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Course Descriptions
Criminal Justice
CRJ 101
Survey of Criminal Justice
3 credits
This course is a survey of agencies and processes involved in the administration of criminal justice. The survey reviews the functions of the legislature, police, prosecutor, courts, and the correctional system. Problems of law enforcement in a democratic society are discussed. This course ties together all components of criminal justice and includes issues of both the juvenile and adult offender.
CRJ 205
Principles of Criminology
3 credits
This course is an introductory course in the study of crime and criminal behavior that examines various theories of crime causation, profiles of criminal behavior systems, societal reaction to crime, and structures of criminological methods of inquiry.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101
CRJ 206
Corrections and Rehabilitation
3 credits
This course is an introduction to the various phases of the corrections system. Areas that are covered include a brief history of the corrections system, jails and prisons, prisoner profiles, activities and rehabilitation, and parole and probation.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 207
Introduction to Law Enforcement
3 credits
This course reviews the fundamental principles of the structure and function of law enforcement agencies in the United States. The course emphasizes the institutional and occupational aspects of law enforcement across municipal, state, and federal levels, including methods, issues, and problems.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 301
Juvenile Justice
3 credits
This course is a general orientation to the field of juvenile delinquency, including causation, development of delinquent and criminal behavior, initial apprehension, referral, and preventive techniques. Specific issues examined include chemical dependency, mental illness, and compulsive and habitual offenders. Special attention is given to the problems inherent in the police handling of juveniles and the functions of juvenile courts.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 303
Administration of Criminal Justice Organizations
3 credits
This course examines the principles of scientific management as they apply to criminal justice organizations. Emphasis is on changing social responsibilities and major activities of criminal justice organizations. Information related to U.S. Court decisions on affirmative action, EEOC, liability and age, as well as functional and organizational matters, is presented.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 304
Constitutional Law
3 credits
This course is a general review of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, including the constitutional basis for criminal law in the United States. Governmental structure in the United States is analyzed, including the three branches of government and how they interrelate, as well as the division of state and federal power.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 305
Women and Crime
3 credits
This course focuses on theoretical and contemporary issues involving female offenders. Students will have the opportunity to become acquainted with and evaluate social issues of crime relating to women. The course also examines women as victims and professionals in the field of criminal justice.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 306
Contemporary Correctional Systems
3 credits
This course is designed to provide a general overview of correctional programs as they presently exist. The course includes an examination of the procedure by which offenders move through the system. The core of the course focuses on prison administration and strategies designed to "rehabilitate" the incarcerated. The course also examines the problems facing correctional systems and alternatives to such problems.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 206
CRJ 310
History of the Criminal Justice System
3 credits
This course is designed to offer the student an overall historical perspective of the criminal justice system from ancient times through the 20th and early 21st centuries. Students will review the history of the three main components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 316
Criminal Law
3 credits
This course focuses on the goals, objectives, principles, and doctrines of criminal law and procedure. Special attention is paid to the law of search and seizure and the law of interrogation and confessions. Pretrial motions and proceedings and trial by jury are also examined.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 304
CRJ 318
Criminal Investigation
3 credits
This course addresses the basic aspects of criminal investigation. It presents an overview of crimes and their elements and identifies the major goals of investigation. Various investigative techniques are discussed, and the criminal investigator's relationship with individuals and other agencies is examined.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 321
Rehabilitation of the Offender
3 credits
This course presents an overview of the various protocols that are used in the rehabilitation and counseling of criminal offenders who are incarcerated or assigned to residential facilities through judicial referrals. Counseling, treatment and intervention methods with juveniles and adults will be included. Students will explore the application of contemporary theory through use of case studies that emphasis practice. The course is designed to be helpful for the criminal justice practitioners who work with offenders on a regular basis. Institutional and non-institutional programs will be presented.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 322
Topics: Criminal Profiling
3 credits
This course will review the nature of criminal behavior and the factors that tend to lead to the common behaviors that can be profiled. Profiles will be developed and applied to a variety of violent crimes including murder, rape and arson. The role of the criminal profiler in the identification of behavioral markers will be discussed through case studies. Typologies of offenders will be presented that will include the organized and disorganized patterned behavior of violent serial offenders.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 318
CRJ 333
Organizational and Corporate Crime
3 credits
