CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Professor Hill; Assistant Professor and Coordinator Peppers; Teaching Associates Brogan, Scott; Lecturers Clayton, Foust, Maddex, Scott

The B.A. degree with a major in criminal justice may be awarded to those students who satisfactorily complete 12 units from the following program: Criminal Justice/Political Science 211 should be completed as early as possible; Statistics 101 should be used to satisfy one of the mathematics/science core requirements.

A. Criminal Justice - three required units:

 

CJUS/POLI 211 Criminal Justice

 

CJUS/POLI/I.R. 340 Research Methods in Public Affairs

 

CJUS 401 Seminar in Criminal Justice

B. Political Science - two required units:

 

POLI 101 American National Government

 

POLI 301 Public Administration

C. Sociology - three required units:

 

SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology

 

SOCI 238 Juvenile Delinquency

 

SOCI 334 Criminology

D. Electives - three required units:

Two from Group I: Policy Studies

 

CJUS/POLI 213 Criminal Law

 

CJUS 215 Criminal Justice Forensics

 

CJUS/POLI 214 Judicial Process

 

CJUS 325 Comparative Law Enforcement

 

CJUS 326 Comparative Corrections

Two from Group II: Related Studies

 

CHEM 105 Investigating Forensic Chemistry

 

CJUS 227 Law and Society

 

POLI 201 State and Local Government

 

POLI 312 Civil Liberties

 

PSYC 211 Adolescent Development

 

PSYC 230 Abnormal Psychology

 

SOCI 237 Deviant Behavior

 

BUAD 125 Accounting Principles I


Units from among CJUS 261, 406, 416, 495-497 may be used as electives within either groups I or II with the approval of the major coordinator.

211 Criminal Justice

An introductory analysis of the criminal justice system in the United States, its structure, processes, and problems. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Political Science 101 or permission.
(Cross-listed as Political Science 211).

213 Criminal Law

A study of the criminal justice system at work in the courtroom setting, emphasizing the relationship between substantive criminal law, criminal procedure, and the rules of evidence. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: One course in criminal justice (Political Science 101 or 211, or Sociology 238 or 334).
(Cross-listed as Political Science 213).

214 The Judicial Process

An exploration of the politics of the American judicial system. This includes such topics as the structure of courts, selection of judges, actors who participate in the judiciary, judicial behavior, and the civil and criminal varieties of courts. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Political Science 101.
(Cross-listed as Political Science 214).

215 Criminal Justice Forensics

An introduction to the practices of forensic science in law enforcement and the court system. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Criminal Justice/Political Science 211.

227 Law and Society

An introduction to legal culture by studying the interaction between law, legal systems, and society. The class exposes the student to the theoretical perspectives used to explain the interplay between law and society found in the literature of the social sciences. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Political Science 101.

231 Juvenile Justice

An examination of the theory, policy, and administration of the juvenile justice system. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: One course in Criminal Justice or permission.

261 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice

An examination of selected topics in criminal justice. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.

325 Comparative Law Enforcement

A comprehensive overview of law enforcement using a comparative perspective. The development, mission, organization, and management of law enforcement agencies will be examined. The U.S. system will be analyzed and compared to those of other countries. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisites: Sociology 101 and Political Science 101.

326 Comparative Corrections

An exploration of philosophies, rationales, and models of adult corrections. Historical and existing correctional systems in select countries, e.g., the U.S., Canada, England, France, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Russia will be examined. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Criminal Justice 211 or Political Science 211.

340 Research Methods in Public Affairs

 An examination of the research methodologies and techniques used in the study of public policy and politics. The course emphasizes both qualitative and quantitative methods. The lab focuses on statistical applications. (1) (Cross-listed as I.R. 340 and POLI 340).
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk; Laboratory: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: POLI 101 and at least two other courses in the major or permission.

401 Seminar in Criminal Justice

Advanced, in-depth study of selected topics in criminal justice with emphasis on developing a synthesis from the multi-disciplinary coursework required in the major. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Senior Criminal Justice major with Political Science301 and Sociology 334 completed, or permission.

406 Independent Study

Supervised review of a literature and research project in the area of criminal justice. (1)
Prerequisite: A minimum 3.0 major GPA and both Departmental and instructor permission.

416 Internship

A supervised placement providing practical experience in an agency relating to criminal justice. (1)
Prerequisite: A minimum 2.5 major GPA and both Departmental and instructor permission

495, 496, 497 Honors Project

A program of independent study culminating in a paper, artistic creation, or performance.
Prerequisite: To qualify for consideration to receive honors in the major, a student in his/her senior year or in the Summer prior to the senior year must work under the guidance of his/her committee. A written proposal and application must be approved by the committee and department. A minimum GPA of 3.4 in the major is required. 495 Honors Project is prerequisite for 497 Honors Project. (1/2, 1, 1/2)