Criminal Justice : The University of Akron, Ohio

Program

For questions and additional information please contact:

Prof. David Licate
Professor

Olin 235
The University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325–1920
licate@uakron.edu
330–972–7392

Honors Project Course Information

CRJU:498—Honors Research in Criminal Justice (3 credits; may be repeated for a total of six credits)
Prerequisites: Senior standing in Honors Program and permission. Students are expected to perform 3 hours of research-related work each week for each credit hour enrolled. If a project extends past one semester (this is common) the student will receive the grade of “Incomplete” (I) for the first semester and subsequent semesters until the project is completed.

General Information

The purpose of the Honors project in Criminal Justice is to provide students with the opportunity to conduct original research under the supervision of a faculty project sponsor. The information below presents specific departmental guidelines, expectations and advice for honors students preparing to participate in the honors research experience in Criminal Justice.

Course Work Preparation

Honors Students are encouraged to take research design, data analysis or statistics, and advanced course work related to their area of research interest prior to engaging in the honors research project.

Finding a Faculty Sponsor and Readers

Sponsors for Criminal Justice honors projects are generally faculty from the Criminal Justice Department, but not always. In the past students have worked with faculty and instructors from outside the department that have expertise in research areas related to crime and justice. It is important to obtain permission from the Criminal Justice Department’s Honors Advisor before beginning projects outside of the Criminal Justice Department.

Each proposal will have two readers beyond the sponsor which will be agreed upon by the student and the sponsor at the time of submitting the research proposal. The role of the readers is to give feedback and suggest changes for the final thesis.

Format and Style

Sponsors will set clear expectations regarding the content and form of the final honors project. Students should ask their project sponsor about expectations concerning how their work will be graded, how long the proposed research is expected to take to complete, how many honors project credits they should take and when (i.e., summer, fall or spring), what form the final written work is expected to take, and if they expect the research to be presented in any form in addition to a formal paper (e.g. poster presentation at a meeting).

Timeline and Schedule

The Department of Criminal Justice Studies recommends that students obtain a faculty sponsor in the first semester of their junior year for their Honors Research Project. Early in the second semester of the junior year, students should work with their sponsor to determine a topic for the research project. We recommend that students identify a sponsor and complete the research proposal process as soon as possible during their junior year as many research projects may take between 6 and 12 months to adequately conduct the necessary research and analysis (e.g., some projects may require original data collection). Identifying a faculty project sponsor early on is the best thing a student can do to have a successful project experience. Early preparation is critical if the honors student plans to use the final project as part of an application to graduate school or other professional pursuits following graduation.

Students should consult the Williams Honors College website as soon as possible to become familiar with the requirements, calendar, and submission process for all honors projects. This information can be found on the Honors Project Website. The final year will be spent completing the research process (i.e., data collection, analysis, writing the final thesis document) under the supervision of the project sponsor.

General Guidelines

You must receive a grade of "B" or higher on your Honors Research Project to graduate as an Honors Scholar. If you do not achieve this grade you may still meet the requirements to graduate as an undergraduate student in your major. Please contact your Honors Advisor for more information.
When there are multiple students involved in an Honors Research Project, each student should be included as authors on the final report, even if they are not part of the Williams Honors College. Every student should receive the proper recognition for thier contributions.
Every committee must be composed of a Sponsor and two Readers. More information on these roles is available here.
Students expecting to work on an honors project involving the use of human subjects should be aware that such projects may need to be evaluated by the University of Akron Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews all proposals for research involving human participants to insure appropriate ethical and safety standards are observed. Depending on the nature of the proposed research, IRB review and approval may be required prior to moving forward with your study. In the same way, any research involving live animals will require review by the University of Akron Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). Please communicate with your project sponsor regarding the need for IRB or ACUC consideration as it relates to your specific project. Information concerning research applications and review procedures can be obtained via the University of Akron Office of Research Administration (ORA).

For questions, comments, and/or suggestions please contact:

Dr. Matt Wyszynski
Senior Associate Dean, Williams Honors College
The University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325–1803
330-972-8407
wyszynski@uakron.edu