Course Syllabus

Welcome to CRIM 201: Presumed Innocent? The Social Science of Wrongful Conviction

Overview

CATEGORY INFORMATION
Credits 3
Prerequisites None. A basic understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system would be helpful, but not necessary to successfully complete the course. Background lessons (Optional Lessons 1 and 2) are available for this purpose.
Delivery Web (Canvas, https://psu.instructure.com)
Dates See the Calendar.
Instructor See the Orientation module under the Modules tab.

 

Description

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, a joint project of Michigan Law and Northwestern Law, over 2,000 individuals in the United States have been exonerated after being convicted for crimes they did not commit. These are the known cases of wrongful conviction—the actual number is much higher. Some of these individuals have served years, even decades, in prison for these crimes. Often, real offenders have escaped justice as a result of the wrong person being accused and convicted.

We will approach this topic from a social scientific perspective. Social science is a broad field that seeks to understand social interactions between individuals, groups, and institutions. The field includes academic disciplines such as sociology, criminology, psychology, economics, anthropology, political science, and other related disciplines.

In this course we will explore wrongful convictions answering several key questions:

  • What do we mean by “wrongfully convicted,” and how common are wrongful convictions?
  • Who are wrongfully convicted?
  • Where in the criminal justice system do things go wrong to lead to wrongful convictions?
  • Why do wrongful convictions occur?
  • How can social science contribute to understanding, and preventing wrongful convictions?

 

Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Identify the socio-economic conditions that make certain individuals vulnerable in the U.S. justice system (generally) and to wrongful convictions (specifically)
  2. Analyze the major factors that contribute to wrongful convictions according to social science research, including: eyewitness misidentification, false confession, government misconduct, inadequate defense, informants and snitches, and bad forensic science
  3. Propose how social science research can inform and improve policy
  4. Describe the interaction between social science research and the U.S. criminal justice system

 

Organization

This course is made up of two optional introductory lessons and twelve (12) required lessons. We will refer to the first two lessons as "Introductory Lessons," with no graded assignments, and contain basic material on the U.S. criminal justice system and criminology. You should use these for general review of legal concepts and social science concepts that will come up multiple times this semester. 

Each lesson will consist largely of written text and video content. The video content will include both lecture by the instructor (Tim Robicheaux) and interviews with social scientists, legal scholars, and individuals active in the criminal justice system. Lessons will include rich legal and social science content, as well as anecdotes of wrongful convictions (i.e., case profiles).

Some weeks you will be required to do outside reading or watch outside videos. Please see the introduction for each lesson. Most lessons will conclude with a quiz, and most weeks will conclude with a discussion forum. Students are expected to complete lesson quizzes and the discussion forums. There will also be a cumulative final examination. 

 

Online Learning and Attendance

This course has been developed to promote asynchronous learning. The instructor and students do NOT meet on a designated day and time each week. For each lesson, there is a time frame to complete all activities and assignments, and you may work at your own pace within that time frame. However, you must adhere to the due dates outlined on the Calendar. (Due dates can also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) You should log into the course daily to check for updates, review lessons, and participate in activities.

 


Texts and Other Materials

There are no required texts for this class.

Library Services

Penn State Libraries provides a wide variety of services and resources. To learn how to take advantage, refer to the Online Student Library Guide at http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide. This guide serves as your starting point for access to all that Penn State Libraries can offer you as an online student. Use this guide if you have questions on library services offered to you, how the library can help you, how to use the library, or what resources you can access via the library! The guide will connect you to important pages and resources within Penn State Libraries and save time from you searching for the information you need.

 


Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.

Scale

LETTER
GRADE
MINIMUM
PERCENT
A 93
A- 90
B+ 87
B 83
B- 80
C+ 75
C 70
D 60
F 0

 

Due Dates

Please be aware that Canvas follows the Eastern Time (EST) time zone. Assignment due dates adhere to this time zone, and it is your responsibility to submit them accordingly. If you are outside of the ET time zone, you can set your Canvas account to sync to it. Refer to the Set a Time Zone article in the Canvas Guide at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2891.

All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (e.g. hospitalization, jury duty, family emergency, or military service) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor.

