Course Catalog

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Courses
Note: courses designated “SCJ” have interdisciplinary content and can often apply to more than one program of study.

190. Special Topics in Criminal Justice.

219. Employment Experience in Criminal Justice.

220. Criminal Justice Systems.
Examines and compares the philosophies and operations of the three principal branches of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. Of particular concern will be the handling of conflict resulting from misunderstanding and confusion regarding the nature and intent of our criminal justice system’s functioning in dealing with certain types of problems. American and British comparisons in dealing with selected issue areas will be analyzed. Three hours.

222. Criminal Investigations and Law
Enforcement Intelligence Systems. The essential elements of criminal investigation and other law enforcement functions will be examined. In addition to the traditional investigative issues that local law enforcement investigators face, the impact of global changes on the role of law enforcement functions and the use of intelligence systems in planning and executing law enforcement policies will be examined. Prerequisite: Criminal Justice 220. Three hours. Alternate years.

223. Current Issues in Criminal Justice.
A course designed to focus on current criminal justice issues such as victimology, substantive and procedural law issues, enforcement and judicial discretion, capital punishment, gang violence, etc. and the theoretical and policy issues associated with them.

240. Conservation Law.
This course will provide an in-depth look into the history, the current status and future conservation laws and natural resource protection. The purpose, function and socio-economic impact of various fish and wildlife laws, and how they are enforced will be examined. Conservation careers will also be explored. Three hours.

270. Terrorism.
The course focuses on the causes and evolution of the terrorist response in the support of social causes. Primary concerns of the course include but are not limited to the trap of “tribal” reactions to social issues, the demoralization of the adversary, historical development of the terrorist response, terrorism in the current social environment and the response to the terrorist challenge.

290. Special Topics in Criminal Justice.

300/500. Juvenile and Family Law.
This course addresses the legal understandings and issues surrounding juveniles and families in the United States. The links between the criminal justice system and human service agencies will be investigated. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Prerequisite: Criminal Justice 220. Three hours.

319. Internship in Criminal Justice.

333/533. Sexual Violence: Victims, Perpetrators and the CJ System.
This course is an extensive introduction to the sociological study of sexual violence. In this course, students can expect to explore the causes of, theories about, and statistics on sexual violence in U.S. society. Additionally, this course will survey the various components of the criminal justice system involved with victims and/or perpetrators of sexual violence. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Three hours.

SCJ 340. Race and Ethnic Relations.
This course explores the dynamics and results of inter-group relations. Prejudice and discrimination are examined in both historical and international perspective. Among the concrete topics discussed are affirmative action, multiculturalism, institutional discrimination, and the interrelationship of sex, class, and ethnicity. No prerequisite. Cornerstone 6. Three hours.

SCJ 341/541. Family Crisis Intervention.
This course is designed to present conceptual framework and useful methods of intervention to help us understand and address a variety of crises confronting people in families. We will examine numerous situations, which may be family crises, and the behavioral manifestations of family members in crisis. Such topics as family violence, divorce/separation/desertion, sexual abuse of children in families, loss of family members through death, chemical abuse, criminal victimization, and suicide will be examined within the family context. Three hours.

342/542. Juvenile Delinquency.
The extent and cause of criminal behavior of children, adolescents, and young adults. Development and operation of juvenile courts and theories and methods of juvenile treatment and rehabilitation are examined. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Cornerstone 3. Three hours.

343/543. Criminology.
The extent and cause of adult criminal behavior, adjudication procedures, penal theories and practices, rehabilitation programs, and crime prevention. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Cornerstone 3. Three hours.

344. Correctional Practices in the U.S.
An examination and comparison of past, present, and future rehabilitative and correctional procedures for juvenile delinquents and criminals is undertaken. Various community-based and institutional settings will be analyzed in terms of different measures of success or failure in dealing with clients. Prerequisite: Criminal Justice 342 or 343. Three hours.

SCJ 347. Field Experience and Seminar.
Placement in a court, planning agency, or other criminal justice agency for a minimum of 120 hours of supervised fieldwork. Open to majors with Junior or Senior standing. Three hours. 360/560. Criminal Law and the Legal Process. An introduction to the American legal system, with emphasis placed on the major elements of the criminal process. Topics to be covered include the nature of criminal law, the rules of criminal procedure, and the roles of lawyers and judges in the system. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Three hours.

SCJ 380. Independent Study.

390. Special Topics in Criminal Justice.

SCJ 391-392. Honors Tutorial Program.

Course Descriptions for Graduate-Only Courses in Criminal Justice*
* Course descriptions of additional elective options appear as cross-listed 300/500-level courses in the undergraduate listing of course descriptions for criminal justice, management and social work.

