CRIM 131 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System Summer 2019
STRUCTURED TERM PAPER
This term paper will represent a total of 30% of your mark for the course.
Your term paper is due at the beginning of class on Monday, June 10, 2019.
Unexcused, late assignments will not be accepted and will receive no marks.
This assignment has two distinct parts: article analysis and courtroom observation.
Part 1: Article Analysis
To complete this part, students will collect and analyze three articles that:
• provide examples of misinformation or a lack of education about the criminal justice
system in Canada
• illustrate sensationalism of crime in the media
• identify a disproportionate level of fear on the part of the public in comparison to the
evidence
• provide evidence or examples of myths about crime, criminals or the criminal justice
system
• illustrate the processes by which isolated criminal events become distorted and are
given unprecedented social consideration
• provide examples of deceptive research studies, the misuse of science and research,
articles that purposefully mislead the public using “research”
You are to collect newspaper and magazine articles – popular culture stuff (on-line or
printed publications). You may use the internet to collect materials. You may also find
an ad, a cartoon or an image that provides an example of sensationalism and/or is
designed to mislead you and/or insight fear in you, etc.
Once you have collected your articles, very briefly summarize each one and tell me why
or how it is representative of one of the above issues (i.e. misinformation, perpetuating
myths, fear-mongering). What tactics are used? Use what you have learned in the course
and what you have learned from your textbook to develop your discussion and make your
arguments. Your grade will be determined by the choice of your articles and/or images
and the strength of your arguments. You may use subheadings to separate your articles.
Each article must be properly referenced in your reference page. You must include a
photocopy of each article, ad or image in the appendix of your assignment.
Each summary and analysis should be between 1-2 pages per article for a total of 3-
6 pages.
CRIM 131 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System Summer 2019
Caution
This is a different kind of assignment than you might be
used to. Books and academic journal articles about some of the issues you might be
interested in (i.e. terrorism, drugs) will not provide you with the best examples to include
in your paper. I am looking for the articles the public reads and are outraged about
(usually because they are one-sided and misleading) and/or articles that send people
into a panic. We want articles that are small on facts and big on sensationalism. They
will likely contain small bits of information but make sweeping conclusions that are not
supported by the evidence they provide.
Part 2: Courtroom Observations
To complete this part, students will attend court and observe criminal proceedings in
either Provincial or Supreme Court. Students will be expected to observe and write about
both their overall impression of the courtroom and its procedures as well as the various
advocacy styles demonstrated by counsel. Advocacy is not just about argument. It is the
ability to persuade your audience (in this case, the judge) to go along with your
submissions and make a finding in your favor. Every lawyer has their own advocacy
style, their own approach to the practice of law. More specifically, this part of your
assignment should address the following:
1. Observation and analysis of courtroom procedures
a. Courtroom organization and physical structure
b. Courtroom procedures and workflow
c. The players in the courtroom workgroup
d. The level of efficiency in dealing with files
e. Any other observations/impressions you made about court
2. Observation and analysis of counsel’s advocacy styles
a. What was the most persuasive style and why?
i. What made you agree with counsel?
b. What was the least persuasive style and why?
i. What made you shake your head or disagree with counsel?
c. Any other observations/impressions you made about advocacy
3. What struck you as most interesting or surprising during your time observing
court?
CRIM 131 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System Summer 2019
Organization
Your assignment should be organized as follows:
§ Article Analysis (3-6 pages)
§ Courtroom Observations (2-3 pages)
§ References
§ Appendix
Note: Your appendix is where you put the photocopies of your articles. After your
reference list, begin a new page and simply center the word “Appendix” in the middle of
the page. Insert your photocopies following this page and you are done.
Expectations
Your assignment will be typed, double spaced in 12 font and should include between 5
and 9 pages of written content (this does not include your title page, reference page or
appendices). If your paper does not satisfy the length requirement you will lose
significant marks.
Your cover page should include:
• a creative title,
• your name,
• your student number,
• the course number,
• my name, &
• the due date: Monday, June 10, 2019.
Your paper must be referenced using APA style. See the Criminology Student Handbook
or an APA style guide for referencing information.
You will be graded on the choice of your articles and/or images and the depth and
strength of your arguments. You will also be graded on the quality of your insights while
observing court. Finally, some of the areas that I will be focusing on as I grade your
assignment will include:
• understanding of the material,
• evidence of independent thought,
• depth of analysis,
• clarity of thought,
• coherence of the paper,
• ability to follow instructions
• referencing,
• spelling,
• punctuation,
• grammar, &
• sentence structure.