Research Project

Course Project

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Research Project

The research project for this course requires students to identify a criminal justice professional field in which they would be interested in pursuing a career. If the student already works in the criminal justice field they can use their current position as the basis for this project. The course research project will be due during Unit VI.

The objectives of the course research project are:

• Identify and analyze three competencies required within the selected field of criminal justice.
• Compare and contrast the competencies within the field to the student’s own knowledge, skills, and abilities and identify one goal the student would like to set for themselves.

Students will be required to not only research various aspects of the selected field, but must also interview an individual that currently works in the selected field. Students are encouraged to select the criminal justice field that will serve as the basis of their research project and send it to their instructor for approval, as well as the type of individual they plan to interview, no later than the end of Unit II.

When interviewing the professional working in the selected criminal justice field, students should consider asking the following types of questions:

• Why did you decide to work in this field of criminal justice?
• What are three key skills or competencies a person must possess to be successful in this field of criminal justice?  What steps should a person take to prepare themselves for working in this field of criminal justice?
• What types of substantive changes do you currently see occurring or foresee occurring within this field of criminal justice?

The research project paper should consist of the following sections:

• Introduction: This section identifies the criminal justice field that the student has selected and includes a brief description of why this field is of interest to the student. (Recommended length: no more than 1 page)
• Competencies: In this section students will identify at least two competencies required for the selected criminal justice field and explain why each is important to the field. This section should be based upon research that the student has conducted about the selected field and supported with cited resources. (Recommended length: 1 page)
• Professional interview: In this section students will summarize the interview conducted with a professional working in their selected field of criminal justice. It is important for students to begin this section by identifying the person interviewed and their current position within the selected criminal justice field. (Recommended length: 1 – 2 pages)
• Evaluation: In this section students will evaluate the selected field of criminal justice by discussing the following questions and supporting their responses with cited resources (Recommended length: 1 – 2 pages)

• How did the competencies you identified for this field of criminal justice align or differ from the information obtained during the interview with a criminal justice professional?
• What learning goal would you like to set for yourself during this course/month/year based on the skillsets and requirements discovered during your research and based upon the interview with a criminal justice professional?

While the level of detail in each section of the research paper will vary, it is anticipated that the final paper will be approximately 4–6 pages in length, not counting the cover and reference pages. Please review the Papers General Guidelines document to obtain a description of other formatting requirements.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

APA Guidelines

The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide in the myCSU Student Portal by clicking on the “Citation Resources” link in the “Learning Resources” area. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center.