Criminal Justice Courses
Courses
Introduction to Criminal Justice I: [TCCN CRIJ 1301] Development and philosophy of criminal justice in a democratic society, introduction to agencies involved in the administration of criminal justice.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Courts Systems and Practices: [TCCN CRIJ 1306] Focuses on the role of the courts in the administration of criminal justice, with special attention to legal processing of criminal defendants. Topics include the structure of the American courts, due process, right to counsel, pre-trial release, plea bargaining, trial proceedings, and sentencing.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Fundamentals of Criminal Law: [TCCN CRIJ 1310] History and philosophy of modern criminal law, including the structure, definition, and application of statute and leading case law; the elements of crimes and penalties.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Correctional Systems and Practices: A tracing of the evolution and the philosophical underpinnings of institutional and community- based correctional practices. [TCCN CRIJ 2313]
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Police Systems and Practices: [TCCN CRIJ 2328] An overview of the structures, functions, and operations of law enforcement agencies in the United States, with emphasis on municipal police departments. The course surveys police operations, staff functions, personnel policies, and current innovations utilized in delivering police services. Covers such topics as police discretion, ethics, police-community relations, and the future of policing in American society.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
This course introduces students to research with a focus on the importance of suitability of the sample for the research question, as well as the correctness of the concepts, methods of data collection and analysis used. Students should develop the skills required to become educated users of research findings and reports. Prerequisites: CRIJ 1301 with a grade of "C" or better and junior standing.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SR
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 1301 w/C or better)
Juvenile Justice (3-0) The law of juvenile delinquency and the administration of the juvenile justice system. The historical development of the concept of delinquency. The special status of juveniles before the law, and juvenile justice procedural law will be examined in detail.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Community Corrections & Correctional Counseling (3-0) An examination of methods used by correctional officers in rehabilitating offenders in community settings.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Crime Control and Prevention (3-0) An examination of those activities undertaken by public and private organizations to control and prevent crime. Those programs which have been successful in reducing the amount of crime will be analyzed, as well as attempts which have been made at predicting and deterring criminal behavior.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Criminology (3-0) This course surveys historical perspectives on crime, contemporary criminological theory, penological theory, current trends in crime, and critical thought on current justice practices and procedures. Particular emphasis is given to the development and application of theory in regard to different types of crimes, "crime waves," and appropriate penal policy. Prerequisites: CRIJ 1301 with a grade of "C" or better.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 1301 w/C or better)
Family Violence (3-0) This course surveys definitions, prevalence, and theories of family violence in the United States. Special emphasis is given to 1) the impact of variation in definitions of family violence on scientific research and conclusions; 2) the societal response to family violence; and 3) the effectiveness of policing strategies of domestic violence.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Criminal Justice on the United States-Mexico Border (3-0) An examination of the nature and scope of crime on the United States-Mexico border and an evaluation of the strategies and programs employed by both governments to control criminal activity on the border.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Criminal Justice Ethics (3-0) This course identifies and examines the complexity of ethics pertaining to the practice of Criminal Justice. It focuses on applied ethics and the reasoning process justice practitioners can use to analyze and evaluate ethical dilemmas. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (3-0) Focuses on those selected issues and problems confronting the various components of the criminal justice system. Topics covered may change each semester. May be repeated for credit upon change of topic.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Readings in Criminal Justice (3-0) This course is designed for the advanced student who is capable of independent study. Existing regulations, both formal and informal, which govern practitioners in the area of criminal justice will be examined. This course may be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Writen approval from professor required.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Cyber Crime (3-0) This course examines computer-based crimes committed in the U.S. and abroad, to include theories and criminal motivations, cyber crime typologies, criminal justice responses, and legal aspects of cyber law.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Using film as a medium for culture, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how cultural norms, values, goals and beliefs pertaining to crime and the criminal justice system are important to the scholarly study of law-making, law-breaking and law-enforcement (i.e., criminology). Films, including documentaries, represent an ideal medium to consider popular as well as scholarly understandings of the causes of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system, as well as how these understandings have changed over time and vary across cultures.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
