Monday/Wednesday 8am-9:15am
This course presents the psychophysiology of crisis situations, such as: crisis communication, use of force, suicide and the psychology of self-destruction, domestic violence, injuries, and other forms of interpersonal conflicts and violence. Students will develop strategies for professional assessment, intervention and follow-up in these situations.
Faculty Contact Information
Monday-Thursday 12:30p-4:00p
Dr. Melvina Calvin-Edwards
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and explain the social and psychological aspects of crisis situations in law enforcement.
- Effectively identify and discuss major crisis situations.
- Effectively discuss and explain effective assessment and intervention strategies.
- Recognize and identify the factors involved in victimology.
- Explain orally and in writing the responsibilities of police officers in situations of crisis/conflict.
- Discuss and explain in writing major law enforcement crisis/conflict situations.
- Discuss and apply strategies to effectively assess and intervene in crisis/conflict situations.
- Demonstrate sensitivity, active listening and communication skills.
- The Problem of Crisis
- Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Psychophysiology of Crisis
- Crisis Communication
- Use of Force
- The Tactical Response
- Suicide and the Psychology of Self-Destruction
- The Crisis of Domestic Violence
- The Victims of Crisis
- The Hostage Crisis
- Responding to Mass Panic
- The Cult Mindset and the Doomsday Crisis
- The Crisis of Mental Illness
- The Institutional Crisis
- Crisis in the Courtroom
- The Cost of Crisis: When the Helpers Need Helped
Harmening, W. Crisis Intervention. 2014. Pearson.
Stamper, N. (2016). To protect and serve: How to fix America’s police. Nation Books.
- Attendance/Participation (5 pts per class)160pts
- In class Quizzes (4)-25pts each) 100pts
- Book "To protect and serve" chapter questions (7)-20 pts each) 140pts
- Seven Pounds movie discussion (in-class assignment) 20pts
- FINAL EXAM-Collateral Beauty assignment
100pts
TOTAL POINTS: 520 PTS
100% – 90% = A
89% -- 80% = B
79% – 70% = C
69% --60% = D
This class will consist primarily of readings and seminal-style discussions.
**Assignments must be turned in through Canvas and not through email to the instructor.
Business, Technology & Human Services
Dean, Paul Carlson; 815-802-8858; V105; pcarlson@kcc.edu; Division Office – W102; 815-802-8650
Course Policies
Covid-19: KCC continues to comply with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health as we teach and learn in the COVID-19 era. Masks are optional. Time Commitment Expectation: At a minimum, the average person can expect to spend one to two additional hours outside of class. This time will be dedicated to reading the textbook chapter(s), answering study questions, studying for quizzes and tests. Class Attendance: Regular attendance at all scheduled class sessions is expected. There are NO excused absences. To receive full class attendance points, you must not be late or leave early. Reading assignments are indicated on the schedule and should be finished before the topic is covered in class. Some important information provided during the lecture does not appear in your textbook, but you will find it useful for completing your labs, quizzes or tests. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain handouts and information presented for any class for which he/she is absent. If a student misses four or more classes in one semester, he/she will receive an automatic “F”. FATS Simulator Lab, Apartment and CJ patrol vehicle Safety: Students will be allowed to learn through simulations in the simulated apartment and FATS simulator. Students will not be allowed to work in the simulated apartment Lab and FATS simulator outside of enrolled class times without prior approval or consent of instructor or program coordinator and direct supervision of tutor, instructor or program coordinator. Students must sign the college safety contract to participate in this course. There is also a safety contract students must sign in order to participate with the Criminal Justice FATS simulator and drive the Criminal Justice patrol vehicle for students with a valid driver’s license. Study Questions: Policy Study Questions can NOT be made up. Study Questions must be submitted by the date/time due. Any student failing to submit Study Questions by the date/time due will receive a zero. Quiz/test Policy: Quizzes and test can be made up. Any student arriving late for the quiz will not be given extra time to complete the quiz. Quizzes/tests may not be taken online outside of class. It is the responsibility of the student to request to make up the quiz or test within a week. After a week and the student fails to take a quiz or test, the student will receive a zero. Extra Credit Policy: Students may earn extra credit by participating in approved activities outside of regular class time. Opportunities include, but are not limited to, attending Teen Court sessions, volunteering at police agency events, or other community-based criminal justice activities as announced by the instructor.
