The Criminal Justice Studies program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in Criminal Justice Studies.
Students in this major will learn about the components of the juvenile and criminal justice systems, become acquainted with the issues affecting these systems, apply theoretical concepts to real-world phenomena, interface with criminal justice and social service providers, and plan an academic and/or applied career in criminal justice.
Graduates of this program will understand and deomonstrate:
- Understand theories of crime, victimization, and criminal justice (i.e., theories about social bonds, learning, social control, conflict, labeling, rehabilitation, alternatives to incarceration).
- Think critically about crime, victimization, and criminal justice (i.e., be able to apply, critique, compare, and integrate knowledge in the area).
- Understand how race/ethnicity, gender, wealth, and power are related to crime, victimization, and criminal justice.
- Understand and be able to use basic social science research methods, as well as those most relevant to the study of crime, victimization, and criminal justice.
- Be familiar with career paths in the criminal justice system, and make career choices that best fit their career interests.
- Make appropriate decisions, think creatively and be able to express themselves in written and oral communication to supervisors and clients.
Criminal Justice, B.A.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | CJ ST 241 | 3 |
| CJ ST 240 | 3 | Humanities choice | 3 |
| SOC 115 | 1 | Social Science choice | 3 |
| Social Science choice | 3 | Natural Science choice | 3 |
| Humanities choice | 3 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CJ ST 340 | 3 | CJ ST 341 | 3 |
| World Languages and Cultures | 4 | World Language and Cultures | 4 |
| Humanities choice | 3 | Math choice | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | International Perspectives | 3 |
| Natural Science | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CJ ST 403 | 3 | Criminal Justice Studies Special Topics | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Studies Special Topics | 3 | Criminal Justice Studies Special Topics | 3 |
| ENGL 302 or ENGL 390 or ENGL 314 | 3 | Humanities choice | 3 |
| Social Science choice | 3 | Natural Science | 2 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CJ ST 320 or CJ ST 332 or CJ ST 339 or PSYCH 383 | 3 | CJ ST 460 | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Studies Special Topics | 3 | Criminal Justice Studies Special Topics | 3 |
| U.S. Diversity | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
The Criminal Justice Studies minor offers an opportunity for students to learn about the components of the criminal and juvenile justice systems, to become acquainted with the issues and problems affecting these systems, to apply theoretical concepts to real world problems, and to plan a career in the criminal justice field.
Students who declare a minor in Criminal Justice Studies are required to complete 18 total credits. Students may do up to nine credits of CJ ST 460 but only three of those credits may be applied to the minor. Nine credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in courses for the minor.
| CJ ST 240 | Introduction to the U.S. Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ ST 460 | Criminal and Juvenile Justice Practicum | 3 |
| Four additonal CJ ST classes | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Courses
Courses primarily for undergraduates:
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.
Provides systematic overview of law, police organization and behavior, prosecution and defense, sentencing, the judiciary, community corrections, penology, and capital punishment. The course demonstrates the role of discretion in all of these agencies as well as the sociological influences of age, race, gender, and social class on criminal justice system processes.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.
Prereq: SOC 134
An examination of delinquency that focuses on the relationship between youth as victims and as offenders, social and etiological features of delinquency, the role of the criminal justice system, delinquents' rights, and traditional and alternative ways of dealing with juvenile crime.
(Cross-listed with POL S). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.
Prereq: POL S 215
An overview of the American judicial process. Emphasis on specific topics such as application of constitutional rights to the states (particularly the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments), mechanics of judicial opinions, constitutional philosophies of Supreme Court Justices, decisions of first impression, and the value and scope of precedent.
(Cross-listed with PHIL). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: PHIL 201 or PHIL 230
Extent of our obligation to obey the law; what constitutes just punishment; how much of the immoral should be made illegal? Relation of these questions to major theories of law and the state. Discussion of such concepts as coercion, equality, and responsibility.
(Cross-listed with PHIL, POL S). Cr. 3.
Prereq: Sophomore status
An exploration of competing conceptions of liberty in American political thought and debates about how liberty should be protected by the law. Contemporary debates about topics such as health care, drugs, property, speech, religion, and sex.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.SS.
Prereq: SOC 134
Theory and research on the etiology of types of social deviance; issues relating to crime, antisocial behavior and social policies designed to control deviant behavior.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.
Prereq: SOC 134
The nature of crime and criminology; the concept of crime; statistics and theories of criminality; major forms of crime; official responses to crime and control of crime.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: SOC 241 or CJ ST 240
Introduction and overview of law enforcement in the United States. Theory and research on police history, function, and organization; constitutional issues of policing; and critical topics, such as community policing, officer discretion and decision-making, corruption, use of force, and racial profiling. The course illustrates the interconnections between communities, police organizations, citizens, and criminal offenders.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: SOC 241 or CJ ST 240
Introduction and overview of corrections in the United States. Theory and research on probation, parole, intermediate sanctions, prison, inmate society, inmate behavior and misconduct, capital punishment, recidivism, correctional treatment, rehabilitation, and offender reintegration into society.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.
Prereq: SOC 241 or CJ ST 240
Introduction and overview of white-collar crime as a form of deviance. Theory and research on occupational, corporate, and organizational offending; prevalence, costs, and consequences of white-collar crime; predictors and correlates of white-collar crime; and political, business, and public policy responses to white-collar crime.
(Cross-listed with SOC). Cr. 3-12. Repeatable, maximum of 12 credits. F.S.SS.
Prereq: Junior or senior classification; permission of criminal justice studies coordinator; major or minor in criminal justice or sociology
Study of the criminal and juvenile justice systems and social control processes. Supervised placement in a police department, prosecutor's office, court, probation and parole department, penitentiary, juvenile correctional institution, community-based rehabilitation program, or related agency. Assessed service learning component.
Offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only. No more than a total of 9 credits of 460 can be counted toward graduation. No credits in Soc 460 may be used to satisfy minimum sociology requirements for sociology majors.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits.
Prereq: 6 credits in sociology and permission from instructor
Thematic or topical issues and studies dealing with the sociology of police, judiciary, institutional and community-based corrections, gender/ethnicity and crime/delinquency, criminal and delinquent gangs, and crime and delinquency prevention.