This course provides an in-depth examination of organizational and/or corporate crime. Various topics are explored and contemporary cases representative of each topic are comprehensively studied. The class discusses the theoretical development of these concepts, as well as the laws and investigative techniques that have been developed to specifically address this type of criminal activity.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 334
Advanced Perspectives in Criminology
3 credits
This course will present and evaluate the basic concepts and principles of all the major criminological theories as explanations of crime causation and criminal behavior. The coverage of the theories will be comprehensive and will utilize the case study approach as a methodology to focus the application of criminological theory to world experiences in order to facilitate the learning process.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, PSY 101 and SOC 101
CRJ 335
Advanced Perspectives in Criminal Justice
3 credits
This course presents a comprehensive overview of contemporary issues, procedures, and problems associated with the practicalities of law enforcement, the judiciary, corrections, and the juvenile justice system. The course also provides an in-depth examination of current and vital issues in criminal justice research, policy, process, substance, and procedure, as well as the political and ethical obligations and concerns associated with each component of the criminal justice system.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 340
Workplace/School Violence
3 credits
This course explores the phenomenon of violence that is routinely committed in schools and in the workplace setting. The behaviors of the offenders will be discussed and predictable signs of violence reviewed. Prevention, responses and intervention protocols will be constructed in a formal that will lean heavily upon case studies.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 318
CRJ 341
Community Corrections
3 credits
This course provides a survey of non-institutional programs focusing on alternatives to incarceration in community settings. Programs reviewed will include those that address pre-release, probation, parole, halfway houses, and restitution-based programs.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 206
CRJ 350
Computer Operations in Criminal Justice
3 credits
This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of computers with respect to police information systems, Interagency Criminal Justice Information, the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications Systems, National Criminal Justice Computer System, (FBI) National Incident Based Reporting System, and a variety of databases used in the criminal justice system. The legal and ethical considerations will be discussed. Criminal justice information system databases will be reviewed for application to a variety of issues.
Prerequisite(s): BCS 205, CRJ 101, and CRJ 205
CRJ 390-394
Independent Study in Criminal Justice
3 credits
Through independent study, the student is offered the opportunity to pursue individual special interests under faculty supervision. This course is graded pass/fail.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, PSY 101, and SOC 101
CRJ 400
Notable Criminal Cases
3 credits
A survey of notable criminal cases which covers the crime as well as the criminal behavior. It also looks at profiles of their criminal behavior and society's reaction to the crime.
CRJ 409
Criminalistics
3 credits
The scientific aspect of criminal investigation is examined, with emphasis placed upon the preservation, collection, and examination of physical evidence. The role of the forensic laboratory is presented, and the laboratory's capabilities and limitations are discussed.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, and CRJ 318
CRJ 410
Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice
3 credits
This course examines the diversity issues that impact the criminal justice system both internally and externally. The laws of civil rights in the workplace are reviewed, and the subjects of prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, scapegoating, and racism are discussed within the context of the criminal justice system. Ethnicity and the treatment of minority groups in the system are reviewed.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 411
Criminal Evidence and Procedures
3 credits
This course will examine the legal procedures for the collection and introduction of evidence at a criminal trial. A review of pertinent cases will help the student to sort through the complexities that govern the trial process. The anatomy of a trial will be presented. Search warrants, probable cause, the exclusionary rule, and hearsay will be topics of discussion.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, CRJ 304, and CRJ 316
CRJ 412
Ethics in Criminal Justice
3 credits
An examination of professional standards of behavior by criminal justice practitioners and the conflict with what is acceptable behavior in the system is provided in this course. Corruption, perjury, false reports, wrongful actions, and the code of silence will be discussed. Ethical behavior and the challenge of honesty and integrity are examined within the context of their origins.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 413
Research Methods in Criminal Justice
3 credits
This course provides an introduction to basic research in criminal justice that is designed to prepare the student to understand research methods. Students will review quantitative, qualitative, and experimental methods as techniques in criminal justice research. Review and discussion of the process of analysis, interpretation and clarification of problems, the issue of confidentiality, and the terminology of research are examined. Students will focus on preparation for the role of research consumer.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status and all core criminal justice courses
CRJ 450
Seminar in Criminal Justice
3 credits
This is the capstone course for the Criminal Justice program. Students demonstrate research abilities, develop an in-depth understanding of the criminal justice system, and become acquainted with the range and scope of professional career options and settings within the system.
Prerequisite(s): All CRJ core courses and senior status
CRJ 460
Topics in Criminal Justice: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
3 credits
The course will focus on contemporary issues in the criminal justice field. Students will have the opportunity to become acquainted with and evaluate both sides of controversial issues.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205 and junior status.
