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1. You have been asked to prepare a brief presentation on a criminological topic or issue of interest to you. Go to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) website at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/. Browse the BJS publications for a topic that interests you. Write a short outline for a 5- to 10-minute presentation regarding your topic, including how the data were collected, statistics, and other relevant information.

2. Go to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website at http://www.fbi.gov/. Explore the types of programs and initiatives sponsored by the FBI. Discuss at least three of these programs or initiatives in terms of their purposes and goals. For each program or initiative examined, do you believe the program or initiative is effective? What are the major weaknesses? What changes would you propose the FBI make to more effectively meet the goals of the program or initiative?

3. Go to the website of a major newspaper and find an article that discusses the causes of violence. What conclusions does the article draw and what research methods does the author discuss to back up his or her claims?

4. Visit the Innocence Project website http://www.innocenceproject.org/. Review some of the stories on people who were wrongfully convicted and eventually exonerated due to witness misidentification. Discuss the role of errors in everyday reasoning in the prosecution of defendants, and how errors impact

5. Errors in reasoning occur frequently, not only in research. Think of a topic on which you have a strong belief system (e.g., politics, gun control). Conduct a web search for credible information (e.g., government reports, journal articles) that provide evidence to support a position different than yours. Does any of the new information change your thinking or make you appreciate another way of viewing the topic?

6. Visit the National Institute of Justice’s funded awards website at http://www.nij.gov/funding/awards/Pages/welcome.aspx.  Review at least three of the recently funded research project grants.  Describe the project in 1-3 sentences and identify the motivations for each project. Is the project primarily academic? Does it have a policy implication? Might it have a personal motive?