignment will receive a zero. Because assignments are typically due weekly at 11 pm on Sundays, this deduction will begin at 11:01 pm on Sunday night and recur after 11:00 pm each subsequent evening. Example: An assignment is due Sunday, January 22^nd at 11 pm. The student submits the assignment at 11:30 pm on Monday January 23^rd. This would result in a 20 point deduction for the assignment. Please keep in mind the points will be deducted from the graded score. An initial grade of 90 points would become a 70 after penalty for late assignment. Because Discussion Forums require students to make an initial post and response posts to peers, discussions cannot be accepted after due dates. These policies will be strictly enforced. If you have any questions about these policies, please contact your instructor.

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”. 

Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:

• First Offense - warning
• Second offense – Dropped from course and receive an F for the course

Attendance Policy:  ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: February 20, 2023

Student Learning Outcomes:

Core Objectives: REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

x          Critical Thinking

x          Communication

o           Empirical and Quantitative

 o           Teamwork

x          Personal Responsibility

o           Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class.  If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division.  If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.

Name of Chair/Coordinator: Teresa Laman

Office location: Corinth Campus, Suite  173

Telephone number: Office: 940-498-6263

E-mail address: tlaman@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean: Debbie Huffman

Office location: Gainesville Campus, 2100 Building,  Office 2106

Telephone number: 940-668-3357

E-mail address: dhuffman@nctc.edu