Victimology

Crime & Justice Studies 3325

Fall 2005
MW, 2:00 p.m. -3:15 p.m.

Dr. Karen L. Hayslett-McCall

Office: GR 3.210
Office Hours: M/W 12:15p.m. – 1:45 p.m. OR by appointment
Office Telephone: (972) 883-4767 E-mail address: klh024000@utdallas.edu

Teaching Assistant: Virginia Carver

Office: GR 3.414 (Cube in SW corner of the room)
Office Hours: ______________ E-mail address: peanut@utdallas.edu
• Virginia will also be checking and responding to all the e-mail addressed to me
on WebCT.

Course Description:
• This course will focus on the causes and consequences of criminal victimization.
We will begin with a discussion of the major theories of criminal victimization
and look at the relationship between victimization and offending and between
criminal victimization and other types of victimizaton. We will also consider how
victims cope with victimization -- attitudinally, cognitively, and behaviorally.
We will also examine the role of victims in the criminal justice system, including
reporting to the police, testifying in court, seeking compensation, and giving
victim impact statements at sentencing and parole hearings. Finally, we will be
discussing the policy implications of research findings on several different topics.

Course Objectives:
• To provide students with a basic knowledge of criminal victimization
• To improve critical thinking skills of students as they are used in the classroom
and in everyday life
• To strengthen skills essential to communication: reading, writing, and oral
presentation
• To better understand the scientific process as it is reflected in Victimology.

Special Note Regarding this Semester:

• The rhythm of taking collegiate level course work can be very demanding. I like
to remind everyone that regular effort is important on your part to keep up with
the assigned reading, etc. If you expect to get information out of class, you must
come to class having read the required materials for the assigned day.
 • In terms of class participation, there are assigned readings for each class. For
each class I expect you to have read the assignments and to be ready to discuss
them. Class meetings will include some lecture, but will also emphasize in-depth
discussion of the topic and readings by all members of the class. That means that
attendance, while not taken in a formal sense, is crucial to your success in this
course. I expect that to show respect to me and to your classmates, you will arrive
on time to class and stay until the end. We all have a lot to learn from each other,
so I expect everyone to participate fully while listening thoughtfully and
responding respectfully to the diverse viewpoints of others

• Due to the difficult nature of the material addressed in class, students may
experience a need or desire to process some of their own personal experiences
with victimization. Students should know ahead of time that this is a completely
normal and reasonable response given the subject matter. While the classroom is
not the appropriate venue for this processing to take place, there are several
resources that are available to you on UTD’s Campus:
• The Galerstein Women’s Center
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/womensctr/
• The Student Counseling Center
http://www.utdallas.edu/counseling/index.html
• The Student Health Center http://www.utdallas.edu/healthcenter/

Attendance and Classroom Decorum:

• Students are expected to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies and regular in
their class attendance. Students have the responsibility of making arrangements
satisfactory to the instructor regarding absences on test days and when homework
is due. Such arrangement MUST be made prior to the absence if possible. THERE
WILL BE NO MAKEUP QUIZZES OR EXAMS.
• Attendance during presentations, videos, and guest speakers is mandatory, the
cost of missing one without a university excused absence is a zero on the points
assigned for that day.
• Under no circumstances will I (or any of my TA’s) provide notes for students
missing class. I suggest that you find 2 or 3 people in the class that you can
contact about notes in case of emergency.
• This syllabus is TENTATIVE. The scheduled readings, videos, speakers, etc. can
change at any time. Changes will be posted on WebCT and announced in class.
YOU are responsible for regularly checking when assignments are due.
• Electronic devices. It is my expectation that ALL electronic devices will be
turned completely OFF (not just switched to vibrate) during the class period. This
includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, pagers, palm pilots, blackberries, tape
recorders and laptops (unless you receive direct permission from me.

Requirements:
• Texts: There will be 2 texts used in this class. In addition, you will be required to
read news articles that are posted to the class WebCT site.
 • Victims of Crime by Davis, Lurigio, and Skogan (Eds.)
• Violent Victimization by Ruback and Thompson
• News Articles and Links Posted on WebCT
• Examinations: There will be four midterm exams in this course, and one
cumulative make-up final.
• The exams for this course will comprise of some combination of multiple
choice, short answer, and short essay. NO make-up exams will be given.
Failure to take an exam will result in a zero grade (unless you have been
granted permission from the instructor PRIOR to the exam OR HAVE
DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF ILLNESS, etc.).

• THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. Exams are scheduled well

in advance so that you can plan around these dates. If you miss one of the
midterm exams, you must take the final. If you miss more than one exam,
you will receive a zero for the additional missed exam.

• There are ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. If you

chose not to take the first exam because it is raining, and you
wreck your car on the way to the second exam, you will receive a
zero for one of you mid-term exams. If you have the bubonic
plague for the first exam and have a relapse for the third, you will
receive a zero. I must caution that this make-up final is
CUMULATIVE, and it WILL NOT BE EASY. I highly
recommend making sure that your schedule is such that you can
attend classes during the regular exams. Taking this exam can
either RAISE or LOWER your grade.

