Course credit
3 credit hours
Course description
Sociological investigation of institutional, economic, family and personal victimization in American society with special attention to the causes and processes of exploitation.
Delivery
This course is available in a web-based format, utilizing web pages and WebCT, a computer conferencing program. WebCT requires Internet access and a web browser — no additional software is required. Students may need access to someone who can assist with computer set-up.
This course is available in a print-based format. Mail completed assignments to the GIS Office. We will forward them to the instructor for grading.
Prerequisites
UNI students: 980:001; junior standing
Instructor
Gayle Rhineberger , Assistant Professor
I grew up in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. After receiving my B.A. in Sociology from the College of St. Benedict (and St. John’s University) in St. Joseph, MN, I left for Colorado State University, where I obtained by Master’s degree in sociology. Upon completion, I moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to pursue my Ph.D. in sociology from Western Michigan University, which I received in 2003. My dissertation involved a comprehensive test of systemic social disorganization theory. Using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, I tested how conditions associated with social disorganization impacted the interaction among neighborhood residents, and how this interaction in turn impacted victimization rates within and between neighborhoods.
While at WMU, I taught courses in sociology and criminology, and worked in the Kercher Center for Social Research, where one of my major tasks involved preparing and writing annual evaluation reports for the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program.
My first academic job was at Southwest Missouri State University, now Missouri State University. After two years at SMSU, I accepted a faculty position at the University of Northern Iowa in 2005. I teach courses on such topics as Criminology, Ethics in Crime, Law, and Justice, and Juvenile Delinquency. My research interests include inequality and crime; communities and crime; ethics in crime, law, and justice; media, popular culture, and crime; and juvenile drug courts. I am an active member of the American Society of Criminology and the Midwest Sociological Society.
I currently live in Fayette, Iowa, where my significant other is the Chief of Police. We share our home with one very needy golden retriever who believes he is part human, and two rather particular cats, who don’t like each other or the dog. Never a dull moment in our household!
Evaluation
12 assignments, 1 additional assignment for graduate level credit, 3 exams
Overview
Most courses in criminology focus on the offenders and various criminal offenses, with only cursory examination of their victims. This is a course on victimology. The term “victimology” generically refers to the study of victims—patterns, characteristics, and the various types of harm victims incur. In this course, we will focus on the victims themselves. We will study the role of victims in the criminal justice system throughout history, the nature and extent of crime victimization, and victim characteristics. We will also cover the various types of costs experienced by victims, as well as the various legal rights of victims. We will cover the myths of victim precipitation and various efforts to blame victims for their own victimization, as well as other factors that influence victimization (e.g., drugs and alcohol and the mass media). Lastly, we will cover specific types of victims (e.g., sexual assault, domestics violence, homicide) and their treatment in the criminal justice system.
Objectives
Basic outline
Assignment 1: The Field and Scope of Victimology
Assignment 2: The Extent of Victimization
Assignment 3: Costs of Being a Victim
Assignment 4:Plight of Victims
Exam 1
Assignment 5: Sexual Assault
Assignment 6: Spouse Abuse
Assignment 7: Child Maltreatment
Assignment 8: Elder Abuse
Assignment 9: Homicide
Exam 2
Assignment 10: Victimization at Work and School
Assignment 11: Restorative Justice
Assignment 12: Victim Rights
Exam 3
Assignment 13: Reserach Paper - Graduate Students
Written assignments
This course is organized around 12 written assignments. Each assignment must be typed and doubled-spaced. Each of the 12 written assignments is worth 25 points. The number of questions for each assignment will vary, as will the number of points each questions is worth. Some of these assignments may be broad in scope and require you to integrate material from the current assignments readings as well as past readings. Other assignments may be much more specific questions on the readings. Please note that the questions for the assignments are not inclusive of what you need to know for the exam. Rather, these questions are meant to get you thinking critically and academically about the material.
It is important that for each assignment you fully communicate with me that you understand what you are writing about. Be thorough in your descriptions and explanations. Do not assume that I know what you are talking about or referring to. Be sure your responses are academic in nature and not strictly personal opinions.
I highly recommend that you take notes on each of the readings to use for exam preparation later. Be sure you read everything in the chapter, including the case boxes. Please do not turn these notes in, and be aware that you may not use them when taking the exam.
All assignments must be original. Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will result in failing the assignment and possibly the course, depending on the nature of the plagiarism.
Exams
There are three proctored exams, each worth 150 points. The first exam will be taken after Assignment 4, the second exam after Assignment 9, and the final exam after completion of Assignment 12. The final exam is not cumulative. Exams will cover only material in Doerner and Lab. The Moriarty text will not be on any of the exams. Each exam will contain some combination of multiple choice, true/false and short answer essay. The essay portion of the test generally comprises between 20 and 30% of each exam. You will likely need between one and a half and two hours for this exam. I highly recommend studying the Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter in Doerner and Lab. Although they are not inclusive of what you need to know for the exams, I will be using these to construct the exams.
Graduate students
Students completing the course for graduate credit are required to do work which is more complex than undergraduates. Graduate students can expect that the above mentioned assisgnments will be graded with greater scrutiny. Additionally, graduate students will be expected to complete Assisgnment 13 - a research paper.
Assistance
I expect you to be an active, responsible participant in your education. Therefore, I welcome questions at all times. I encourage you to contact me as soon as you encounter difficulty with the material, or any time you have questions or simply want to discuss the material in more detail. Don’t wait until it is too late for me to help you.
Grading
Course grades are determined as follows:
Your semester grade is based on the following scale:
Textbook(s)
Doerner, William G. and Steven P. Lab. 2005. Victimology. 4th Ed. Cincinnati, OH. Anderson/Lexis Nexis. ISBN: 1-59345-969-6
Moriarty, Laura J. 2003. Controversies in Victimology. Cincinnati, OH. Anderson. ISBN: 1-58360-511-8
Texts are available from the vendor of your choice or
University Book and Supply
1009 West 23rd Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: 319-266-7581 or 800-728-7581
Fax: 319-277-1266
E-mail: bookstore@panthersupply.com
To enroll
ONLINE
GIS enrollment information
IN PERSON
UNI Continuing Education
2637 Hudson Road (corner of 27th St. and Hudson Rd.)
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0223
Campus map (Look for Building 31)
For more information
Cindy Klodt, Guided Independent Study
UNI Continuing Education
319-273-2123 or 800-772-1746
ContinuingEd@uni.edu