Dalton Friel’s contribution is representative of a quality literature review for students within the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. The American Psychological Association (APA) writing style is required for all conventional assignments and Dalton’s contribution reflects a good working knowledge of APA. His references are good choices, including articles from two major journals in the field of criminology/criminal justice. While much of the subject matter in the department is interdisciplinary, it is extremely important to draw on the literature within the disciplines as the foundation of any scholarly work. The paper is divided into logical sections and avoids wordiness, redundancy, slang/colloquial language, rhetorical questions and emotional rhetoric.
Writing expectations vary with the level of courses and specific learning objectives. However, all of the above observations are fundamental to quality work in conventional writing assignments. Both majors (and minors) within the department, criminal justice and emergency and disaster management, are social science programs and writing should reflect the norms of social science inquiry. Ability to write in a clear and precise fashion, often reflecting critical analysis, is more frequently sought by employers than any other skill. Writing proficiency honed through the social science style is readily transferred to writing tasks required in any professional setting. This course paper presented by Dalton Friel reflects these fundamental skills.
