Course CSS 303 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 300 Level | 1st Semester Download PDF
Course Structure 1. Conceptual foundation of research: definition of research, general concepts concerning scientific methods such as facts, concepts, constructs, variables, constants and theory; characteristics/goal of research, approaches to knowledge/methods of acquiring knowledge, problem, research problem and sources of research problem, statement of the problem, research questions and hypotheses; research proposal and the research process. 2. Types of research/research designs and Sampling Methods: historical, survey, observation, ex-post facto, case studies, criminal life stories, ecological, aggregate data research, Longitudinal Research, characteristics of a good design, etc; Sampling and sampling design: concept of population or universe, sample size and rationale for drawing sample from population, what is a sampling frame, methods of selecting samples: (a) probability sampling methods (b) non-probability sampling methods. 3. Questionnaire construction, Coding and Description of Data: Close-ended/structure questionnaire, Questionnaires and research questions/hypotheses, steps in questionnaire construction, contents of questions, selecting the wordings of the questions, structuring responses, types of response structures, sequencing of questions; data preparation, editing and coding, manual and computer coding, manual tabulation and SPSS. Description of data: frequency distribution - group and ungroup data, charts and graphs – bar charts, pie charts, pictogram, histogram, etc. 4. Measurement, Scaling and improving the quality of research data: Definition of measurement, what is measured, measurement scales, nominal scale, ordinal scale, internal scale, ratio scale. Definition of scales, when to use scales, rating scale, thurstone scale, Guthman scale, Likert scale. Validity, validity in research instrument, content validity, criterion-related validity, construct validity, validity of findings; Test of reliability, reliability of research instrument, methods of estimating reliability, test-retest reliability, split-half reliability, cronbach’s alpha test. 5. Application of statistical analysis and hypothesis testing. Measure of central tendency: Mean, mode and median of ungrouped and grouped data. Measure of relationship and variability: Pearson’s correlation, spearman rank correlation, chi-square, ANOVA, regression analysis, ranges, variance, standard deviation. Using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, using table of percentage, using ANOVA table, testing of hypothesis, decision rule, method of p-value, discussion of findings. 6. Research writing styles/report and Referencing Styles: Characteristics of a good writing style, quotations, citations, numbering in writing, reference and bibliography, the differences between reference and bibliography. The American Psychological Association (APA) style, Kate Turabian (Chicago) style, APA 7 Style, referencing for texts and other books, referencing for periodicals, referencing for newspapers and magazine, referencing for articles and chapters in edited books, electronic materials, journals, unpublished Bachelor’s project/Masters’ thesis, encyclopedia, unpublished papers presented in seminars/conferences/speeches, government books and manuals.
Course SOC 303 | Sociology of Crime and Delinquency | 300 Level | 1st Semester Download PDF
Course Structure 1. The concept of Sociology, Crime and Delinquency: Definition of Crime, Delinquency, Different perspectives of delinquency, Adolescence, peer and delinquency, Family and delinquency, drug, youth and delinquency and family court (Juvenile court). 2. Drug, Youth and Delinquency and Crime: The measurement of crime and impact; Sources of learning to commit crime; Community reaction to crime; understanding deviance. 3. Theoretical perspective of Sociology of Crime and Delinquency: Crime triangle/Opportunity theory, Differential Association theory, Psychoanalysis theory, Conflict theory, Functionalist view: Anomie theory, Interactionist perspective: Labeling theory. 4. Legal definitions of crime (Law, Crime and Delinquency): Meaning of Criminal Law; Nigerian Criminal Code/Penal Code; Criminal Justice Administration; Punishment, Correction and Rehabilitation