Extra credit will be awarded in the form of points added to course assignments or overall grade at the instructor’s discretion.
Students must provide verification of attendance or participation (e.g., signed documentation, supervisor confirmation, or a brief reflection paper) within one week of the event to receive credit.
Extra credit is intended to enhance learning and cannot replace required coursework. Points earned through extra credit are limited to a maximum of 5% of the final grade.
Extra credit points are added on top of the required course points. However, they are capped, depending on the instructor’s chosen limit. Extra credit cannot replace required assignments.
All extra credit opportunities must be pre-approved by the instructor to ensure fairness and relevance to course objectives.
Classroom Code of Conduct: Use of cell phones during class is not permitted. Use of tablets or laptops during class is not permitted. No texting, Twitter, Facebook, Internet surfing not related to Law Enforcement, No playing or watching video games. No sleeping. Please turn off or set cell phones to vibrate. If a call must be answered, please leave the classroom quietly. No disruptive side conversations while the instructor is teaching. If you violate any of these policies, you will lose that day’s attendance points and be asked to leave the class. Students need to adhere to the Code of Conduct located in the college catalog.
KCC Student Athletes Policy: All student athletes will be granted attendance points while participating in KCC sporting events, not practices. All missed labs, quizzes and tests due to sporting events must be completed within one week of the scheduled quiz or test. All missed quizzes and tests due to sporting events must be rescheduled during posted office hours. Incomplete Grade Policy: All course requirements must be completed by the end date of the course. An incomplete grade will NOT be granted regardless of the extenuating circumstances. Plagiarism: KCC defines plagiarism: Representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes claiming credit for assignments completed by someone else. In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged and work that is presented as original must be, in fact, original. Using an AI-content generator (such as CHATGPT) to complete coursework without proper attribution or authorization is a form of academic dishonesty. Students who use ChatGPT and other AI writing assistance should use it as a tool (generate ideas for writing) and not use it to complete a writing assignment. If you are unsure about whether something may be plagiarism or academic dishonesty, please contact your instructor to discuss the issue. First violation will result in a zero for the assignment. The second violation will result in “F” failing of the course.
Course Calendar
WEEK #1 JAN 12 Chapter 1 The Problem of Crisis
NO CLASS JAN 19th
WEEK #2 JAN 20 Chapter 2 Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Psychophysiology of Crisis
Chapter 1 & 2 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
WEEK #3 JAN 26 Chapter 3 Crisis Communication
WEEK #4 FEB 2 Chapter 4 Use of Force
Quiz #1 (Ch. 1-4) Chapter 3 & 4 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
WEEK #5 FEB 9 Chapter 5 The Tactical Response
WEEK #6 FEB 16 Chapter 6 Suicide and the Psychology of Self-Destruction
Chapter 5 & 6 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
Movie: Seven Pounds and assignment due Feb 18th
WEEK #7 FEB 23 Chapter 11 The Cult Mindset and the Doomsday Crisis
WEEK #8 MAR 2 Chapters 7 The Crisis of Domestic Violence (Harbor House Scenarios) and Chapter 8 The Victims of Crisis
NO CLASS MAR 9th-13th
WEEK #9 MAR 16 Chapter 8 The Victims of Crisis
Chapter 7, 8 & 9 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
Quiz #2 (Ch. 5-8 and 11)
WEEK #10 MAR 23 Chapter 9 The Hostage Crisis
WEEK #11 MAR 30 Chapter 10 Responding to Mass Panic
WEEK #12 APR 6 Chapter 7 The Crisis of Domestic Violence (Clove Alliance Scenarios (April 8th)
Quiz #3 (Ch. 9, 10)Chapter 10, 11 & 12 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
WEEK #13 APR 13 Chapter 12 The Crisis of Mental Illness
WEEK #14 APR 20 Chapter 13 The Institutional Crisis
WEEK #15 APR 27 Chapter 14 Crisis in the Courtroom
Quiz #4 (Ch. 12-14) Chapter 13, 14 &15 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
WEEK #16 MAY 4TH Chapter 15 The Cost of Crisis: When the Helpers Need Helped
Collateral Beauty movie in class
Chapter 16 & 17 To protect and Serve Due 20 pts
FINAL EXAM MAY 11th
***Chapters may change due to speaker schedules. All students must be in attendance for Domestic Battery and Clove Alliance scenarios. Assignment due dates may also change.
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.