• Once you sit for any exam, you will receive a grade for that exam. There
are no exceptions.

• Once the first person taking the test leaves the room, students that come
late are no longer eligible to sit for that exam.

• Bring picture identification to each exam (including the cumulative make-

up final). Failure to bring a picture ID to class will prevent you from
taking an exam and you will have to take the make-up cumulative final
exam.

• Exam questions will be taken from lecture and the text. You will find
daily attendance and note-taking to be helpful in exam preparation.

• The fourth mid-term Exam will include an essay that can potentially
reflect material that is presented throughout this course (i.e., one
cumulative question asking you to tie together what you have learned in
the course). Keeping track of your notes and outlining the readings is
helpful for students when they prepare for an exam.

• In-Class Writing Assignments: These writings will be conducted on

 unannounced days, and will reflect the reading materials for that day. They will
be conducted at the beginning of class. If you are late, then you will be
considered to be absent. I will not allow anyone to begin working on an in-class
writing assignment or quiz once the first person finished hands in their writing
assignment/quiz. There will be NO make-up writing assignments and no
exceptions to this rule.
• WebCT Assignments and Quizzes: These quizzes will be put on WebCT to be
taken outside of class. These may or may not be announced in class. I will post
them via WebCT and YOU are responsible for checking regularly these will
reflect the reading materials that are going to be covered in class shortly after the
on-line availability of the quiz. There will be NO make-up WebCT assignments
and quizzes. There will be no exceptions to this rule. In addition to quizzes,
there will be WebCT assignments. The first assignment will be to check into the
course. You will receive 5 points for doing so by the assigned date and time.
• Summaries of Readings: Summaries (as assigned) will be due at the very
beginning of class. If you are late, any summaries handed in will be given a zero.
You can turn in summaries via WebCT, as an attachment. Late summaries will
not be graded. ONLY summaries handed in ON TIME will receive credit.
• Videos: There will be a series of videos shown in class. Due to the topic matter
in this class, they will all talk about and show things that illustrate some of the
points that we are studying. We will talk about victim blaming, rape shield laws,
etc. If these videos are too difficult for you to watch, alternative academic
assignments will be provided. You must see me BEFORE the video for this
option to be provided. If you postpone until after the video, the offer no
longer stands. This is designed only to provide an alternative to students who
are uncomfortable – not for students who skip a video and want to make-up the
assignment. There are no video make-ups.
• Reaction Papers: A series of reaction papers will be required. They are
designed to get at your higher-order thinking processes – you will be required to
integrate information from various news stories or videos with the academic-style
readings required in class.
• Student Presentations, or Papers: A short (5-6 page) paper (plus references)
will be required for this class. However, as a caveat, I will allow students to do ½
hour presentation in class over assigned topics in lieu of the paper. We will
provide the details in class, and a sign-up for these options will be held by the 3rd
week of class.
• Extra Credit: I do not make extra credit assignments. In order to be fair, extra
credit must be available to the entire class. Also, some form of weighting must be
applied so as to not penalize those not attempting the extra credit assignment.
Extra credit implies that the course is graded on a 100 point scale and presents the
opportunities to earn >100 Points. The potential for misunderstandings and
student perceptions of unfair treatment are very high. We will avoid this problem
and simply not have extra credit assignments.

• Evaluation:
ƒ Exam 1: 100 points
ƒ Exam 2: 100 points
 ƒ Exam 3: 100 points
ƒ Exam 4: 100 points
ƒ Paper or Presentation 100 points
• In-class writing assignments, WebCT assignments, reading summaries, etc. (as
assigned)
• For example – If I give an in-class assignment worth 10 points, then that 10 points
counts toward the final number of points available in that class (i.e., it figures into
the denominator). So, if I earn 8/10 points, I add the 8 points to the number of
points that I have earned in the class (the numerator), and I add the 10 points to
the number of points possible in the class (the denominator).
• GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON WebCT. I do keep permanent records, but
YOU are responsible for keeping track of how you do in this class. Please write
down your scores on all assignments, as well as the total number of points that are
available for that assignment. Remember -- a review of grades can go both ways.

• Final grades will be awarded according to the following percentage scale:

A+: 100 and above B+: 87-89 C+: 77-79 D: 60-69
A: 94 and above B: 84-86 C: 74-76 F: 59 and below
A-: 90-93 B-: 80-83 C-: 70-73
• Grade Rounding: I do “round” grades, but only in the slightest sense. Thus,
in order to achieve an A you must have achieved a 94 in the class (93.5 is an A,
but a 93.49 is not). So, in case that is not clear enough, I round according to the
number immediately after the decimal and NO further.
• Grades are EARNED: I do not GIVE grades, students earn them. It is important
that you take responsibility from the very onset of all of your classes for learning
the material and doing your best on each and every assignment or exam.
• Review of grades: I will assign your final grade according to what you have
earned in the course. If you wish to contest a grade, you must follow the
appropriate procedures. Here is the link giving directions about appealing grades:
http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/ugraddean/faqd.html
Academic Integrity:
• Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and
deception and is an educational objective of this institution.
Academic Dishonesty:
• This includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarizing (including the failure to
properly cite sources), fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of
academic dishonest of others, having unauthorized possession of examinations,
submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.
• Violations of academic integrity will be reported to the Dean of Students.
• ANOTHER NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism will not be tolerated and
any instances will be immediately referred to the Dean of Students. I AM
SERIOUS! Unfortunately, I have found that students are often unfamiliar with
 what constitutes plagiarism. The Student Life Office at UTD includes a definition
on its website: “To submit to your instructor a paper or comparable assignment
that is not truly the product of your own mind and skill is to commit plagiarism.
To put it bluntly, plagiarism is the act of stealing the ideas and/or expression of
another and representing them as your own”
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/scholastic.html