501. Victimology.
This course will examine the relationship of the victim, the offender, and the society. Students will examine sociological theories as they relate to crime victims, as well as qualitative and quantitative research issues involving crime victims, the impact of victimization, and legal system responses to victims. In addition, students will examine the history of victimization, the impact of criminal trauma on victims and their families, and the current issues facing victims and victim advocates in the criminal justice system. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

502. Seminar in Justice Issues.
This course is designed to provide experience in critical analysis of current and emerging justice policies and practices. Graduate students will analyze published evaluation research, assess the value of quantitative and qualitative analyses, and learn how to implement systematic evaluation techniques. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

503. Seminar in Criminal and Juvenile Justice Theory.
This advanced criminal justice theory class focuses on theory application. Students will be given information about crime, court, corrections, and security or prevention issues and asked to apply particular theoretical schemes in the attempt to understand and create a basis for dealing with issue areas. Graduate standing required. Prerequisite CJ 342/542 or CJ 343/543 or permission of instructor. Three hours.

504. Seminar in Justice System Decision Making and Policy Implementation.
This course focuses on discretionary decision making throughout the criminal justice system. Students will examine how to identify and define discretionary decisions in the justice system, how to structure discretionary responses, and how to establish methods for checking discretion. The course will include assessment of policy decisions and the impact of policy on daily functioning of the justice system, as well as systemic effects of decision making. Goals of fairness, justice and equality in criminal justice policy will be critically analyzed. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

505. Standards of Professional Behavior.
Ethical concerns for justice system professionals will be examined. Dilemmas involving confidentiality and privacy, conflicts of interest, deception, coercion and control, and human subjects review will be explored within the broader context of the concepts of justice, fairness and respect. In addition to theoretical constructs of ethical issues that arise in social science disciplines, various written codes of conduct (such as National Association of Social Workers, American Corrections Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, American Bar Association, and American Psychological Association) will be examined and analyzed from a justice system policy perspective. Graduate students will read original research and provide in-depth analysis of ethical issues. Graduate standing required. Prerequisite: Undergraduate ethics survey course. Three hours.

506. Justice Systems Statistics.
This required course will examine the basic principles of statistical techniques that are commonly used in criminal justice and public policy research, which techniques are appropriately used for various research purposes, and how to interpret statistics and communicate the results meaningfully. Graduate standing required. Prerequisite: Math 201, Soc 210 or equivalent. Three hours.

507. Research Methodologies.
This course provides an overview of scientific procedures in criminal justice research. We will examine the boundaries of scientific inquiry, the nature of causal explanation, the relationship between theory and observation, and the differences between positivist and interpretive models of study. Surveys, experiments, fieldwork and archival methods will be studied with a critical emphasis on development of research designs that are appropriate to particular empirical goals. Graduate standing required. Prerequisite Soc 321, Psyc 299 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Three hours.

508. Legal Issues for Justice Professionals. The course examines criminal, administrative and civil law issues that commonly arise among justice agencies, including civil remedies for violations of individuals’ constitutional rights; investigative powers and limitations; legal relationships between crime victims and public agencies; public corruption prosecution; and administrative policies and procedures. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

540. Social Justice and Human Rights Issues.
This course is designed to examine social justice and human rights issues reflected in the U.S. Constitution and the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights as they interplay in various aspects of the criminal justice system including corrections, juvenile justice, enforcement, administration and legal action. Issues will include, but not be limited to, the influence of sexism, racism, ethnicity, homophobia, ageism, disability and other discrimination in the form of harassment, inappropriate action, group conflict, prejudice and discrimination in the United States and in the world community. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

539 Budget Building and Resource Allocation for Criminal Justice System Agencies. Introduces basic concepts in public finance, basics of public financial statement analysis, process and formats of budgetary systems, budgetary politics and strategies, and other issues of public financial management. Prerequisites: Acct 251 and 252 or permission of instructor. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

545. Police Effectiveness.
The course examines the origins of policing; traditional and innovative policing methods within police organizations and by individual officers; and the relationship between police, the public and society. It includes critical analysis of empirical research on policing efforts and programmatic evaluation. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

546. Strategic Policing.
The course focuses on maximizing the use of technology to implement problem-oriented policing strategies in modern police agencies. In addition, it examines the changing reliance on intelligence information, the methods used to gather the information, the development of analytical skills to identify and synthesize relevant data, and the standard practices of intelligence analysis. The course will examine problemsolving by individual police officers and the use of intelligence information to assist in strategic planning by police departments. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

580. Independent Study.
Independent study is limited to those who have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate level course work and have accumulated a minimum GPA of 3.2. Independent study is intended for those who have a special interest in an area of study and/or research not usually available as a regular offering of the college. Enrollment in independent study is by petition. Graduate standing required for 500-level enrollment. Independent study carries one to four hours of credit.

590. Special Topics in Criminal Justice.
There may be periodic graduate offerings on special topics designed to investigate a detailed area of study within criminal justice or a related field. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

595. Portfolio or Examination Study.
A portfolio that will play an important part in assessing student outcomes must be completed by all students. Papers written by the student over their course of study will be included to help evaluate whether graduates become more focused on issues of social justice, ethics and service delivery as they progress through their degree program. Criminal justice system employees, with approval from the student’s advisor and work supervisor, will write a capstone paper focusing on an issue within their work environment. Students that are not employed in a criminal justice system agency will complete a comprehensive examination in lieu of the final paper. Graduate standing required. Three hours.

Last Updated: 6/10/09