St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Organized Crime
CCJ 4641

Dr. David Fabianic

THE FOLLOWING PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS IS A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE ON ORGANIZED CRIME. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE SPECIFIC DETAILS NOR IS IT THE FINAL SYLLABUS FOR ANY SPECIFIC TERM. THE SPECIFIC COURSE INFORMATION WILL BECOME AVAILABLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TERM IN WHICH THE COURSE IS OFFERED.

PRELIMINARY COURSE SYLLABUS

This course is asynchronous and therefore has no specific, regular meeting time. However, there are some examination and assignments deadlines which must be followed. In addition, it is essential that you access this course on a daily basis to check for messages and Discussions Page postings.

WARNING: There are important technical issues regarding WebCT. Please Click HERE for more information.

Instructor:

Dr. David Fabianic, Professor
Office: HPA1-321
Phone: (407) 823-5940 (Voice mail is available.)
Private e-mail: fabianic@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
Course e-mail: Organized Crime with a subject line including ccj4641
Fax number: (407) 823-5360

Address:

Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
HPA1-321
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816-1600

General Office Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; and by appointment.

Course Description

This course will examine the topic of organized crime, its emergence in American society, its activities, and its relationship to other principal social institutions and components of the criminal justice system. It will include a review of the role played by various ethnic and racial groups, a consideration of the historical, economic, social, legal, and political events which led to the generation of organized crime and its history; the relationship of organized crime to federal, state, and local politics; the activities of organized crime figures; policies designed to combat organized crime; and some explanations for the persistence of organized crime.

Caution

Organized crime includes violence, and some of the information and material in this course may be harsh and offensive to some people. Those who might be offended by descriptions or images of violence should not take this course.

Course Objectives

• To provide an acquaintance and understanding of organized crime, its history, and the cultural basis for its existence.
• To assimilate knowledge about organized crime and learn how to interpret this information in relation to intellectual perspectives and current social environment.
• To become aware of the techniques of asking questions, defining problems, and the methods of obtaining information pertaining to items of concern.
• To enhance and exercise knowledge and skills compatible with good education.
• To present and analyze current issues associated with orghanized crime and inform students of the complexity of the problems associated with prosecuting organized crime.
• To learn and improve the techniques and strategies associated on-line learning.
• To utilize the web to learn more about the subject matter.

Course Access

Access to the course will be possible after registration is complete and the term has begun. (Occasionally, the course can be opened a few days before the official beginning of the term.) All students whose names appear on the class roll compiled by the Registrar's Office will be able to access the course material that is available at that time. To access the course, click on the "Login" button on the Welcome Page.

At the beginning of the term, you will need a NID (Network ID) to access the course. (This is not to be confused with the PID or Personal ID, that was issued to you for enrollment purposes) In order to get your NID go to the following site and follow the instructions. Your NID will be the first two letters of your first name followed by six randomly generated numbers. Your initial password will be P, followed by the two digit year, month and day of your birth. These two items (the NID and the Password) will grant you access to the course homepage.

http://reach.ucf.edu/passwords

Only students who have officially enrolled in the course will be able to access these pages. Please allow up to 48 hours after you have enrolled for your name to appear on the official roster. If you have problems accessing the course after this, contact me. Once you have entered the course, your primary source of information will be the Discussions Page, so check it regularly for messages and instructions. When you first enter the course, there will be a message on the Discussions Page providing you with further instructions.

Summer Course

For those people intending to take this course during the Summer term, if it is offered, it will likely be in either term A or B. Both A and B terms are approximately five to six weeks long. This means in an abbreviated time period students will be taking a course in five or six weeks that during the regular semester is delivered in fourteen or fifteen weeks. Students should be aware that although the time period for the course in A or B terms is abbreviated, the course material, information, and coverage will not be. Students enrolling in A or B term in Summer session will be obligated to cover the same material that students cover during the regular school term in fourteen or fifteen weeks. The compression of the course does not mean reduction of coverage.

Course Format

A large amount of information and reading will be made available to students, and students' progress will be determined by personal initiatives and efforts. The course is designed and intended for motivated self-learners. Please be aware that this course involves a significant amount of reading, and the examinations are timed. Students who not respond well to this type of format probably would be better off taking the course in the traditional classroom setting.