The student spends 10 hours each week at a criminal justice agency or related organization that has been pre- approved through the internship Coordinator and the agency/organization. An opportunity to explore career interests while applying academic knowledge to practical situation. Major GPA must be 2.75 or better, unless otherwise specified by the agency.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
0 Lecture Hours
3 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 1301 w/C or better)
Second part of the internship program in which the student spends 10 hours each week at a criminal justice agency or related organization that has been pre-approved through the Internship Coordinator and the agency. This course expands on the experience and knowledge gained in CRIJ 4309, provides an opportunity to build a professional network and increase the chance of getting hired after graduation.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
0 Lecture Hours
3 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 4309 w/B or better)
Immigration Law and Administration (3-0) An examination of federal regulations pertaining to legal and illegal immigration into the United States. Among the topics discussed are legalization, employer sanctions, amnesty, and constitutional rights of immigrants.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Criminal Procedure This course presents an overview of the constitutional rules governing the criminal investigarion, detention, prosecution and adjudication of persons in the United States with focus on the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution and the Supreme Court decisions that have interpreted the meaning of these amendments. Prerequisites: CRIJ 1301
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 1301 w/C or better)
White Collar Crime This course will focus on the history and philosophy of white collar crime in the United States with an emphasis on private, corporate and governmental actions that define white collar crime as well as governmental responses to control it.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Women in Criminal Justice This course focuses on the history and role of women as offenders, victims, and professionals within the Criminal Justice System. Emphasis will be provided to cultural norms that impact women's role in the CJS.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Homicide This course examines patterns and trends in homicide as well as the various theoretical explanations for why offenders engage in homicide. It will also focus on the process of solving homicides including investigation techniques, evidence, interrogation, investigative profiling, and cold case squads.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Comparative CJS and Transnational Crime This course provides a description, dicussion, and evaluation of the various criminal justice systems across the globe with special attention given to the three stages of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections). It also explores crimes involving more than one country.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Victimology This course examines patterns and trends in victimization as well as an overview of the history and theory of victimology . It will identify the categories of people facing the greatest risks and assesses victim-blaming arguments that invoke facilitation, precipitation, and provocation.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Violence in America The course will cover the epidemiology of violence as well as the roots of violence including biological, psychological , and social causes (e.g., economic deprivation, religious factors).
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Street Gangs: Structure, Activity, and Response This course introduces students to the factors that contribute to gang formation and membership, the structure and function of gangs, and patterns of gang crime. It will also focus on the various policy and programmatic response to gangs from the traditional law enforcement based efforts to school based initiatives.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Criminal Justice Organization and Management (3-0) The structures, functions, and operations of criminal justice agencies, including the police, the courts, and corrections are analyzed from an organizational and managerial perspective. Particular attention is given to supervision, decision-making and policy analysis in the administration of justice.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Organized Crime This course examines the origins and modern activity of organized crime groups in the United States and internationally, including an examination of governmental approaches (national and international) that have been employed to address organized crime.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Study Abroad in Criminal Justice: Students will develop a deeper comparative understanding of one or more criminological or criminal justice issues by studying and traveling internationally to one or more countries as a class and with a designated instructor. Travel costs and payment of study abroad program fees are required additional costs. A student will learn how criminal justice issues relate in a global context, and will develop an appreciation of other cultures.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Advanced Concepts in Criminal Justice (3-0) A critical examination of selected problems and issues in the Criminal Justice System from an interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis on theory and research, using comparative and intergrative approaches, and case studies.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Research Practicum in Criminal Justice (0-0-3) Independent study course designed to give students supervised experience in conducting social science research on criminal justice problems. Departmental approval required for Seniors.
Department: Criminal Justice
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
0 Lecture Hours
3 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (CRIJ 3300 w/C or better)