Course Syllabus
CRIM-120: Criminal Law
Review the syllabus and if you have any questions/concerns regarding the syllabus contact your Instructor immediately.
Instructor Name and Communication Options
Instructor Name: Todd Schroeder
Preferred Email Method: Canvas Inbox: https://champlain.instructure.com/conversations
Secondary Email Method: tschroeder@champlain.edu
Phone(s): 419-615-2690
Course Description
This course is a thorough introduction to the types of crimes that are commonly investigated and prosecuted in the United States. Students will begin with a brief introduction to the constitutional principles that set the boundaries of legislative authority (state or federal) to designate a particular act (or omission) as a "crime." Following that, students will be introduced to a selection of criminal statutes and associated case rulings. Students will be given cases based on real-world situations and will apply the statutes to the situations to come to a conclusion. Students will often be required to demonstrate understanding of both the elements of the crime and how it relates to the fact patterns presented. This will be done by generating arguments, short essays, or other first-person dialog demonstrating their ability to form a logical conclusion, present that conclusion, and defend it as needed. After that, students will consider concepts of criminal liability, including liability of co-conspirators and accomplices, as well as liability for "anticipatory" or "inchoate" crimes such as attempts and solicitation. Students will then examine the "essential elements" of more than thirty crimes ranging from murder and sexual assault to contempt and computer fraud. They will also study the goals of sentencing and the approaches that have been adopted by government (state and federal) in their efforts to punish, deter and rehabilitate those who are convicted of crimes. A review of the general goals of the Criminal Justice System, and the ways that it operates will also be conducted as it relates to determination of intent, jurisdiction and cause.
The primary objective of the course is to enable students to learn and understand the essential elements of crimes, generally the criminal act, combined with the criminal intent that caused the particular criminal result. As they learn to identify the evidence that is required to prove these elements, students will to come to understand the relationship between the essential elements of a particular crime and common defenses such as "diminished capacity," insanity and entrapment. They will also develop informed opinions concerning sentencing and sentencing alternatives (rehabilitation, education, incapacitation, and deterrence).
Student Centered Learning Outcomes
Through the use of discussions and written assignments, students will develop the abilities to:
- Analyze real-world situations often encountered in our criminal justice system and apply more than thirty criminal statutes to determine if the fact pattern establishes that a crime was committed, and will further be able to determine if a recognized defense negates any criminal liability.
- Analyze the goals of sentencing relating to punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation of those who are convicted of crimes.
Textbook Requirement
Criminal Law - Lisa Storm, Hartnell College 2012
ISBN 13: 978-1-4533241-2-7
The required textbook for this course is available as a free ebook at http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/BookDetail.aspx?bookId=66
Topic Outline
| Week | Activities |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Read text: Chapters 1,2,4. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 2 | Read text: Chapters 7,8. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 3 | Read text: Chapters 5,6. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 4 | Read text: Chapters 3,9. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 5 | Read text: Chapter 10. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 6 | Read text: Chapters 11,12. Complete Assignment. Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Week 7 | Read text: Chapter 13. Final Examination (cumulative) Summaries of the text readings are available within the course materials. |
| Note: The lectures occasionally refer to appellate cases that touch on issues raised in the lectures. These cases are available to students through the Westlaw database. This service is available online through the Champlain College Library. (Many of these cases are also located in the "Case Readings" folder.) Please contact the instructor if you have difficulty getting access to the cases. | |
Methods of Assessment
- Assignments: There will be 6 assignments that will count for 40% of the total grade.
- Discussion: Discussion will count for 50% of the final grade. There will be weekly discussion postings that are designed to prompt discussion on the most important issues in that week's assignment. You will be graded on the coherence and relevance of your response to the initial inquiry and on your ability to post a reasonable rebuttal/response to peer posts within the second half of the week.
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Discussion Rubric
Criteria Description Max Points Frequency Distributes participation across 3-4 days throughout the week creating a dialogue. 20 Initial Discussion Posting Posts well developed, timely discussions that fully address and develop all aspects of the task. 20 Follow-up Postings Demonstrates timely analysis of others’ posts; extends meaningful discussion by building on previous posts. 20 Content Contributions Posts factually correct, reflective and substantive contributions; advances discussion. 20 Reference & Support Uses references to literature, readings, or personal experience to support comments. 20 Total Points: 100 - Final Exam: Written paper, 10% of the final grade, to be provided to each student with paper criteria.
- Extra Credit --Course evaluations: 2%
- Your final grade will be determined based on:
Graded Elements Percentage Assignments 40% Discussions 50% Final Exam and Capstone Project 10% Total 100% Extra Credit: Course evaluations 2%
Participation and Attendance
Students will be required to complete assignments as set out in the syllabus. Students will also be expected to post to the discussions at least twice during each week. The posts must be made on two different days, with time for your peers to respond to them in between in order for the discussion to grow during the progression of the week. For example, a post should ideally be made to each thread in the first portion of the week, and then again to the same thread in the latter portion of the week at a minimum. Additional posts and commentary are welcome and will serve to elevate the grade above 70%. To be clear, a MINIMUM of two posts per thread, per week is required, the first should made between Days 1-3, the second between Days 3-7 to allow for peer response between the two posts.
Discussion Forum Details
The value of the Discussion grades cannot be stressed enough; as has already been advised, it comprises 50% of the total course score. The Discussions in this course are more than an addition or addendum to the material, but are the primary means by which your advancement and understanding of the course is evaluated. The Discussions are based around your ability to read the material, read the statutes and cases presented and to most importantly understand and synthesize that material into coherent and relevant thoughts, arguments, and opinions. Your initial posts should be to the thread starter generated by the instructor, and your second posts should be targeted as rebuttals or commentary to the posts made by your peers.
Posts should be at least a full paragraph or two every time they go up to count for points. While it is understood that there may be extra posts that are only a sentence or two, failing to post fully formed responses with good detail and articulation of the topic will result in heavy point losses. Given the weight of the Discussion grade overall, this will have a disastrous effect on your overall grade and should be avoided at all costs.
The timing of the posts is also regulated - much like courtroom arguments is. In formal court, there is a Direct Examination, a Cross Examination, and Redirect, each in turn and each monitored closely. The Discussions are similar to this setup in that your first post (your Direct) must be made within the first portion of the week. Your Cross and Redirect can be made any time during the latter days of the week. In this theme, waiting until the evening of Friday or Saturday to begin posting to the discussions will result in a failing grade.
I cannot overstate the value of the discussion grade in this course. Please make sure that your posts are made on time, within the time constraints given, and that they fully address the topics on the table. While I expect some degree of variance in the posts, introduction of tangential, unrelated, or personal stories that do not bear to the topic will not be accepted. Please stay on task, stay on target, and get these points - they are yours for the taking - reach out there and grab them!
Course Note
This course does not deal with 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment principles that establish the frontiers of the government's authority to gather evidence of a crime. These issues are covered in CRIM-121 ("Criminal Procedure").
Grading Policy
Student Resources & Policies
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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