• Now, there are multiple ways to steal someone else’s ideas. Stephen Wilhoit in
his article entitled, “Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism,” lists several forms of
plagiarism (College Teaching, v 42 (Fall 1994): 161-164):
• Buying or lifting a paper, or any portion of a paper, off the internet.
• Turning in a paper written by a fellow student, with or without her
knowledge.
• Copying information directly from a source without providing
documentation (i.e., without a citation explaining where you got the
information). Keep in mind that changing the order of the sentence or
replacing a few words does not make the sentence yours!
• Copying information directly from a source and providing a citation, but
not putting the copied material in quotations, even if you cited the author.
• Putting the source’s information in your own words, but without providing
a citation. Even if they are your words, the ideas were the author’s. As a
general rule, any information that you gathered by reading a source (i.e.,
information you did not know previously) must be cited!
Disability Services:
• We have an excellent Disability Services office on campus. If you require special
accommodations, please make sure you go and see them immediately if you have
not already done so.
• The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing educational
opportunities for all persons. If you anticipate needing accommodations for
learning differences, please let me know. If you require accommodations, please
make sure that you are properly registered with the Disabilities Services Office
(972) 883-2070.
• If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please speak
with me after class or in office hours during the first week of class. I will be
happy to make appropriate accommodations provided timely notice is received
and the arrangement is consistent with any recommendations from Disability
Services, when applicable.
 Tentative Schedule of Readings:
Changes may be made to this schedule. I will announce changes in class and/or will post
information on WebCT. YOU are responsible for all changes (e.g., reading assignments,
assignment deadlines, etc.).

ORIENTATION – Aug 22

The due dates for readings, articles, and assignments will be announced in class.
Remember, you are required to come prepared for class.

INTRODUCTION
Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Introduction and Overview. Social and
Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 1-29).

MEASURING VICTIMIZATION
Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Studying the Effects of Victimization. Social and
Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 29-49).

IMPACT OF VICTIMIZATION
(Topics: Fear, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression; Preventing Future Victimization)
Norris, F. H., Kaniasty, K., & Thompson, M. P. (1997). The psychological consequences of
crime: Findings from a longitudinal population-based study. In R. C. Davis, A. J.
Lurigio, & W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 146-166). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage.

Friedman, L. N., & Tucker, S. B. (1997). Violence prevention through victim assistance:
Helping people escape the web of violence. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio, & W. G.
Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 183-193). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Topics: Rape; Domestic Violence
Resick, P. A., & Nishith, P. (1997). Sexual assault. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio, & W. G.
Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 27-52). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Garner, J. & Fagan, J. (1997). Victims of Domestic Violence. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio, &
W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 53-85). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

CHILD VICTIMS
Finkelhor, D. (1997). The victimization of children and youth. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio, &
W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 86-107). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.

HATE CRIMES
Garofalo, J. (1997). Hate crime victimization in the United States. In R. C. Davis, A. J.
Lurigio, & W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 134-145). Thousand
 Oaks, CA: Sage.

THE AFTERMATH OF VICTIMIZATION

Topics: The Victim
Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Violent Victimization and the Immediate Aftermath.
Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 49-84).

Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Consequences

of Violent Victimization on Direct Crime Victims. Social and Psychological
Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 87-131).

THE AFTERMATH OF VICTIMIZATION

Topics: Communities; Secondary Victimization
Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Secondary Victimization. Social and Psychological
Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 133-154).

Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). The Effects on Violent Victimization on

Communities. Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp.
155-181).

INTERVENTIONS
Topics: Individuals; Communities; the Criminal Justice System
Ruback, R. B. & Thompson, M. P. (2001). Summary and Implications. Social and
Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. (pp. 181-203).

Kelly, D. P., & Erez, E. (1997). Victim participation in the criminal justice system. In R. C.
Davis, A. J. Lurigio, & W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 231-244).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Smith, B. E., & Hillenbrand, S. W. (1997). Making victims whole again: Restitution, victim-
offender reconciliation programs, and compensation. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio, & W.
G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 245-256). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Young, M. A. (1997). Victim rights and services: A modern saga. In R. C. Davis, A. J. Lurigio,
& W. G. Skogan (Eds.), Victims of Crime (2nd ed., pp. 194-210). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.

FINAL EXAM: MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH AT 2:00 PM

(This will be used only for students needing to take the make-up final exam)