CRJ 461
Topics in Criminal Justice: ORGANIZED CRIME
3 credits
This course is designed to present a comprehensive overview of organized crime from its traditional roots in Europe to the more modern and nontraditional versions found in present day Russia, Asia, and the United States. The survey will include the history, nature, and structure of the various organized crime groups with a focus on those groups that are prominent in the region. Definitions from the academic, political and law enforcement perspectives will be reviewed and compared, as well as, the theories of existence, and the characteristic traits ascribed to the groups. The illegal activities of organized crime including the criteria for membership and an overview of their day to day agenda will be explored. A practical view, and examination of how local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies deal with the major crime problem will provide an opportunity for a balance of criminological theory, applied principles of police work, and operational procedures in a specialized format.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 462
Topics in Criminal Justice: Psychology and the Law
3 credits
The course will investigate ways in which psychology is used to understand and change behavior in legal settings. Course topics will range from jurisprudential analysis of helping behavior to descriptions of the psychology of jury selection.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, PSY 101, and SOC 101 and junior status.
CRJ 465
Topical Issues: Juvenile Gangs in America
3 credits
Provide students with a background of the Juvenile Justice System. Within that background, introduce students to the world of juvenile gangs, with a concentration on the history, causes, and responses to juvenile gangs. The information contained in the course will be drawn from present day anthropological, sociocultural and psychological views.
CRJ 466
Topical Issues: Psychology of Criminal Conduct
3 credits
The course objective is to understand variation in the delinquent and criminal behavior of individuals. Empirical and theoretical understanding of the criminal will also be explored.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 468
Topical Issue: Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System
3 credits
This course will examine discrimination issues within the criminal justice system. Students will examine the legal ramifications of profiling, over representation of certain racial and gender groups in prison, and the administration of the death penalty. The course will also allow students to understand how economics affects the criminal justice system.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 469
Topics: Domestic Violence
3 credits
A study of the various forms of violence that take place within the family and partnership relationships. The course focuses on spouse abuse, partner abuse, adolescent abuse, and abuse of the elderly. Current trends in the criminal justice system response will be presented. New laws and responses to the related behavioral issues will be explored. Students will examine the various agencies that have responsibilities to the victims and the rehabilitation of the offender.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 471
Topics Issue: Organized Crime
3 credits
The course provides a general introduction to the full range of political crime. Detailed coverage of specific topics and an overview of the entire spectrum of political criminality will be the main thrust of this course.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 472
Topical Issue: Terrorism
3 credits
Students will gain an understanding of the concept of terrorism as a specialized form of crime through an in-depth view of the history, theory, definitions, and political philosophies that have fueled the debate on this issue. Students will review the issues that have resulted in the present day terrorists groups through an integrated approach that will include religious and philosophical perspectives. Revolution within the context of change will be presented as an issue. The discussion will include foreign terrorism and domestic terrorists within the context of extremists groups. Examples of each type of group will be presented. Case studies of the various groups, and their activities will be presented within a criteria that will provide understanding of the overall concept of terrorism. Law enforcement strategies and overall operational considerations will be discussed.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 473
Topics: Hostage Takers
3 credits
The phenomenon of hostage taking as a major law enforcement concern will be presented through a case study format. Students will apply negotiating strategies to a variety of behavioral types including criminals, terrorists, and suicidal and mentally ill persons. Appropriate laws and issues concerning the use of time, subject demands, negotiable items and negotiator responses will be discussed. Students will use role-play to learn the use of power negotiations and active listening skills.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 474
Victims of Crime
3 credits
This course will present the theoretical and practical approach to the study of crime victimization. Agencies that deal with victims and the community response will be reviewed. Special responses to victims of violence, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and homicide survivors will be discussed. The role of law enforcement, courts, and social agencies will be presented.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101 and CRJ 205
CRJ 475
Community Policing
3 credits
This course is an in-depth study of the evolution, philosophy and characteristics of Community Policing. Topics to be covered include the changing mission and culture of police, the management of change within the police organization, problem solving, the emphasis on crime prevention, the implementation and maintenance of community involvement, and the building of and maintenance of police-community partnerships. The impact of drugs and neighborhood quality of life issues as they relate to police-community relations is also studied in depth.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205 and CRJ 207
CRJ 490-494
Internship in Criminal Justice
3 credits
CRJ 490-494 consists of supervised field placement in an agency related to criminal justice such as family court, a law enforcement agency, or a correctional facility. The course is graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Prerequisite(s): CRJ 101, CRJ 205, substantial number of core courses, junior status, and GPA of 2.5