As previously stated, this course is reading intensive. There is a fair amount of material to be covered, and this requires your attention and diligence. If you are not prepared to provide the required effort, please do not continue with the course because you will only be disappointed. Similarly, although the exams are posted on the web, they are timed. Some students do not like the idea of having exams timed on the web. If you are one of them, please drop the course now to avoid disappointment.

This course will be divided into twelve or more units. Each unit will have a reading assignment. In addition, study questions will be provided for you for each unit. These study questions to assist you through the information and need not be submitted to me. I will also provide a "Unit Overview" which will consist of an overview of the unit, commentary on the reading, or additional information on the subject matter. The purpose of the Unit exercise is to assist your preparation for each section of the course as well as provide additional information pertaining to the subject matter.

In addition, throughout the course, there will be web assignments. You will be asked to seek out certain information, or you will be asked to go to a particular place and see what is there. Students will be expected to participate in the development and elaboration of the Links and Media pages.

You will be examined incrementally. Usually three examinations are given which may include essay questions and well as multiple-choice and short answer questions. The final grade will be comprised of the following:

• Examinations: At least 80%, and usually close to 100%. However, the right is reserved to include credit for other work that could constitute as much as 20% of the final course grade. Throughout the term, students will accumulate points from examinations. Exam grades, and the final course grades, will be determined by using the total number of points accumulated throughout the term. This means that those students with the highest scores will receive the better grades and those with low scores will receive the poorer grades. Grades will not be decided by predetermined percentages or scale. The grading scale will vary from one examination to another as the total number of possible points varies. Usually, the students receiving point totals that are in the top 10 percent of the class are those that get the A's; the B's are usually made up of approximately the next 20 percent; the C's consist of approximately the next 40 percent; the D's approximately the next 20 percent; and the F's are approximately the lowest 10 percent. Please note that these percentage designations are approximate and the actual distribution will vary. The final grade in this course will be determined by an accumulation of points throughout the semester and the satisfaction of all course requirements. No predetermined percentage scale will be used in relation to a letter grade. Plus and minus grades will not be given. Grades will not be changed unless there has been a mathematical error in its calculation.

• Again, at least 80%, and usually up to 100%, of the final grade is determined by the examinations. Web assignments, participation on the Discussion Pages, and other required or voluntary work may be allotted credit at the discretion of the instructor. Generally, students who make consistent, insightful and intelligent comments on the Discussion Pages may be given some benefit if their final course grade is marginal at the end of the term.

• Credit will be subtracted for lack of professionalism on-line. Please remember to always be courteous of others, including me.

• You are required to complete all assignments in a timely manner.

• Also, please note that you are responsible for checking the Discussion Pages, mail, and email daily in order to receive messages, additional assignments, etc.

Textbooks

Organized Crime by Kenney and Finckenauer,
published by Wadsworth. (ISBN 0-534-24702-4)

Organized Crime: Contemporary Issues
by Greenhaven Press. (ISBN 1-56510-890-6)

These books are available at the campus bookstore. Area Campus bookstores have not been apprised of the textbooks for this course. If you are located off campus, call the campus bookstore and place an order. They can mail the order to you.

Examination Dates

Examination dates will be posted at the beginning of the current term.

Examination Dates
Test	Posted	Due
FIRST EXAM	TBA TBA	TBA TBA
SECOND EXAM	TBA TBA	TBA TBA
THIRD EXAM	TBA TBA	TBA TBA

Please make the necessary arrangements to take the examinations at the scheduled times once they are posted. If you cannot take the exams during the scheduled times, drop the course. Please do not ask for some exception to this because of a wedding, vacation, court appearances or some other foreseeable circumstance.

In the event of a hurricane, an announcement will be made via the main discussion page concerning examination status.

More On Examinations

With regard to examinations, I will make certain assumptions about your level of preparedness coming into this course, and your ability to communicate. This is a course for college juniors, seniors, and advanced sophomores, and I assume you are capable of functioning at that level. And take special heed of this: The examinations are very detailed.