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g. upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Notes

  • To Do List: Some assignments may not appear in the To Do list under the Home tab. Use the Calendar or Syllabus to ensure that you are fully aware of assignment due dates.

 


Assignments

Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

ASSIGNMENT
GROUP
WEIGHT
Quizzes  50%
Discussion Activities 25%
Final Exam 25%
Total 100%

 

Quizzes (50%)

There are 10 quizzes which will cover the course content in an in-depth manner. These quizzes are mixed format quizzes. This means that each quiz will be a combination of short answer and multiple choice questions. For some of these quizzes, you will read one or more case profiles from the National Registry of Exonerations and will answer comprehension questions about these profiles and will apply class concepts to the scenarios. You will be allowed to read the profiles prior to taking the quizzes. These are short quizzes--most have fewer than 20 questions. Short answer questions are NOT essay questions, but you should provide enough detail to support your answer.

Discussions (25%)

There are 5 weekly discussion activities, in which you will examine and discuss issues brought up from that week’s lessons. Your initial post should contain some level of detail and utilize logical reasoning (i.e., justify your opinion). You must reply to two classmates’ posts each week. These replies should include substantive content beyond merely restating your classmate’s opinion. Use your reply to expand on their thought. Note that you are free to disagree with a classmate or to use their post as a way to tangent into a related topic. Discussions will not be grouped, these interactions will include every classmate in the course roster.

Final Exam (25%)

The cumulative final exam includes multiple-choice questions based on a real or hypothetical case of (potential) wrongful conviction. These will be guided questions that require you to apply course content to the case in question. This is a timed, cumulative examination. You will have access to the scenario prior to the examination and are encouraged to read it more than once before beginning.

 


University Policies

Academic Integrity

According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity, an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.   

Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic sanctions, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes (see G-9: Academic Integrity).

Unless your instructor tells you otherwise:

  • Always include an in-text citation that includes the author(s) last name(s) and the year the source was published at the end of any sentence or below any image that includes words, images, or ideas you found in a source, always included quoted text within quotation marks, and always include a reference for any source at the end of your paper (ask your instructor about the format you should use).
  • All of your graded coursework must be created by you without help from anyone in the course or otherwise. If you have questions about this, you should ask your instructor before submitting work for evaluation.
  • All course materials you receive or access are protected by copyright laws. You may use course materials and make copies for your own use, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct and/or liable under Federal and State laws.

Disability Access

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources website provides contact information for every Penn State campus at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator. For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation described at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office offers residential and distance-based Penn State students non-emergency mental health services in the form of case management, community resource referrals, supportive listening, care giver support, and much more.

Students may request assistance from CAPS regarding a variety of common mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. CAPS services are designed to enhance students' ability to fully benefit from the University environment and academic experience. Call CAPS at 814-863-0395 (8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday EST) or submit an inquiry online at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/form/caps-contact-form to schedule an appointment with a mental health advocate, who can help you address mental health concerns that may interfere with your academic progress or social development. This appointment will include a one-on-one session that can be conducted via telephone, teleconference (Skype, FaceTime, etc.), or locally at Penn State University Park. For more information on services provided through CAPS, please visit the Penn State CAPS website at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/. Students enrolled at the World Campus are also encouraged to visit its Mental Health Services page at http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/mental-health-services.

Reminder: These services are for non-emergencies only. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local crisis center or 911.

Nondiscrimination

Penn State is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University's educational mission, and will not be tolerated. For further information, please visit the Affirmative Action Office website at https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/.

Reporting a Bias Incident

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/.

TEACH Act

The materials on the course website are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.


University Emergency Procedure

In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.

In the event of a University-wide emergency, please refer to the Canvas website at https://psu.instructure.com for specific information related to the course. For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to the Penn State website at https://www.psu.edu or Penn State News website at https://news.psu.edu.

To register with PSUAlert, a service designed to alert the Penn State community when situations arise that affect the ability of a campus to function normally, please go to the PSU Alert website at https://psualert.psu.edu/. Subscribers can receive alerts by text message to cell phones, and also can elect to have alerts sent to an email address.


Syllabus Subject to Change

The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due