Courses for Criminology and Criminal Justice

This course is designed for students not majoring or minoring in CCJ. An overview of the criminal justice system with emphasis on the roles and problems of law enforcement, courts, and correctional components.

This course is for CCJ major and minors only. It presents an overview of the criminal justice system and social control, from policing to trials and sentencing policy. Among other topics, we will discuss tough on crime policies, drug treatment courts, the War on Terrorism, the politics of crime and crime control, the punishment of sex offenders and its implications for public safety, rules of evidence, prison riots, and the death penalty. The emphasis in the course is to critically evaluate how we process individuals through the criminal justice system and the implications this processing has on public safety, civil liberties, public policy, and social control.

Overview of criminal justice career opportunities and a variety of specializations within the field; focus on professional development skills.

Development of law enforcement; organization and jurisdiction of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; and functions of police officers.

Organization and management of the security function in industry, business, and government. Exploration of methods to protect personnel, facilities, and other major assets.

Overview of the United States Department of Homeland Security from its initiation to present day; exploration of the wide range of issues that the department influences, both policy and operational.

Introduction and overview of the complex world of Community Based Corrections; offering a history of the evolution of punishment and implementation of alternative sanctions.

Examines the extent and patterns of delinquency, theories of delinquency, research on the causes of delinquency, the juvenile justice system, and the prevention and control of delinquent behavior.

Overview of the judicial component of the criminal justice system in the United States; examines the organization of courts, roles and responsibilities of courtroom players, and systemic challenges.

Overview of U.S. corrections, jails and prisons, institutional procedures, recent innovations, and the future of corrections.

Examination of selected problems and issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice. A maximum of six hours may be use toward the major.

Study of traditional and modern explanations of crime and criminality.

Effect of race and/or ethnicity on experiences in the criminal justice system, focusing mostly on research/theories of offending, victimization, and experiences as CJ system workers. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.

Effect of gender on experiences in the criminal justice system, focusing mostly on research/theories of offending, victimization, and experiences as CJ system workers. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.

Examination of issues related to the oppression of people on the basis of their class, race, sex, gender, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical or mental ability within the criminal justice system. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.

Examination in historical sequence of the perspectives on and methods of crime control, from the traditional to the modern.

Theoretical and specific instruction in both the conduct and application of research methods in criminal justice settings. Includes problem of research and policy dimensions of both direct and applied approaches.

Statistical methods in criminal justice, including central tendency and dispersion, tests of significance, and measures of association.

An opportunity for students to conduct career exploration and build a record of experience in the field.

Gender and justice issues related to women sentenced to death; exploring the historical, social, political, and legal issues of serving time in female prisons.

Examination of the various issues that confront women who are incarcerated; legal issues surrounding women's pathways to crime and their incarceration experiences will be explored.

Examines the philosophical basis of law enforcement and traces the development of the law enforcement function.

This course provides student with instruction in the fundamentals of criminal investigation from a forensic science perspective.

An analysis of selected areas of terrorism and counter-terrorism, with an emphasis on parallels between terrorism and crime.

Critically evaluates various root causes and consequences of hate crimes; analyzed through an integration of social science theory, empirical research, and legal scholarship.

Examination of violence in the context of domestic situations; an exploration of historical and contemporary contexts, various intervention strategies and preventative measures.

This course provides a discussion of white-collar crime for the standpoint of criminological theory as well as criminal justice system policies, laws, and procedures.

Analysis of different types of homicide, such as felony-murders, crimes of passion, serial killings, celebrity-perpetrated killings, and/or mass murders.

Exploration of the various types of human trafficking, their underlying causes and contributing factors, and preventative measures and counter-trafficking initiatives.

Examines drug-related topics, such as the history of drug use, drug trafficking organizations, and domestic and international drug-related policies.

Exploration of crime and criminal justice systems around the world; various transnational and international crimes, state criminal justice systems, and regional and supranational criminal justice mechanisms are examined.

Examines the historical, philosophical, and legal underpinnings of the juvenile justice system, the institutions related to the control and prevention of delinquent behavior, and the various challenges and dilemmas faced by the professionals working in those institutions.

Introduction to the general principles of substantive criminal law; exploration of the nature of criminal acts, mental state, defenses, and burdens of proof.

Examination and analysis of Constitutional provisions and case law governing selected areas of criminal procedure.

History, analysis, and evaluation of American correctional institutions, including the sociology of confinement and reform movements within the system.

Exploration of the nature, function, and limits of law in society.

Examination of selected problems and issues in criminal justice. A maximum of twelve hours may be used toward the major.

Research under faculty supervision; requires faculty approval. A maximum of 3 hours may be used toward the major or minor.

Introduction to the traditional and contemporary forms of cybercrime, including hacking, insider threat, illicit drug markets, cyber bullying, and cyber terrorism.

Examination of selected issues in cyber security in the United States and throughout the world.

Examination of cyber criminology from a law and policy perspective, including its impact on the Fourth and Fifth Amendment, jurisprudence, and the changing conceptions of privacy and identity.

Opportunity for students to conduct career exploration and build a record of experience in the fields of cyber criminology, network analysis, and digital forensics. To take this course students must obtain permission from the instructor for a specific number of hours and pass a background check. A maximum of 3 credit hours can be used towards the minor.

Examination of the role that technology plays in modern-day policing; provides students with a detailed overview of how the cyber, digital, and technological worlds have historically impacted policing.

Technical examination of how investigators collect, extract, analyze, and preserve data seized from devices in criminal cases; students gain hands-on experience with different forensic tools and software and learn of the various legal challenges in digital forensic investigations.

Examination of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies as they pertain to criminal investigations; students will learn how to track and trace Bitcoin transactions using open source and proprietary tools. Students will have the opportunity to become trained and certified from Chainalysis.

Examination of selected issues in cyber security in the United States and throughout the world. A maximum of six hours may be used toward the minor.

Opportunity for students to further build a record of experience in the cyber criminology field by focusing on a topic agreed upon by the instructor and student. A maximum of 3 hours may be used toward the minor.