CRIM 101 | INTRODUCTION TO THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the relationship between crime and the criminal legal system in American society. Specifically, the course will introduce students to the origins and purposes of the criminal law, explaining why rules are broken and who breaks them, and exposing students to the those agencies that comprise the criminal legal justice (police, courts, corrections).
CRIM 105 | CRIME AND THE MEDIA | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine the influence of mass media on crime and society. Specifically, the course explores how mass media shapes the public's understanding of criminality, social responses to criminality, and the criminal justice system. Through an analysis of television, film, newspaper, and electronic/internet media channels, the course explores how the media represents, distorts, and/or filters crime and criminal justice issues. Students will be able to be able to identify the common links between media representations and criminal justice actors, issues, and policies; in addition to becoming critical consumers of media related depictions of criminality.
CRIM 107 | CRIMINOLOGY GOES TO THE MOVIES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores popular representations of crime in films. Crime films communicate social concerns, moderate public debates, and serve as the primary point of access to criminal justice agencies and populations. This course will examine how crime films influence notions of criminality, victimization, and appropriate social responses. Students will discover the significance of crime films in shaping and distorting public perceptions of crime and punishment in society. The course will contextualize crime films within existing and emerging issues in Criminology, including policing, courts, penology, criminal injustice, wrongful convictions, organized crime, gangs, drugs, communities, forensic science and serial killers.
CRIM 201 | LAW ENFORCEMENT | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the social and historical origins of police systems in America. Specifically, the course will introduce students to the role of policing in society, explaining how police organizations operate and respond to occupational challenges.
CRIM 202 | CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the historical and philosophical development of procedural law in America. The course will introduce students to the definition, constitutionality, and application of criminal law. The course will consider interrelationships between law, custom, morality, and social change.
CRIM 203 | CORRECTIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the history, philosophy, and practice of corrections in America. The course will introduce students to the origins and purposes of corrections, explaining how U.S. culture defines punishment, incarceration, and social control. The course will expose students to the individual agencies and prison administrators that comprise the American system of corrections.
CRIM 205 | RACE, CLASS, GENDER AND THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the relationship between Race, Class, Gender, and the criminal legal system. Throughout the course, we will examine the multiple and intersecting ways these concepts shape the criminal process. Specifically, how do these socially constructed axioms influence a variety of institutional contexts such as law enforcement, courts, and corrections? The goal is to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the criminal legal system from the position of under-represented groups in America.
CRIM 206 | CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine the fundamental principles and procedures employed in criminal investigations. The course will introduce students to investigative theory, collection and preservation of evidence, interviews and interrogations, behavioral analysis and criminalistics. The course will consider procedural law and the constitutional limits to criminal investigations. Specific topics include drug laws, juvenile justice, victims, white-collar crime, ethical behavior, and criminal justice policies.
CRIM 207 | LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine the fundamental concepts of law enforcement administration and management that underlie decision-making, policy formulation, operational strategies, and procedural limitations. The course will introduce students to organizational patterns, administrative processes, and management theories in regards to law enforcement. The course will consider internal and external factors affecting the role of police administrators in relation to organizational communications and community relations. Special topics include leadership, political climate, unionization, recruitment and retention of qualified law enforcement personnel, training policies, and management issues.
CRIM 208 | LATINOS AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine the relationship between Latinos/as and the criminal legal system. Throughout the course, we will ask (1) what distinguishes Latinos/as from other racial and ethnic groups (2) and what Criminological theories can help us understand the causes of these differences and inequalities. The course will examine key variables such as historical context, ethnic and race relations, and current criminal justice policy regarding Latinos/as in the United States. Cross-listed with LST 209.
CRIM 209 | CRIME AND PUNISHMENT | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course examines the nature of crime and the justification of punishment. Through historical and contemporary readings, basic issues such as what crime and punishment actually are, how punishment has been and continues to be justified, and the various forms that penal practices have taken will be explored. The course will also examine the question of social justice as it relates to punishment and the vexed problem of whether any forms of crime can ever be morally justified.
