Digital Crime Problem (CRJU 3405)

Fall 2021 | Online

Office: 55 Park Place, 5th Floor
Second Life Home: Click here
Email: [email protected]; not [email protected]
Office hours: By appointment only if not possible to handle in email

Department: Criminal Justice & Criminology (404-413-1020), Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Course Description

This course examines digital forms of crime and control. Crime refers to acts formally prohibited by a government. Social control is the defining and handling of wrongdoing. Crime involves offending and victimization and may be serious or disorderly. Control may be preventive or reactive, formal or informal. Crime and control are digital to the extent they involve signals of data represented as a sequence of discrete values. Digital forms of crime and control vary across time and place due to a range of social scientific factors; so too do their consequences.

Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

Identify the difference between types of digital crime and control.
Understand the social scientific factors affecting whether, how and why types of digital crime and control occur, and to what effect.
Critically evaluate theory, research, and policy on the social scientific factors affecting digital crime and control.

Books

A list of the course books is available here.

Assignments

The course begins with an Introductory Section; during it, you will complete several assignments. For further information about them, refer to the page, What to Do During the Introductory Section.

After, there are six sections; each is devoted to a different book. During each section, there are two types of assignments: My Annotation and My Discussion Post. For further information about them, refer to the pages with those titles.

The Course Outline has information on which each assignment is due.

Course Policies

Grading

Your final grade is determined by the following calculation:

Introductory Section Quiz: 7.5%
Sign Up for the Forum: 2.5%
Discussion Posts: 30%
Annotations: 60%

The letter grade scale for the final grade is as follows. I do not round grades.

A+ is 100-97; A is 96.9-93; A- is 92.9-90
B+ is 89.9-87; B is 86.9-83; B- is 82.9-80
C+ is 79.9-77; C is 76.9-73; C- is 72.9-70
D is 69.9-60
F is 59.9 or below

Grade Disputes

You must bring all grade disputes to my attention within 7 days of the grade’s posting. After, I will not revisit, discuss, explain grades brought to my attention.

Due Dates & Times + Late Submissions

This online course is asynchronous (i.e., we never “meet”), with the exception of Your Book Club. However, assignments must be submitted by the due dates and times, as specified in the Course Outline. Late submissions will only be accepted in extreme circumstances (e.g., death in the family, hospitalization, etc.) and when documentation can be provided. Also, if you have what I deem an excusable absence, it must be brought to my attention within 24 hours of the problem’s occurrence; otherwise, I will not allow an extension. I highly recommend you complete assignments ASAP, not wait until the end. To reiterate: “Technology problems” are not as an excuse for late submissions.

Technology Problems

I do not help with most technology problems. This is due to a combination of not knowing how to help; for what I do know, I already provided detailed instructions in the How To pages; and, it is important for you to practice getting help on your own.

For problems with iCollege, the GSU Library, or of a more personal nature (e.g., getting your internet or laptop to work), contact GSU technology services help desk, email [email protected], or call 404-413-4357.

Plagiarism

In this class, like any other, plagiarism is prohibited. It is your responsibility to know what it is; see GSU’s Student Code of the Conduct. Ignorance is not an excuse. Plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty, will be punished with a grade of 0 for the course.

Email Policy

Before emailing me: Whenever possible, you should instead ask questions using the Forum or Voluntary Meet-Ups in Second Life. When emailing me, you must do the following or I will not reply:

Email me at [email protected], not via the address associated with iCollege
Send the email from your GSU email account
Not ask me something that answered elsewhere (e.g., in the syllabus)
Ask a clear question

If I do not respond to your email, look to see whether it did all of the above. If it did but I didn’t reply within 24 hours, please resend your original email.

GSU Policies

Disabilities

If who wish to request accommodation for a disability, you may do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services. You may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to the instructor in which an accommodation is sought. The Office of Disability Services is located in the Student Center, Suite 230.

W/WF Policy

As of Fall 2006 semester, all undergraduate students are allowed to withdraw with a grade of W a maximum of six (6) times in their entire careers at Georgia State. Students who exceed the limit will automatically receive a grade of WF. (WFs count as Fs for GPA calculation purposes.) Withdrawals taken before Fall 2006 will not count against the limit and neither will hardship withdrawals, military withdrawals, withdrawals at other institutions, or withdrawals after the midpoint. (Withdrawals after the midpoint are automatically given a grade of WF.) Please note, the instructor of a course will not decide whether a student who withdraws before the midpoint receives a W or a WF. Instead, students with less than 6 withdrawals will automatically receive a W and students with 6 or more withdrawals will automatically receive a WF.

Online Course Evaluations

Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation. Please be respectful when filling out your evaluation, as they really do matter and are read by many people.

Note

The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.

Syllabus - Digital Crime Problem