Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Police Systems and Practices (Online)

CJ 4700-30I

Course: CJ 4700-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32421

Course Description

Analysis of contemporary policing problems; issues-oriented discussion focuses on critical concerns facing American police, including personnel systems, organization, operations, discretion, police culture, ethics, and community relations.

Required Texts

Police & Society. 8th Ed., by Kenneth Novak, Gary Cordner, Brad Smith, and Roy Roberg; Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780190940805.

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Recognize and define criminal justice definitions and terminology.
  • Identify and describe police foundations such as historical perspectives, legal issues, and police strategies.
  • Identify police organizations and management methods.
  • Differentiating and analyzing the various parts of police behavior such as misconduct, force, coercion, accountability, and ethics.
  • Identify and describe the benefits of diversity and inclusion in policing.
  • Recognize what stress is and the impact it has on policing along with officer safety issues.
  • Identify and discuss other emerging issues.

Course Requirements

Discussion boards have multiple purposes. Because this class is online, the discussion boards serve as a way to demonstrate your “attendance” and participation. They also allow for critical thinking, sharing thoughts and opinions with your classmates and your instructor, and they allow us to incorporate current events into the course work.

Discussion boards are due by Thursday evening at 11:59 pm (MST) each week they are assigned. A student’s initial post should be a minimum of 300 words. Responses to fellow classmates and/or the instructor will be due by Sunday evening at 11:59 (MST) in the week they are assigned. At least two responses per discussion board are required. They must be of substantial substance, no less than 150 words. Each initial discussion board post must have a source referenced and cited in APA format. The use of parenthetical citations within your initial post is also required.

Written Assignments: These are short, two-page papers or template activities, due at the end of each module. Papers should be formatted with 12-point font and one-inch margins. Where templates are supplied, they should be filled out completely and with detail. Three reputable sources cited in APA format are required. The use of parenthetical citations within the body of the paper/template is also required. The topic of each week’s written assignment corresponds with a subject in the chapter we read and discussed in that module along with supplemental material.

Quizzes: Quizzes are open book, open note, but will be timed as noted in each quiz’s instructions. A quiz is given in the first six modules. Each quiz is 25 questions and multiple choice/true-false. The purpose of each quiz is to give you a more thorough review of the material and main topics in each chapter.

Course Project: For this project you will create a PowerPoint presentation that will be used to present to a group of recruits contemplating a career in law enforcement. In the presentation the student will highlight portions of the material learned throughout the semester. The student will explain police organization and management. They will detail the selection process. Challenges in the profession will be explained along with the importance to accountability and ethics. Finally, the presentation will be done in a way that reinforces the need for diversity and inclusion within policing. Three reputable sources cited in APA format are required. The use of parenthetical citations within the body of the presentation is also required.

The final exam is 100 questions. Like the quizzes, the final exam is open book, open notes, and multiple choice. The final exam will include material from the entire course.

Course Outline

This is an asynchronous, online class, so your work will be completed throughout the week on the day(s) that fit your schedule.  The following topics will be studied each week of the course:

Week 1 - Module 1: Policing Foundations
Week 2 - Module 2: Police Administration: Organization, Management, Selection & Development
Week 3 - Module 3: Police Administration: Field Operations-Foundations & Innovations
Week 4 - Module 4: Police Behavior: Misconduct, Force & Coercion
Week 5 - Module 5: Police Behavior: Accountability & Ethics
Week 6 - Module 6: Contemporary Issues: Diversity, Inclusion, Stress & Safety
Week 7 - Module 7: Contemporary Issues: Emerging Issues


Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Only papers will be accepted up to one week late but there will be a 20% deduction. This is an intensive class which is very short. Falling behind is not an option. NO LATE WORK IS ACCEPTED AFTER MIDNIGHT ON THE LAST DAY OF THE TERM/SEMESTER. NO EXCEPTIONS.

No make-up or extra credit will be given. Corrections to graded papers are NOT allowed. Please don't ask.

Attendance Policy

Discussion boards and quizzes act as attendance. You participate (attend) each week through the discussion boards and quizzes. Discussion boards and quizzes are to be completed on time and CANNOT be made up. I am strict with this policy. There are no exceptions (except school approved reasons such as sporting events). Please don't ask.

Course Fees

Per University Fee Schedule

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.