A word or two about the examinations is in order because I want everyone to understand a few things about them before proceeding in the course. The examinations for this course may consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The exact form will not be determined until shortly before the exam is given. If the exam includes essay questions, you must be prepared to respond accordingly. Obviously, essay examinations (questions) are different than multiple choice examinations (questions), and in fact an essay examination given over the web is a bit different from other essay examinations you may have taken in a regular classroom setting. The standards of performance are high. You will be given the questions and a time limit in which to respond. I will assume that anyone can search out a request for information and copy it to an answer. Some answers may require a modicum of this practice. However, most questions will involve the assumption that you have thought about the material and information that was assigned, and that you are able to integrate and synthesize that information into your existing frame of reference of American society. I will assume you have disgested the information and you are able to draw conclusions and defend them. This means that if you wait until the test questions are posted to react, or you believe that you can simply "cut and paste" the answers to the questions, you are making a mistake. Good answers will require thoughtful responses, and this assumes you have the mastered the information, and taken the time to think about it. Keep in mind, this is not a course of "go look it up after you are asked." You should prepare for the examinations as thoroughly as you would for an examination in a "live" class.

Essay questions are involved in the examinations and for each response I will be looking for particular items to appear in your answers. Some of these items will come directly from the text or overviews. Others do not necessarily appear in the text or the overiews. They should emerge as a result of your thinking about the material and being aware of basic American history and culture, etc. I am open to any presentation of thought if it is well documented, well presented, and to the point. This is subjective, of course, but essay examinations are subjective. If anyone is uncomfortable with this prospect, I recommend rethinking taking the course. And again, the final determination of the format for an examination will not be made until shortly before the exam is given.

Online courses are very convenient for students. But convenience should not be equated with being easy. I will insist on the same level of quality from online students as I do in a regular course. It is not my intention to punish people or to deliberately make things difficult. By the same token, students should not think that an online course is an excuse for neglect of academic responsibility. Please be prepared to conscientiously work and give this course the attention it deserves.

You are required to complete ALL assignments in the course in order to pass. The instructor reserves the right to reduce the final course grade significantly if all assignments have not been completed.

Do Your Own Work

You are expected to do your own work in this course. I reserve the right to require students to verify their identity and come to campus for further examination over course material.

What I Expect of You

My expectations for you are simple and conventional. To begin, I expect you to comport yourself as you would for any academic offering. This includes participation in the class through the Discussions Page. Your participation may be little or great, but I expect to hear from all of you several times throughout the term.

Second, I expect you to treat all communications professionally and respectfully. Please treat others with courtesy and politeness. We can, and will, differ on many topics, but let us be civil about it.

Third, I expect you to progress in a timely manner through the course. Units will be posted on a regular basis, but I will not post all the units in advance. Instead, a few units will be posted at a time to permit people to work at their own pace on the one hand, but discourage others from falling too far behind on the other. I also expect you to respond to all assignments in a timely fashion as well.

Fourth, the technology for this experience makes me vulnerable to "communication overload." Consequently, I expect you to help me keep this problem manageable.

Fifth, I expect you to be patient. This is a new medium and there will be difficulties. However, we will manage them as they appear and the course will proceed. The University has experience in this method of instruction, and we will be able to overcome most problems with your cooperation and a bit of patience.

Sixth, I expect you to do your own work and to stand by the work you do.

Last, I will need a current and valid email address for you at all times during the course. Email will be an important form of communication, so this is a must. If you change addresses during the term, please notify me.

What You Can Expect From Me

You can expect from me everything I expect from you. In addition, you can expect the best effort I can lend to this experience to make it a success.

Class Discussions Page

This site will be where you can find class discussion and commentary. Everyone will be able to access this site and all communications to this site will be open to everyone in the class. It can be used for comments among yourselves about the course, or about technical problems you are having. Statements made on this site do not require an answer from me, although I will likely do so if it seems appropriate. Also, notices about course business may also be posted here.