CRIM 215 | GANGS IN SOCIETY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to provide a historical and organizational examination of gangs in society. The course will address the nature and definition of gangs, gang typologies and theoretical explanations of gang behavior. The course pays particular attention to social, cultural, political, and economic causes of gangs. In addition, students will analyze law enforcement responses, intervention and prevention strategies, and public policy issues. In short, students will develop a greater understanding of the social forces that contribute to the creation of gangs and assess societal responses to reduce deviant behavior.
CRIM 218 | COMMUNITIES AND CRIME | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine the connection between crime and various aspects of community context. Specifically, the course will explore how conditions and processes both within the community and in the broader society impact crime. The course will pay particular attention to factors that influence community-level crime rates and the effects on individual behavior. Students will assess Criminological explanations regarding the causes of crime, the consequences for neighborhoods, and how policing and imprisonment influence crime, violence, and the people who reside in such communities. Special topics of interest include social disorganization, collective efficacy, industrial and post-industrial urbanization, population instability, family structure, the concentration of poverty, economic processes, and social transformations.
CRIM 225 | COMMUNITY NON-VIOLENCE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine non-violence efforts to reduce crime in violent communities. Specifically, the course will introduce students to the history, theory, and practice of non-violence with an emphasis on crime prevention and social change. The course will highlight factors that influence community-level violence, the effects that community characteristics have on individual violence, and attempts to resolve violence through non-violent means.
CRIM 228 | CRIME PREVENTION | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides an introduction to the science and practice of crime prevention. Specifically, the course examines the history, theories, and philosophies that inform crime prevention strategies. The course pays particular attention to the role of community capacity building in preventing crime and explores alternatives to incarceration. Students develop informed decision making skills by linking crime to individual and societal factors, collaborating with community and criminal justice agencies, and assessing the social costs associated with current criminal justice policies regarding punishment.
CRIM 235 | JUVENILE JUSTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides a historical and philosophical examination of juvenile justice in American society. Specifically, the course explores the nature and extent, causes and correlates, and treatment and prevention of juvenile delinquency. The course reviews current policies and practices influencing juvenile justice as well as societal definitions and reactions to juvenile delinquency. Special topics include: the role of family and peer groups, substance abuse and mental health, school violence, status offenses, jurisdiction and function of juvenile agencies, disproportionate minority confinement and prevention and treatment programs.
CRIM 240 | CRIMES OF THE STATE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
While the state has traditionally been the author, guardian and executor of criminal law within its own borders, there are numerous instances when the state violates its own standards of criminal law. This course explores major global cases of state-sponsored criminal activities including cases of torture, war crimes, terrorism, and genocide. Students study the ways that the state implicates itself in crimes concerning the obstruction of justice, disinformation, cover-ups, unaccountability and fraud. To this end, the course explores the measures used to determine whether a state's activity is criminal and compare them against behaviors and operating standards by which the estate attempts to fulfill its own civic goals.
CRIM 245 | HATE/BIAS CRIMES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides an introductory understanding of the definitions of hate/bias crime; examines the causes and consequences of hate/bias crimes, explores hate/bias crime as it relates to policy and legislation; and scrutinizes the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of hate/bias crimes in the United States.
CRIM 257 | SCHOOL VIOLENCE, DISCIPLINE AND JUSTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine crime and punishment in America's educational system. Specifically, the course will introduce students to the nature, extent and proposed remedies to school violence. The course will pay particular attention to the policy and practice of school discipline grounded in the philosophy of law and order and the criminalization of young people. Within the context of educational justice, students will explore equitable access to quality instruction, school resources and alternatives to punishment. Finally, a number of special topics such as bullying, sexual harassment, dating violence, school shootings, the school to prison pipeline, zero tolerance, school resource officers, corporal punishment, and restorative justice will all be addressed in relation to the larger macro concerns of the American ethos of education and the primary institution of upward mobility in American society.
CRIM 264 | FORENSIC SCIENCE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course introduces the field of forensic science and its application to the criminal legal system. Specifically, the course explores the theory and practice of forensic science used in the collection, examination, preservation, evaluation and interpretation of evidence. Students will understand the basic considerations, guidelines, and procedures that comply with both legal and scientific regulations regarding the use of physical evidence. Special topics include crime scene techniques, nature of evidence, physical and chemical analyses, toxicology, DNA, botany, entomology, courtroom activities and new trends in forensic science.
