This course is intended to provide the students with an introduction to the historical, political and social aspects of the criminal justice system. Students explore issues that impact the overall functioning criminal justice system, with a focus on the three main components of the system: police, courts and corrections.

This is an in-depth study of the organization management, and function of the police in our modern pluralistic society. Topics covered include: basic police administration and organization relative to police staff and operational functions, operational methods, basic criminal investigative techniques, written and oral communications to include report taking, writing, and testifying in court, and an overview of the legal requirements regarding criminal procedure and evidence.

This course examines the history, philosophies, and components of the American correctional system. It provides an overview of the origins of corrections and an introduction to the philosophical ideas with which specific correctional approaches are associated. The history, nature and recent developments of major institutions and programs that make up the current correctional system: jails, probation, intermediate punishments, prison, and parole are explored.

• CJ111 Introduction to Criminal Justice
• S110 Sociological Imagination

The primary objective of this course is to provide a comprehensive survey of the use and/or abuse of drugs in the United States and their impact on the criminal justice system. Special attention is given to the historical and sociological contexts in which drug laws have evolved and the implication of those laws on drug prevention policies.

This course provides numerous theoretical perspectives on ethnicity, class and gender along with a variety of activities which ensure each student an opportunity for developing an experience base with members of various ethnic, social class and gender communities.

• S110 Sociological Imagination

Registration for this course initiates a student’s work on the thesis requirement. The student is expected to select a topic and design the research project. The course is conducted primarily on an independent basis in consultation with the student’s advisor.

• PS342 Field Methods

In this required course for majors, the student must complete an original research project.

• CJ489 Thesis Development

An off-campus internship provides qualified juniors or seniors an opportunity to participate in field experience under the guidance and supervision of competent professionals.

Credit for this course requires students to complete an in-depth paper based on a student’s experience in a criminal justice internship. The research paper requires students to review scholarly research on a topic related to their internship, and discuss the relationship between scholarly research and their internship experience. All assignments leading up to the completion of the paper requires students to apply academic knowledge to real world settings.

This course is devoted to a thorough review, analysis and evaluation of public welfare policy and at least one other topic. These topics may include but are not limited to the following: health care, environmental regulations, energy; consolidation of federal programs; affirmative action, etc. Special emphasis is given to the formulation, adoption, implementation, impact, and evaluation of public policy.

This course examines the social, philosophical and legal problems faced by the Supreme Court in translating the abstract language of civil liberties contained in the U.S. Constitution into concrete reality with an emphasis upon current problems and the evolving nature of the process.

The nature and foundations of society and the individual, the main forces that strengthen and weaken social groups and the conditions that transform social life is examined in this course.

This course examines the major sociological perspectives in conjunction with an instruction in the logic and procedures of gathering information about social phenomena. The course covers topics such as: the logic of the scientific method, research design, hypotheses formation, theory and methods of scaling, and research analysis.

The study of deviant behavior as it relates to the definition of crime, crime statistics, theories of crime causation, and crime typologies are treated. The course covers topics such as criminological research, explanations of crime and delinquency, and the development of criminal justice policies.

• CJ111 Introduction to Criminal Justice
• S110 Sociological Imagination

This course is devoted to an interdisciplinary examination of fundamental questions regarding the nature of man, politics and social relations. Values, ideas and priorities as gleaned from the theories and writings of major thinkers from the late 19th and 20th centuries are explored. Special focus is directed toward ideas from the Federalists, Economic Interventionist and Social Elitists. Other topics are selected based on student and instructor interests.

• S110 Sociological Imagination

This course focuses on the concept of youth in contemporary society in terms of their behaviors, roles, experiences, and treatment. It does so within the context of the evolution and structural development of two major social institutions: the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The course uses a sociological framework to emphasize the social, economic, and political realities of childhood in American society.

This course offers a working experience in the purpose and tools of qualitative field methods. The course covers rapport, methods of observation, field notes, data coding and analysis, ethnography, focus groups and interviews, as well as an introduction to quasi-experimentation.

• PS242 Logic of Analysis
• S250 Logic of Analysis

This course is designed to develop student facility in the use of statistical methods and the understanding of statistical concepts. The course takes a practical approach based on statistical examples taken from everyday life. Topics include: descriptive and inferential statistics, an intuitive introduction to probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, chi-square tests, regression and correlation. Appropriate technology is used to perform the calculations for many applications, and correspondingly an emphasis is placed on interpreting the results of statistical procedures.

This course is designed to provide the basic ideas and techniques of statistics. Topics include: descriptive and inferential statistics, an intuitive introduction to probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, chi-square tests, regression and correlation. This course makes significant use of appropriate technology. Topics in this course is treated at a higher mathematical level than they are treated in ST132.

• M115 College Algebra