The use of the Discussion pages is explained under Course Tools on the course Home Page. The Main Discussion Page is reserved for newsworthy postings, general information, course instructions and announcements, etc. Participation in the posted discussion pages is voluntary. Generally, students who make consistent, insightful, and intelligent comments on all the Discussion Pages may receive some benefit at the end of the term if their final course grades are marginal. Approximately 10 to 12 separate discussion topics will be posted throughout the term and these discussion topics will be open for at least 48 hours. They will usually conclude with a comment from me and then they will close. If you wish to contribute to a discussion, if must be done within the period the discussion page is open. No posting will be credited after a particular discussion page has closed.

Plagiarism

You are expected to do your own work in this course. Violations of academic honesty will be processed in accordance with the rules and procedures stated in student handbook, The Golden Rule. I reserve the right to require students to verify their identity and come to campus for further examination over course material. Cheating and plagiarism in any form is unacceptable in this course and will be dealt with using the most extreme measures possible. Plagiarism is misrepresenting, in any way, shape, or form, someone else's work as your own, or assisting in anyone else's effort to cheat or plagiarize. If you have doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, you are not prepared to take this course. Enrollment in this course means that you accept the responsibility for knowing what plagiarism is, and furthermore it indicates a commitment not to do it. For a refresher in plagiarism, check the relevant student handbook and the Golden Rule.

Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are places you can go to have active, current conversations with others in the class. Essentially, students organize their own chat rooms if they are interested. More information will be provided to you at a later date concerning the use of chat rooms.

Office

This site (fabianic@mail.ucf.edu) is my electronic office and is one way you can reach me. However, the preferred way is through the course mail system which can be accessed from the course home page. You can reach me by addressing your message to "Dr. Fabianic". Both of these addresses constitute my electronic office. Here is where you will come if you need specific assistance away from other students, etc. These communications are private, unless you gossip a lot. Remember, the private mail system included in the course format should be your principal method of communicating with me.

Links Survey

This site will consist of a listing of material which is germane to the topic. You will be required to visit each of the sites and evaluate each according to a form which will be provided to you. Some of the material I am familiar with, but much of it I will post only because I have encountered it or it is recommended. Please understand that I am not endorsing everything that is posted. Also, be aware, that some of what appears on the Web and out there in cyberspace is weak, misleading or fallacious. In addition, some sites contain graphic material and may offend some viewers. If this occurs, you may ignore the site unless it is an assigned one.

And finally, web sites come and go in that some of those listed may have been discontinued, temporarily or permanently, and I am unaware of it. The listed sites are tested once prior to the term and if a site is still valid it is retained in the list. Some of the sites become inactive during the term. If you encounter an inactive site, try again some other day. If it remains inactive after several tries, ignore it.

Books, Films and Videos

This is a list of books, films and videos about some aspect of organized crime. It is presented for your information and interest. Many of the videos appear regularly on A & E, Discovery Channel, or PBS. Click on this site regularly, which is listed in the "Links" section, to get the schedule for the showing of relevant material.

Technology

Online courses are relatively new and I am not an expert on the technology. The online course program at UCF, through the Office of Course Development, has hired several people to serve in this capacity. Therefore, we will be beholding to these folks to provide us with the answers we need in order to get the right equipment and use it properly. In general, you need to be on the internet to begin with, and have access to the World Wide Web (WWW). You also need to have electronic mail capability. If you need assistance, more information is available concerning this at the Office of Course Development. Ask to speak to a Tech Ranger at (407) 823-3808. This is also the number to call if you have technical problems with the course throughout the term.

Getting Started

Although many of you want to get started immediately, it is necessary to proceed with some deliberation. Once you have successfully registered for the course, I must have a correct address for all students enrolled in order to build an email mailing list. In order to accomplish this, I need you to update your email address as instructed in the "eCommunity" section below.

When you have enrolled and the course is opened, you may access the course by following the instructions above. Once into the Course Home Page, click on the Discussions Page icon, look for a message from "Dr. Fabianic" entitled "Welcome", and read what is there. Then explore the other icons on the Home Page, especially the "Course Tools", which will assist you.

eCommunity

The eCommunity is a centralized place where you can post email, biographies, and photos for the rest of the class to access. You should go to the eCommunity site and verify or update your latest email address. A full description of the eCommunity is provided at http://reach.ucf.edu/ecommunity/what.html. The eCommunity is will be available at http://ecommunity.ucf.edu/ecommunity.