School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Course Description
This course examines mentoring as a form of juvenile aftercare. Emphasis will be on facilitating the successful transition of incarcerated youths back to the community. As part of the course, students are expected to spend 8 hours per week as a mentor with youth who have been or will soon be released from the Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Readings
Students are required to read the books FistStickKnifeGun and Reaching Up for Manhood by Geoffrey Canada, which are available in the bookstore.
Other readings will be distributed in class and are all required. The course outline provides the order of readings.

Course Requirements
Students in this course are responsible for completing weekly log sheets on the youths to whom they are assigned. These sheets involve documentation of the amount and nature of contacts with the youths as well as information on the progress of the youths. Submission of weekly progress reports is worth 50 points towards the final grade in this course. Students will also complete ten weekly reflection essays which center on events they have experienced in the AIM Program. Each essay is worth 10 points. Each team is responsible for completing a case management plan for each of the youths yet to be released from the Plainfield facility and a final report detailing the youths' progress for each of the youths already released. A team grade, based on evaluations from other team members, will count towards 100 points for the semester. Completion of 100 hours by the end of the semester will count 100 points toward the final grade. Finally, class attendance and participation in discussions and activities will be worth 50 points.

There is a strict make-up policy. It is University policy that an instructor is not under any obligation to make arrangements for making up work unless the student has a valid excuse. Valid excuses include documented illness, religious observation, participation in University activities at the request of the University, or compelling circumstances beyond the student's control.

Assignments
The reading assignments for each week are noted in the course outline.
During each class meeting, students are responsible for submitting a completed log sheet and progress report. Copies of blanks forms are included in the mentor handbook. Information on the amount of time spent is important for evaluation purposes, and is also the way students can get credit for the time they put in on project.

At regular intervals during the course, students will submit a reflection essay which addresses the following:

(a) Select an incident which has occurred to you as part of your mentoring experience. Describe what happened. Include descriptions of your behaviors and the behaviors of others (include verbal and nonverbal behaviors). Give details and be specific.

(b) Describe your thoughts and feelings about the incident. How do you think the others that were involved thought and felt about the incident? How did this event affect individuals associated with situation (i.e., at the Plainfield facility, in the youth's family, on your team)?

(c) What themes from the readings and materials presented in class help you to explain and understand the situation and/or the dynamics you experienced? Where might your assumptions at the time or afterward have been shortsighted or faulty?

(d) If you are in such a situation again, what might you try? Think about what you learned from this experience-in what kinds of situations might this learning apply in the future?

Each team is responsible for completing reports on each youth assigned to the team. Examples are provided in the mentor handbook.

Grades for the Course
A total of 400 points is possible. Grades for this class will be determined as follows:

372 – 400 points = A
360 – 371 points = A-
348 – 359 points = B+
332 – 347 points = B
320 – 331 points = B
- 308 – 319 points = C+
292 – 307 points = C
280 – 291 points = C
- 268 – 279 points = D+
252 – 267 points = D
240 – 251 points = D
- below 240 points = F

Incompletes: The mark of "I" will be given only to a student whose work in the course has been qualitatively satisfactory and because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control, was unable to complete a small portion of the work of the course. In no case will the mark "I" be given for a student who has not completed a major portion of the coursework.

Expectations of Students in the Class
Students are expected to attend class regularly. These sessions are very important in that there is no other time when all mentors are together. Students will sign in each week in class to get credit for attendance. We all share in the responsibility of the accomplishment of the course objectives. Students are expected to come to each class prepared to discuss the issue of the day. I make the assumption that for each topic that we cover, there are students in the class who have knowledge or experiences which are relevant. I encourage students to share this information with the rest of the class. I am always willing to entertain reasonable suggestions, objections, and questions in connection with the course material.
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible, mature manner in the classroom. Intentionally or recklessly interfering with normal class processes will result in dismissal from the course. Students dismissed from the class must receive permission from the Dean of Students or a member of his staff to return to class.
I believe that each and every student has something valuable to offer to the rest of the class. Behavior which inhibits participation on the part of other students will not be tolerated in this course. Joking at the expense of any other student or group of students is inappropriate. Any activity which attacks, threatens, or slurs an individual or group is unacceptable in this class.

Academic Integrity
Academic misconduct can refer to cheating, fabrication of information, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules and intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct. Specifics about each of these behaviors is provided on pages 17 and 18 of the Code of Student Ethics. Academic misconduct is taken very seriously by this instructor and will be dealt with in the manner described in the Code of Student Ethics.

Student Rights
1. Protection of freedom of expression: Students are free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in this course and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but are responsible for learning the content of the course.
2. Protection against improper academic evaluation: Students shall have protection through the procedures outlined above against prejudiced or capricious academic evaluation. Students have the right to see graded examinations and assignments after they are evaluated and to discuss with the instructor the reasons for the grades they received.
3. Protection against improper disclosure: Information about student views, beliefs, and political associations that the instructor acquires in the course of this class is considered confidential. In addition, information about a student's performance in this class will not be given out without the expressed permission of the student.


Course Outline

May 17:
Mission and Goals of program; Handouts on Mentoring;
Chapter 1 from Bortner and Williams "Youth in Prison";
Readings on Active Listening; pp. 19-30 in Mentor Handbook;
Morrow and Styles (1995) "Patterns of Interaction"

May 24:
Allen and Bosta (1981) "Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit By Knowing Them";
Jones-Brown and Henriques (1997) "Promises and Pitfalls of Mentoring as a Juvenile Justice Strategy"
Altschuler and Armstrong (1995) "Aftercare in the Juvenile Justice System: New Trends
and Programs"


May 31:
Memorial Day, No class

June 7:
Canada, FistStickKnifeGun.

June 14:
Dryfoos (1998) "Safe Passage: Making It Through Adolescence in a Risky Society";
Huff (1998) "Comparing the Criminal Behavior of Youth Gangs and At-Risk Youths";
Gladwell (1998) "Do Parents Matter?";
Witt and Crompton (1996) "Recreation Programs that Work for At-Risk Youth."

June 21:
Canada, Reaching Up for Manhood.

June 28:
Blechman (1992) "Mentors for High-Risk Minority Youth: From Effective Communication to Bicultural Competence."
"Keeping Youth Drug-Free: A Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Elders, Mentors, and other Caregivers."
Staub (1992) "The Origins of Caring, Helping, and Nonaggression: Parental Socialization, the Family System, Schools, and Cultural Influence."