Students

PICT102 – Policing and Crime

2013 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
James Martin
Contact via james.martin@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit aims to introduce students to policing and the role of the police in crime investigation, crime prevention and social control. It will explore the history and purpose of policing and the police, how the police force are structured, managed and governed, police powers and accountability. The unit will then explore contemporary issues in policing such as policing transnational crime.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Tutorial/online participation 10% Throughout semester
Paper summary 20% 16/8
Mid-semester quiz 10% 16/9
End-of-semester quiz 10% 11/11
Research essay plan 10% 30/9
Research essay 40% 4/11

Tutorial/online participation

Due: Throughout semester
Weighting: 10%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;

Paper summary

Due: 16/8
Weighting: 20%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;

Mid-semester quiz

Due: 16/9
Weighting: 10%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;

End-of-semester quiz

Due: 11/11
Weighting: 10%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;

Research essay plan

Due: 30/9
Weighting: 10%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Research essay

Due: 4/11
Weighting: 40%


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Delivery and Resources

UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

You should spend an average of at least 9 hours per week on this unit. This includes attending or listening to recorded lectures prior to tutorial discussions and reading weekly required readings detailed in iLearn.

Internal students are expected to actively participate in tutorials. This involves appropriate preparation before class (i.e. listening to online lecture content and completing required weekly readings). Students should provide relevant document (e.g. a medical certificate) if they miss a tutorial.

External students are required to contribute to on-line discussions. Further information regarding online discussion requirements are available on iLearn.

 

REQUIRED READINGS

The citations for all the required readings for this unit are available to enrolled students students through the unit iLearn site and at Macquarie University's Library EReserve site. Readings will be posted to the unit iLearn site as Session 1 progresses, and electronic copies may be accessed at the EReserve site.

The core text for this unit is Broadhurst, R and Davies, S (2012) Policing in Context: An Introduction to Police Work in Australia, Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

 

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Personal PC and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.

The unit can only be accessed by enrolled students online through http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

 

SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS

All assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically. This will only happen through the unit iLearn site.

Assessment tasks must be submitted as a MS word document by the due date.

All assessment tasks will be subject to a 'TurnitIn' review as an automatic part of the submission process.

The granting of extensions of up to two weeks are at the discretion of the unit convenor and tutorial staff. Any requests for extensions must be made in writing before the due date for the submission of the assessment task. Extensions beyond two weeks are subject to special consideration. The policy for this is detailed under Policy and Procedures.

 

LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKS

All assignments which are received after the due date, and where no extension has been granted by the course convener or tutor, will incur a deduction of 5% for the first day, and 2% for each subsequent day including the day on which the work is received. Weekends and public holidays are included.  

 

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION

Students who are prevented from completing any of the work required to complete this unit should report the circumstances via an Application for Special Consideration form to the Registrar's Office. This letter must be accompanied by a completed Professional Authority Form

(http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/Special%20Consideration.html) or other proper evidence.

Unit Schedule

Module 1 - Introduction to the unit

Module 2 - History of modern policing

Module 3 - Police training and culture

Module 4 - Policing strategies

Module 5 - Weapons and the use of force

Module 6 - Police crimes and corruption

Module 7 - Reform, management and organisation of police

Module 8 - Riots, protest and policing dissent

Module 9 - Policing ethnically and culturally diverse communities

Module 10 - Paramilitary and counter-terrorism policing

Module 11 - Transnational crime and international policing

Module 12 - Private and plural policing

Module 13 - Informal policing and vigilantism

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

UniWISE provides:

  • Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.students.mq.edu.au/support/learning_skills/
  • Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions.
  • The Learning Help Desk is located in the Library foyer (level 2).
  • Online and on-campus orientation events run by Mentors@Macquarie.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/.

IT Help

If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Paper summary
  • Mid-semester quiz
  • End-of-semester quiz
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Paper summary
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Paper summary
  • Mid-semester quiz
  • End-of-semester quiz
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Research, locate and summarise academic texts;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Paper summary
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Describe the historical development of contemporary policing, as well as police structures, management, powers, as well as reform and accountability mechanisms;
  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Paper summary
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Engage in informed, scholarly policing-related debate with staff and fellow students;
  • Critically explore contemporary issues in policing, including: training and culture; strategies; ethics, corruption and accountability; and the use of force.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial/online participation
  • Research essay plan
  • Research essay