Overview of Assignment:
For this assignment you will select a local news story and analyze it using a theory that we have covered in class this semester. You will then make a proposal – such as a new law, community effort, policing strategy, etc. – that is intended to have a positive impact on the type of crime you chose.
Rationale:
It is important to be able to apply the knowledge that you gain in your classes to real-world situations. This assignment allows you to test your ability to do so by applying your theoretical knowledge about crime causation to real-world criminal behavior, with the goal of using theory to propose solutions to the social problem of crime.
Due Dates, and Lateness Penalty:
The outline is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, 4/19/24.
The final draft of the paper is due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 5/1/24.
In order to get credit for your paper, you must submit to me an electronic copy via Blackboard. Attachments must be in Microsoft Word format (.doc; .docx) or Adobe format (.pdf). All other file formats (Apple Pages; .html; etc.) are not acceptable and will need to be resubmitted.
Submissions via e-mail will not be graded until they are also submitted via Blackboard.
Late assignments will be accepted, provided that you contact me and provide a relevant reason as to why they are late.
Paper Length:
The minimum length for this paper is three pages, not including any title pages, images, and/or appendices. Your paper may exceed this length without penalty, but if your paper is shorter than this required length, points will be deducted from your final score. Please consult the “Grading” section of this assignment sheet for full grading details.
Technical / Layout Requirements:
* Your paper must be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. [There is an example page available at the end of this document which has these requirements pre-set, which I highly recommend that you use as the basis for your paper.]
* You must use standard formal essay-writing style. Please use proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
Quotes and Citations:
Whenever you use a direct quote from the textbook you must indicate this by putting quotation marks around the quoted section and indicating the author’s name and the page number where the quote came from. So, a proper quotation would look something like this:
The textbook states that “criminal behavior by delinquents is analogous to societal breakdown” (Siegel:256).
Collaboration / Problems of Plagiarism:
You must complete this assignment on your own without help from anyone else. This is not a group project and students may not work together to complete this paper.
Plagiarism is something you want to avoid in this paper. Plagiarism is, essentially, taking someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. Examples of problematic misuses of other people’s work include (but are not limited to) the following:
Using directly quoted material from a source without putting quotes around it, or properly citing it
Paraphrasing material from a source without identifying it as someone else’s work using a citation
Directly copying-and-pasting sentences, paragraphs, or an entire work, from a source which is not your own writing
Turning in someone else’s paper as if it were your own
Letting someone else copy your entire paper, or portions of your paper
Think about it – you wouldn’t send your friend an MP3 of the latest Beyoncé song and try to tell him/her that you wrote it. You’re doing essentially the same thing if you improperly use a web page, or a book, that someone else wrote – you’re taking someone else’s work and pretending that you spent the time and effort to put it together, polish it, and present it.
If you have any questions about what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it, I strongly suggest you visit this plagiarism tutorial website:
How to Write the Outline:
The goal of the outline is to gather together all the resources you need to write the paper, make sure you have enough support for your arguments, etc. To do this efficiently, please follow the steps below.
Locate and read a recent news story about a criminal act. The best stories to choose will be those that include lots of detail about the accused and their actions.
Based on your reading of the news story, identify the criminological theory we have covered this semester that you believe best explains why the criminal act occurred
Provide the textbook definition of your chosen theory and explain generally why this type of theory is best to explain the crime you’ve selected
Identify two specific aspects/parts of the theory (as described in our textbook) that you see as being directly connected to the crime you’ve selected
Use the Library’s resources to locate at least two peer-reviewed articles, or government documents, that are related to your chosen theory and crime
Try searching for the name of your theory in quotation marks, with the type of crime on a different line. See example:
Remember to use the techniques from Assignment #1 – especially scanning through abstracts – to find articles that are most relevant to your topic
Based off of what you’ve read in the textbook and the peer-reviewed articles, briefly describe some kind of solution – such as a new law, community action, policing strategy, volunteer project, etc. – that would help prevent similar criminal acts in the future.
Be sure to highlight specific elements of your theory that connect to why you believe your solution will be effective
Use the sources you gathered to support your proposed solution
How to Write the Paper:
Write a paper (three-page minimum) as if you are addressing a decision-maker who can approve, or deny, your proposed change. Depending on your chosen topic this could be an elected official, a law enforcement agency, a community member/group, a business leader, etc. Make your best argument as to why the change you are proposing should be put into effect.
Remember, the person you’re addressing may not be an expert in the area you’re discussing, so be sure to explain to them the relevant information they need to make a decision. That includes:
A brief summary of the criminological theory you chose
A brief summary of the crime you read about
Any necessary background information about your chosen topic
A straightforward description of what you are proposing, and evidence for why you think it will work, focusing on the theory you’ve selected and why your solution addresses some key element(s) of the theory
A summary of why they should go along with your proposed solution
Properly formatted citations (both in-text and in a references page) so they can verify your sources
Grading:
This assignment is worth between 0 and 100 points and will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Grading Rubric for Writing Assignment #2
(adapted with permission from Carolyn Corrado)
Outstanding
Successful
Somewhat Successful
Not Yet Successful
Not Successful
STRUCTURE
Employs complete sentences, paragraphs, formal essay language, and adheres to paper layout requirements [0-20 points]
CONTENT
Quality of the outline submitted [0-10 points]
Strong connection of the chosen theory, and peer reviewed articles, to the proposed solution
[0-50 points]
Argument is well-organized, clear, and convincing [0-20 points]
MANDATORY DEDUCTION Short of length requirement:
(-5 points minimum deduction, -2.5 additional points for each ¼ pg. short of length requirement)
Outstanding: Work that is excellent and stands out from the work of others
Successful: Accomplishing what was necessary in a favorable way
Somewhat Successful: Having some accomplishment in satisfying the assignment requirements
Not Yet Successful: Student attempted, but did not satisfy the assignment requirements
Not Successful: Student displays work that indicates little to no effort in attempting to accomplish the assignment requirements
Appendix A – Format for outline assignment:
URL of the chosen news story:
Name of chosen criminological theory:
Textbook definition of theory:
Explanation of generally why this type of theory is best to explain the crime you’ve selected:
Two specific aspects/parts of the theory (as described in our textbook) that you see as being directly connected to the crime you’ve selected:
Aspect 1:
Aspect 2:
Use the Library’s resources to locate at least two peer-reviewed articles, or government documents, that are related to your chosen theory and crime
Full citation of source #1:
Copy-and-paste abstract of source #1:
Full citation of source #2:
Copy-and-paste abstract of source #2:
Brief description of your proposed solution that would help prevent similar criminal acts in the future:
Identify at least two specific elements of your theory that connect to why you believe your solution will be effective
Element 1:
Element 2:
Appendix B – Proper format for final draft
[[ YOUR NAME GOES HERE ]]
[[ DATE GOES HERE ]]
Writing Assignment #2 – Criminology
* * *
This text is meant to demonstrate the proper formatting for this paper. This text is 12 point Times New Roman font. This text is double spaced, with no additional spacing before or after each line, or each paragraph. Please use this font size and spacing, and leave all elements of the formatting unchanged. If you have questions about how the paper should be formatted, please feel free to contact Dr. Miner.
This text is meant to demonstrate the proper formatting for this paper. This text is 12 point Times New Roman font. This text is double spaced, with no additional spacing before or after each line, or each paragraph. Please use this font size and spacing, and leave all elements of the formatting unchanged. If you have questions about how the paper should be formatted, please feel free to contact Dr. Miner.
Etc.
