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Introduction to Research on Contemporary
Issues in Law Enforcement Management
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Term:
Summer 2006
(May 1, 8, 15, 22, and June 5) (Group 40)
Course Title and Number: Introduction to Research LEMN 315
Instructor:
Captain Thomas McMahon – Chicago Police Department (005th District)
Office:
514 Calumet College of
Office
Phone: 312-747-8210
E-mail:
mcmahonc@sbcglobal.net
Home Phone: 773-264-4243
Cell Phone: 773-401-4243
Office Hours: Before or After Class or by Appointment
Course Time: Mondays 8:30 am–
12:30 pm at IIT or 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm at the
: Students must attend
at least 4 out of 5 classes
Course Description: This course assists students in developing their
ability to utilize applied research techniques in law enforcement settings.
Emphasis will be placed on problem identification, analysis of data, and the
understanding of those analyses. A proposal paper on a selected topic will be
required.
Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:
Students
in this course will:
§
Develop skills that are fundamental in
conducting research. These will include
critical thinking, synthesizing information and communicating research results
to their peers.
§
Demonstrate and practice the basic
principles of research organization such as hypothesis formation, research
design, data collection, analysis and interpretation.
§
Be able to write a brief research proposal
by the end of the term.
Textbooks: Hagen, F. E.
(2005). Essentials of
Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Pearson.
Johnson, W. A., Rettig, R.P, Scott, G.M., & Garrison, S.M.
(2002). The Criminal Justice Student
Writer's Manual (3rd Ed.). Prentice Hall.
Learning Strategies: Lecturing, In-class Problem
Solving, Class Discussions,
and
Collaborative Learning
Assessment:
Weekly Exams and Homework 40 % of grade
Research Proposal 40 % of grade
Attendance and Weekly Discussion on Topic Application(s) 20 % of grade
Class Policy for
Assignments: Each week students will be assigned relevant homework assignments
from the text. These will consist of
review questions covering previous material covered from readings. They will be
due next class period and will prepare the student for his/her weekly exam.
Class Policy for Exams: Students will
have weekly exams covering the previous week's topic(s). A review will be given before the exam. Students at the end of the term may drop one
exam.
Class Policy for Weekly
Application: Students will be expected to bring in examples from the
workplace that
illustrate the topics discussed in class when appropriate.
Class Policy for the Research
Proposal: A research proposal will be due the last class period. It will consist of the following:
1.
Choosing an area or topic that
the student would be interested in researching
2.
Formulating a hypothesis to
investigate that area or topic
3.
Proposing how they would design
a method or way to collect data to answer the hypothesis
4.
Proposing how they would analyze
the data
5.
Inferring the possible/potential
outcome(s) of their "study"
The proposal should be 3-5 pages in length. A handout will be
distributed Week 2 on the format of the proposal. Class time will be given to ask any questions
or to work on it.
Course Outline:
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Class Dates: |
Reading Assignments: |
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May 1, 2006 |
Introduction to Theory and
Method (Chapter 1) and Research Design (Chapter 3) |
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May 8, 2006 |
Research Design (Chapter 3)
and Alternative Data Gathering Strategies (Chapter 4) |
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May 15, 2006 |
Sampling and Survey (Chapter
5) and Scaling & Index (Chapter 10) |
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May 22, 2006 |
Scaling and Index (Chapter 10)
and Data Analysis (Chapter 11) |
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Jun 5, 2006 |
Validity and Reliability
(Chapter 9) |