Course Description
An internship specifically designed for and required of students pursuing a degree in criminal justice. Centers on the design, execution, and reporting of original research related to the specific placement or internship.
Athena Title
Criminal Justice Internship
Non-Traditional Format
Internship.
Prerequisite
POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1105H
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The research paper consists of major academic research typically related to the work of your agency. It entails your identifying a reasonably narrow research question, securing an appropriate body of empirical data related to that question, and examining the data systematically to shed light on your research question. Most interns address topics directly related to the activities of their host agency and often acquire data for analysis from a source in the agency such as agency records which are available as a consequence of one's strategic location in the agency. Thus, although you must provide an adequate statement of your research problems and review previous research in that area, this is not a simple term paper in which all source material is extracted from the literature. Nor is the paper to be an extended essay or reaction paper in which you provide subjective comments about some facet of agency operations. Instead, it is intended to be a bit of original research on your part, utilizing the understandings and skills you acquired in the prerequisite research methods course.
Topical Outline
Paper topics are as varied as the types of agencies in which students learn. The common key requirement is that each paper must present a systematic treatment of some type of empirical data.
Syllabus