Overview
CRJS 350: Community Policing will explore the evolution of policing to the present day, with a focus on the community-based approaches to frontline operational policing that tended to dominate the late twentieth century. The shifting role of publicly funded police organizations is examined in light of relatively recent technological developments and the consequent transformation of today's social fabric. All of this has been largely driven by the increasingly transparent nature of modern Western society. This course pays particular attention to the theoretical framework upon which the premises of community policing and problem-oriented policing were structured during the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was a time of great change within public police organizations that gave rise to data-driven policing practices and accountability mechanisms.
Outline
CRJS 350 comprises six units as follows:
- Unit 1: Introduction to Community Policing
- Unit 2: The Reform Era
- Unit 3: Community Strategies
- Unit 4: Alternative Policing Strategies
- Unit 5: On the Meaning of Community
- Unit 6: Future Challenges for Public Policing
Evaluation
Your final grade in Criminal Justice 350: Community Policing will be based on your performance on five journaling exercises (15%), six written exercises (30%), a course project (25%), and a final exam (30%). To receive credit for the course, you must achieve a grade of at least 50 percent on the final exam and an overall course grade of at least 50 percent. The following chart indicates the assignments for credit and their weighting toward the final grade:
| Activity | Weight |
| Five Journal Exercises You are to write and submit journal entries when you have completed Units 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Each entry is worth 3% of the total assignment weighting for Assignment 1: Journal Exercises. | 15% |
| Six Written exercises You will complete a Written Exercise at the end of each unit of the course. Each Written Exercise is worth 5% of the weighting for Assignment 2. | 30% |
| A two part SARA Project This assignment is divided into two parts: Part 1 is a synopsis worth 10% of the assignment weighting; Part 2 is the main project, worth 15% of the assignment weighting. | 25% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.
The course materials for Criminal Justice 350: Community Policing are mostly found on the Moodle course site. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the various course components. The time you take to get acquainted with the materials will help you to begin your studies with confidence. If you have any problems or questions, contact your tutor for assistance.
Digital Reading Room: Assigned readings for this course are contained in the Digital Reading Room. You will be directed to these readings at the appropriate points in the course.
Textbook
There is no textbook for this course.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the CRJS 350 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the written assignment and the examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Part I: Synopsis | 20% |
| Part II: Project | 30% |
| Exam | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form