Criminal Justice (BA) Curriculum

This course examines a general overview of the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on decision points and administrative practices in police and other criminal justice agencies, as well as basic criminal procedures. Topics include: Causes of crime, criminal law, policing history and structure, police management and legal aspects, adjudication including the courts and sentencing, corrections drugs and crime, multinational criminal justice and the future of criminal justice.

This course introduces the student to the major theories of crime by exploring the biological, psychological, sociological and economic theories. Traditional and contemporary theories of criminology are examined to better explain patterns and root causes of crime, crimes against persons and property, white-collar and organized crime, drug abuse and crime, technology and crime, terrorism, and criminology and social policy.

This course provides an overview of police issues, integrating the history, social context and theoretical understanding of policing in America. Relationships between communities, individuals and police organizations are studied. Topics include: evolution of policing, organizational structure and supervision, societal expectations and police corruption.

This course evaluates the history and progression of correctional systems. Contemporary correctional practices are analyzed and evaluated using a historical perspective with a modern emphasis on community and institutional corrections. This course balances current and past research, theories and applications and practical examples and issues. Topics include: historical perspectives, the court process, alternatives to imprisonment, correctional functions, institutional clients, rights of correctional clients, reintegration systems and the future of corrections.

This course explores the evolution of the juvenile justice system and the different approaches followed by the court and correctional authorities. Current topics in juvenile justice include youth victimization, crime prevention, treatment and various juvenile sanctions. Distinction is made between the adult and juvenile system, with emphasis placed on the roles and functions of the juvenile justice system.

This course provides the student with the core knowledge of constitutional criminal procedure. Topics of study include: Fourth Amendment doctrines such as the exclusionary rule, the search warrant, plain view, arrest and Terry-stops and warrant-less searches. The focus of the exclusionary rule reflects the areas in which the Supreme Court has been most active in recent years. The conflicting approaches to the application of law evident between justices adhering to the Due Process Model and those following the Crime Control Model are addressed. Additional topics in the course include: meaning, context and constitutional foundation of criminal procedure; the right to counsel; rules of interrogation and confession; identification of suspects and entrapment; and the pretrial and trial process.

This course examines the diverse ethical issues frequently encountered in the criminal justice system. Students study the writings of the major theorists such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Classic ethical theories will be studied, reviewed and applied to such varied topics as the application of professional and personal discretion, the appropriate use of force, dimensions of professional responsibility and proper application of authority.

This course introduces the student to the foundational aspects of criminal law, including its historical background and fundamental elements. Major themes of both common law and the Model Penal Code, including the elements of statutory crimes, criminal responsibility and defenses are reviewed. Topics include: the historical background of criminal law, fundamentals of criminal law, jurisdiction, the criminal act, the mental element, matters affecting criminal responsibility, assault and related crimes, homicide, sex offenses and offenses to the family relationship, theft, robbery, burglary and related offenses, arson, kidnapping, narcotics and offenses by and against juveniles.

This course is designed to provide an analysis of both the community-oriented policing philosophy and its practical application through strategic oriented policing, neighborhood oriented policing and problem oriented policing methods. Additional aspects to be reviewed include the various roles in the systemic approach, organization and management styles of the police department,implementation methods, evaluation methods, and an examination of past and future practices under this new model in policing.

Psychology and the law will provide a broad overview of the interplay between behavioral science and the legal system. In appearance, the two disciplines are vastly different; however, the legal system has an immense influence on our everyday psychology. The purpose of this course is to examine the legal system through the use of psychological concepts, methods, and research results.

Research Methods presents a broad view of the methods and techniques for conducting academic and professional research. The course focuses on why and when research is performed, the methodologies involved and a description of the applied statistical tests most often used. Techniques and procedures are compared and contrasted so each student gains a firm understanding of what method or test to use and why. Topics include: the research enterprise, theory and research, ethics in research, research design, sampling techniques, questionnaires, interviews, observational techniques, secondary data, reliability and validity issues, data coding,hypothesis testing and sampling distributions. Students will be required to successfully complete the ethics certificate of completion using the Collaborative Institution Training Initiative (CITI) to advance further in the program.

This course is broad-ranging and provides a combination of theory and practice. The course purpose is to promote a superior understanding of government and its relationship with the society it governs, as well as to encourage public policies that are more responsive to social needs. Additional topic include managerial practices attuned to effectiveness, efficiency and human requirements of the citizenry.

This course serves as an opportunity for students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice to demonstrate their mastery of program objectives and knowledge of their field. This capstone encompasses a range of topics and involves the completion of a major research paper that exhibits significant comprehension of one subject area within the field of Criminal Justice.

This course explores the fundamental principles of successful professional communication. Students learn how to write business correspondence, job search correspondence, public relations documents, and professional reports. Students also gain experience in defining their audiences and purpose, designing document layout, as well as writing, revising, and proofreading text. In completing the requirements of this course, students showcase and evaluate their own writing and design skills in a professional correspondence portfolio. Additionally, through a series of reflective journal exercises, students reflect on their learning and writing progress. NOTE: Credit may not be awarded for both EN261 and EN361.