Assignment 1: Identifying the Best Path Forward
An article published in Criminology & Public Policy last month polled a national sample of 1,137 Americans about their support for “popular slogans and their substantive policy goals.” I have uploaded the article to the “files” folder in Canvas.
Your first assignment of the semester is to read the article and write a 500 word reflection essay. In it, you should do the following:
- Identify the key finding. In other words, what’s the big-picture takeaway from this article?
- Identify which policy you are most supportive of and explain why. You should also explain why you’re less supportive of the other policies.
- Explain how likely (or unlikely) you believe it is that we can achieve said policy in the foreseeable future.
Your essay should be uploaded to Canvas no later than 10AM on Tuesday, February 8th. If you want, you can write your essay in Word (or whatever you normally use), then cut/paste it into Canvas when you’re finished.
Do not plagiarize. Please note that your submissions will be reviewed by Turnitin, a plagiarism review software. If you’re unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please consult with me before you submit your essay.
Assignment 2: Reading Quiz
Assignment #2 is a reading quiz I’ve posted to our course page on Canvas. It has ten multiple-choice questions drawn from the material we’ve covered in Chapters 5 and 6. It should be completed by 5PM on Sunday, March 20th.
Assignment 3: Reflecting on Kansas v. Glover
For this assignment, you need to read the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Kansas v. Glover (2020) and write a 500 word reflection essay. In your own words, describe:
- The pertinent case facts (i.e., the stop of Mr. Glover)
- The key points made in the majority’s opinion (authored by Justice Thomas)
- The key points made by Justices Kagan and Ginsburg in their concurring opinions
- The key points made by Justice Sotomayor in her dissent
- Which argument you are most in agreement with, and why
It should be clear to me that you have carefully read - not just skimmed - the Court’s decision based on your response.
Your essay should be uploaded to Canvas no later than 10 AM on Tuesday, April 12th.
Assignment 4: Matching Quiz
Assignment #4 is a matching quiz I’ve posted to our course page on Canvas. It requires you to match 10 court cases we’ve discussed to their primary implication for policing and society. It should be completed by 10AM on Thursday, April 21st.
Assignment 5: Reflecting on Kisela v. Hughes
For this assignment, you need to read the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Kisela v. Hughes (2018) and write a 500 word reflection essay. In your own words, describe:
- The pertinent case facts (i.e., the shooting of Ms. Hughes)
- The key points made in the Per Curiam opinion
- The key points made in the dissenting opinion (authored by Justice Sotomayor and joined by Justice Ginsburg)
- Which side you are in agreement with, and why
It should be clear to me that you have carefully read – not just skimmed – the Court’s decision based on your response.
Your essay should be uploaded to Canvas no later than 10AM on Tuesday, May 3rd.
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