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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS/LAW 338"
COURSE NAME: "Psychology and Law"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2021
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Paola Castelli
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: PS 334 or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course focuses on applications of concepts and theories from cognitive, social, developmental and clinical psychology, to the administration of justice. Topics include the psychological processes involved
in jury selection, jury deliberation and decision making, police interrogation, false confessions, eyewitness testimony, memory for traumatic events, child witnesses, juvenile offenders, and the role of psychologists as trial consultant and expert witnesses.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
A number of controversial issues will be addressed, including the psychological processes involved in jury selection, jury deliberation and decision making, police interrogation, false confessions, lie detection, eyewitness testimony and eyewitness identification, repressed and recovered memories, child witnesses, the death penalty, the insanity defense, juvenile offenders, and the role of psychologists as trial consultant and expert witnesses.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand concepts, theories, methods, and applications of psychological science to the legal system.
- Interpret and evaluate empirical research, including quantitative data (e.g., statistics, graphs, tables).
- Accurately interpret, summarize and present information from primary sources.
- Exhibit effective writing/presentation skills within appropriate constraints (e.g., time/page limit, audience).
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Wrightsman's Psychology & the Legal System (9th ed) | Greene E. & Heilbrun K | Cengage | 978-1-337-57087-9 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Exams | There will be THREE exams the course of the semester, including a final exam. The exam will cover the material covered in class as well as in the assigned reading, films, etc.
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| Reflection Papers | You will be asked to write brief reflections where you connect the course material to some everyday event, case, movie, etc. You will be evaluated on how accurately and appropriately you apply course concepts to real life events. | |
| Final Presentation | You will be given the opportunity to further explore a topic of interest and present it to the class | |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance is not mandatory, but it is strongly encouraged. If you miss a lecture, you miss almost 20% of the material that will be covered on the next exam (so you can expect to get at least one grade lower than if you had come to class!). Moreover, some material - such as videos, in-depth description of studies, and examples – will only be presented in class. Please do not arrive late and/or plan to leave early. It will be disruptive to everyone. In addition, you’ll be missing important information that is usually given in the first and last minutes of lecture.
The use of laptop in class is only allowed to take notes. If you are found to use it for other purposes, you will lose this privilege.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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