Category Archives: Assignments

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STEP 9: DARE Post-Assessment Due Date December 14th

Assignments,

Dear students,

This is an important post about a required class activity. The course in which you are enrolled is participating in a project funded by the National Science Foundation to improve students’ quantitative literacy skills. As a result of our participation in this initiative, during the semester I am administering two rounds of assessments that focus on quantitative reasoning skills. Your participation in these assessments is a required classroom activity and counts towards attendance/participation. However, you have a choice as to whether or not you want your data to be used for research purposes. Please watch the video here to learn more about this project:

https://tinyurl.com/NSFDARE

In order to receive attendance/class participation credit, you must complete the post-assessment by December 14th. Your participation in these assessments is very important to evaluate the effectiveness of faculty efforts to teach quantitative data analysis. In some classes, students will complete the assessments even if they do not participate in any quantitative literacy activities. In other classes, they will undertake quantitative data analysis.

We ask that you kindly treat the assessments seriously as the results are important for understanding how we can effectively improve our curriculum. Your performance on the assessment has no bearing on your grade in this course and will never be used to evaluate you personally. That said, please try your best, but don’t try to look up answers as that will negatively impact our research.

Meanwhile, you do have the option of deciding whether you want your results to be used for research purposes. Regardless of whether or not you choose to participate in this research, the assessment you complete for class will be the same. However, if you choose to participate in the research, you will be paid $5.00 for your completion of the assessment and you will be asked some additional background questions.

The principal investigators for this project, including Esther Wilder (Lehman College), Rebecca West (Lehman College), and Eduardo Vianna (LaGuardia Community College), would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to allow your data to be used for research. If you choose to do that, the research team will protect the confidentiality of your data. We can only provide compensation ($5) to students who are participants in this research study.

The link for the assessment is here:

https://tinyurl.com/DAREPostAssessmentFall22

Thank you for taking the time to do this!

The DARE Team

Submit your paper

Step 8

Assignments,

Step Eight: Draft of the Research Report (Due 12/7) 

Draft a five-page research brief research report that formalizes your CRJ 102 DARE Project research results and experience. Address the following: 

  • Your research question – what was it and why did you choose it? 
  • Your hypothesis – what was it and why did you settle on it? 
  • Your data sources.
  • Your data analysis process – describe how you analyzed the data from your research question. 
  • Present the table and graph. How did you construct each? What are the dimensions/axis and components of each? How does each help you to both answer and present your research question and findings?
  • Your written analysis. What does the data reveal? Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect? Why do you think it was/wasn’t so? What do your findings mean? What theory could be helpful in explaining the results? 
  • Describe your experience using the Google Suite to collect, analyze, and present sociological data. How easy/difficult was that experience? What did you like/dislike about it? 
  • How would you describe your quantitative reasoning skills (and confidence in those skills) prior to your participation in this course? How would you describe them now?

Share your draft in the OpenLab reflecting on the bullet points above. Offer feedback to at least two of your classmates’ reports.  

Grading Rubric

18 – 20 15 – 1712 – 149 – 1110 and lower
ThesisClearly stated and appropriately focused.Clearly stated by focus could have been sharper.Thesis phrasing is too simple lacks complexity, or is not clearly worded.Thesis lacks a clear objective and/or does not fit the content of the paper.Thesis is not evident.
Tables/GraphsTables and graphs are properly formatted and labeled, and are free of quantitative errors.The tables and graphs are mostly correct, but there are a few errors.Tables and graphs have several errors.Tables and graphs have numerous errors.Tables and graphs are missing or problematic.
Data AnalysisClear and insightful descriptions and interpretations of the data that are statistically and logically correct. The data are correctly interpreted, but thoughtful insights are absent.There are mistakes in data interpretations or insights.The errors in interpretation are numerous. The data have not been analyzed or interpreted. 
OrganizationThe paper has an informative title. It is broken down into coherent sections and subsections with informative titles. The paper has an informative title. It is broken down into sections.
The paper has an informative title. The paper isn’t not clearly broken down into sections. 
The paper does not demonstrate clear organization, the title is missing. 
Absence of planned organization. 
Style and LanguagePrecise and effective word choice and style. Generally correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.Minimal mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.Several awkward and/or unclear sentences; problems with word choice.No apparent control over sentence structure and word choice. 

Completing this assignment will help you achieve the student learning outcomes required in a 100-level criminology class. It will also contribute to developing your capacity for clear, cogent, and well-organized writing, a capacity that is useful to acquire whatever career you’ll end up embarking on. Finally, your participation in the DARE program will contribute to developing your capacity for qualitative reasoning for understanding data and interpreting tables and graphs.

11/15-11/17 Online Assignment: Case Study

Assignments

Case Study

You have recently been appointed as the chief of police of a large urban police department. One of the primary problems your department is facing is the increasing gang and drug activity in the downtown area. Citizens have complained that the gangs have vandalized the buildings and taken over abandoned houses in the neighborhood for drug activity and prostitution. There also has been an increase in violent crimes including assaults, drive-by shootings, robberies, and homicides. As the chief, you have to decide how to address these issues.

  1. What are some indications that this neighborhood is suffering from social disorganization?
  2. Describe in detail a plan to “take back the neighborhood.” Your plan should describe the role of the police chief, the police officers, the community (people living in the community and community leaders), and the mayor.

How can you try to ensure your plan will be effective? Be specific.

Comment below and reply to 2 classmates. Deadline: November 20th

STEP SEVEN: GRAPHS & TABLES

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GRAPHS & TABLES (DUE DATE 11/17)

Once the data are imported into Google Sheets, you will need to analyze them. The training on how to use Google Sheets will be provided during class in a computer lab. Subsequent training will be offered by appointment. 

