Course: First Year Seminar – CJF 101 – 206A

The First Year Seminar (FYS) is a course grouped in one of five academic and professional areas to explore student goals, identify new academic and pre-professional opportunities in their field of interest and discover potential paths to take them from college to a meaningful career. This seminar is a small, hands-on class in which students will work closely with their peers to explore issues of justice. They will be supported by a Student Success Team and includes a peer success coach, FYS professor, academic advisor, and career specialist. The success team will be there to answer student questions, support them during their first semester and make sure students are informed about upcoming campus opportunities and events. The First Year Seminar CJF 101 is required of all new students majoring in Criminal Justice. Special topics in Criminology, Corrections, Policing and Criminal Justice are taught in conjunction with college transition skills. Themes may include any subject in Constitutional Law, Criminal Process and Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminology and Criminal Justice, such as wrongful convictions, prisoner reentry and reintegration, the death penalty, etc., along with critical thinking skills, active learning opportunities and E-portfolio. In keeping with the College’s articulation agreement with John Jay College, CJF 101 is a three-credit general education course designed to mirror in content and rigor the First Year Seminar at John Jay. 

Current OER features:

In order to achieve this objective I will be using the following resources: OER Commons – MIT Open Course ware – Wahtenaw Community College OER – Open Learn – SUNY OER Services – Mohawk Community College OER – Open Stax

OER Features to be developed:

• Welcome to LaGuardia Community College
• Purpose of FYS
• LAB
• Discuss Major Requirement
• Classes required and concept of Integrated Learning
• Link to Criminal Justice career videos to careers
• How to smartly integrate to John Jay
• Do I really need to attend John Jay?
• Time Management and Student Success
• How Can I be Successful in College?
• Networking to obtain contacts, careers and internships
• Scheduling – time management
• Know you Syllabus
• Why should I build relationships with my Professors?
• Criminal Justice Careers  ( Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Careers)
• Find brief discussions of the different types of careers ( separate by jurisdiction)
• Education Requirements
• Application Process
• Physical requirements
• Salaries
• Focus on NYS – NYC Careers – ( i.e. DOI and other unique City law enforcement agencies)
• Criminal Justice and Integrated Learning
• 15 Steps in Criminal Process
• The 3 major areas and various professions in the Criminal Process
• Criminal Process vs. Criminal Substance
• The U.S Constitution
• The Penal Law
• Integrated learning – discuss CJS classes and how they are all related
• Projects
• Complete “About Me” video
• Complete a PP about the CJ career you have chosen
• Complete the “Create a Schedule Project.”
•  In class – Career Testing – ” Is Criminal Justice the Career for You?”
• In class schedule modification

Goals:

To introduce FYS students to the following:

1. To develop in students the required academic skills and tools necessary for Criminal Justice majors, including formal writing, grammar and use of APA form and citations
2. To provide students with an overview of the American system of Criminal Justice and its core institutions (Police, Courts, Corrections)
3. To expose students to a special topic in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, Corrections, Human Rights, Policing.  The impact of race, class and politics on Criminal Justice administration at the individual, national and/or global level
4. To introduce students to the concepts and importance of discretion and ethics in criminal justice
5. To provide students with an overview of the range and realities of careers in Criminal Justice.  Includes – Networking, Internships, Resume writing, Education and Experience.
6. Introduce students to LaGuardia and John Jay academic requirements and how to transitioning process.
7. How to have a successful academic career – scheduling!

Assessments