You will begin to analyze a particular aspect of the data that has been collected. To analyze our data, we will start by summarizing our data using descriptive statistics. You will then explore the relationships between the two variables that interest you (from your research question and hypothesis). This will be represented in tables that include raw and percentage data. Together we will learn to create tables and charts in Google Sheets that can help us display the data related to our research questions of interest. Each student will then compile these tables and charts into an OpenLab post. 

For example, you will show a Line Graph of a chosen crime ( homicide, for example) in your neighborhood, and rates for this crime at the state, and the national level for the past 10 years. You will also calculate percentage change for your picked crime comparing such percentage change in your neighborhood.

Here is how to create a line graph in Google Sheets:

Make a time series graph in google sheets

Here is how to calculate percentage change in Google Sheets: Percentage, Percent Change, Percent Increase, Percent of Total Formulas – Google Sheets Tutorial

Here is how to calculate rate per 100,000 for a chosen crime: Crime Rate = Total Crime / Population *100,000 [use population from Step 6]

Your analysis post will include: 

  • reflections on your tables (How does your pivot/bivariate table help you to both answer your research question and present your research findings?)
  • reflections on your line graph (How does the graph help you to answer and present your research question and findings?); 
  • Reflection on crime trends in your chosen crime at the local, state and national levels. 
  • Reflection how the chosen crime (homicide, for example) increased or decreased as a percentage of all violent/property crimes.
  • Was your hypothesis supported? Why do you think it was/wasn’t so?

Example of Line Graph of Homicide As Related to All Violent Crime (using Newark NJ Summary Crime Data from FBI) (the chart is linked to data in Google Sheets)

Examples of Line Charts (Crime Data from FBI) (the chart is linked to data in Google Sheets). 

Example of a Line Chart Comparing State and National Homicide Rates (the chart is linked to data in Google Sheets). 

Share your analysis in the OpenLab and write a short post reflecting on the bullet points above. Offer feedback to at least two of your classmates’ reflections.  

STEP SIX

Assignments, ,

Step Six: Download Neighborhood Profile Data from NYU Furman Center’s New York City Neighborhood Data Profiles (Due 10/30)

Go to the NYU Furman Center’s New York City Neighborhood Data Profiles website (your exact neighborhood name may not be included, so pick the one closest to it. It may also be combined with another neighborhood). After you select the neighborhood, you will be redirected to a page for the neighborhood that has descriptions for DEMOGRAPHICS, HOUSING, and NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND CONDITIONS. This is your neighborhood “DATA PROFILE.” Download these data and import them to Google Sheets.

If you live outside of New York City, you may pick your town overall, as opposed to a neighborhood. Such data can be gleaned from the US Census. I have found information on my town (Bloomfield, NJ) from this site, you can see it here. 

Share your Google Sheets link in the OpenLab and write a short post reflecting on the data you accessed from this source. Are you surprised by any of data points? What are your expectations of how this is related to the overall DARE project?  Offer feedback to at least two of your classmates’ reflections.  

Here is an example of what data would look like for the neighborhood you chose (see Neighborhood Data Profile sheet):  Neighborhood Data Profile

STEP 5: Download Data from FBI and NYPD Precinct

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In this step, you are asked to download crime data from your neighborhood as well as state and national data. Go to the FBI crime Data Explorer and filter data by State and download US and state data. Go to your local police data (NYPD for most of you) and choose your home precinct and download historical crime data and then import it into Google Sheets. 

Share your Google Sheets link in the OpenLab and write a short post reflecting on the data you accessed from this source. Are you surprised by any of the data points? What are your expectations of how this is related to the overall DARE project? Write about the advantages and disadvantages of official crime data. Offer feedback to at least two of your classmates’ reflections.  

Here is how to download data and import data into Google Sheets:

How to import or convert a CSV file into Google Sheets

Here is an example of what data would look like for the precinct you chose: Data for DARE Assignment

Due Date: October 18th

Step Four: Develop a Research Hypothesis

Assignments

A research hypothesis is a statement of expectation or prediction that will be tested by research. Based on your research question, your research hypothesis will predict a relationship between variables.

Through the analysis of data in the subsequent steps, you provide empirical support for your hypothesis.

If you were interested in exploring how crime rates have changed in your neighborhood/town compared to those in the state and the country overall, you might hypothesize that the crime rates in your neighborhood increased, decreased, or stayed the same in comparison with the state and the national crime rates. You will need to pick a specific crime, such as homicide, hypothesize the direction of such change in your neighborhood/town, and compare it to the state and national homicide data.

An example of a research hypothesis can be as follows: The homicide trends in Newark NJ will follow the trends in New Jersey and the US, overall. As the homicide rates increase in Newark, NJ so will the state and national homicide rates. 

Describe your research hypothesis in an OpenLab post. Share feedback on at least two classmates’ research hypotheses.

DUE DATE: October 2nd

STEP THREE: Develop a Research Question (Due 9/18)

Assignments

A research question is a question around which you center your research. It should be:

clear: it provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand its purpose without needing additional explanation.

focused: it is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space the writing task allows.

concise: it is expressed in the fewest possible words.

complex: it is not answerable with a simple “yes” or “no,” but rather requires synthesis and analysis of ideas and sources prior to the composition of an answer.

arguable: its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts.

For this project, your research question should primarily concern analyzing crime trends in your neighborhood and comparing them to crime trends in New York City, the state, and the country overall.   

Describe your research question in an OpenLab post. Share feedback on at least two classmates’ research question posts.