CRIM 265 | DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course is designed to introduce students to the topic of terrorism, both domestically and internationally. The course will critically examine how terrorism is defined, what is known about the causes of terrorism, the strategies and tactics of terrorist groups, and the efficacy of current prevention and intervention efforts.
CRIM 275 | CYBERCRIME AND CYBERTERRORISM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course introduces students to cybercrime, cyberterrorism, and information warfare along with the law enforcement response to these issues. Topics addressed in this course include descriptions of the types of crimes and terrorist acts committed using computer technology; theories addressing digital criminals; and an overview of the laws which govern cybercrime investigation and prosecution. Students will examine current events and high profile cyberattacks ranging from facilitation of terrorist attacks, hackers, identify theft and fraud, cyber criminal organizations, sex crimes, digital hate, espionage, and nation-state attacks.
CRIM 280 | CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores criminal and delinquent behavior by learning about the motivations behind various types of crime. Through case studies, students will examine crimes such as arson, hate crimes, sex crimes, crimes of violence (serial murder), and crimes involving satanic and ritualistic behavior. The course includes exploration of how criminal behaviors is influenced by cognitive, developmental, and opportunistic factors.
CRIM 285 | COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores the history, purpose, and operations of probation and parole as well as other types of community-based supervision, such as pre-trial supervision, electronic monitoring, home detention and house arrest, day reporting centers, and other programs related to the supervision of individuals under court jurisdiction in the community. The course includes a specific examination of promising and evidence-based practices used in the field, including Risk-Need-Responsivity and evidence-based principles for effective intervention.
CRIM 290 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
In-depth examination of selected and timely social issues. Topics vary from quarter to quarter. Topics may be initiated by students.
CRIM 301 | RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIMINOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the fundamental principles of social science research. Specifically, the course provides students with the necessary skills to design, conduct, interpret, and evaluate criminal justice data.
CRIM 101 is a prerequisite for this class.
CRIM 302 | STATISTICS IN CRIMINOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course introduces students to the basic principles and techniques of statistical analysis. Specifically, the course utilizes quantitative research methods to collect, analyze, and evaluate criminal offending patterns and criminal justice responses to crime.
(MAT 095 & MAT 100) or MAT 101 or placement and CRIM 101 are prerequisites for this class.
CRIM 303 | CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the theoretical perspectives related to the causes of crime and delinquency. Specifically, the course considers the impact and application of criminological theories of crime to the practice of criminal justice. Students will be required to analyze the assumptions of each theoretical perspective and demonstrate how these assumptions shape our knowledge of criminal behavior.
CRIM 101 is a prerequisite for this class.
CRIM 305 | VICTIMOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course will review victimology as an evolving discipline. It will examine the elements of this field, including the development of the discipline, theories of victimization, the use of victimization surveys, specific types of victimization, the economic and other costs of crime to victims, services and programs for victims, and the implications of the victim-offender system on the criminal justice process.
CRIM 101 is a prerequisite for this class.
CRIM 306 | FOUNDATIONS OF JUSTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course will provide students with an understanding of the ethical dilemmas faced by criminal justice practitioners across the criminal legal system. Specifically, the course will discuss the history and philosophy of justice, fundamentals and history of ethics, professional codes of conduct, as well as discuss ethical decision-making processes at both the individual and organizational levels.
CRIM 309 | FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course will explore the role of federal law enforcement in regards to sharing responsibilities for intelligence collection, national security matters, and expansive criminal investigations. Specific topics will include the interaction between agencies, conflicts between local and federal law enforcement, international responsibilities, and the impact of public perceptions.
CRIM 312 | 21ST CENTURY POLICING | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The purpose of this courses is to examine police reform efforts in society. Specifically, the course explores how to law enforcement agencies can build legitimacy in the eyes of its constituents and balance considerations of procedural justice with due process. The course considers the ethical, moral, and accountability dilemmas that face law enforcement practitioners in preventing and controlling crime. Students will be exposed the audit and oversight functions in law enforcement. Special topics include: proactive policing, police use of force, racial profiling, police and community partnerships, restorative justice practices, the changing nature of police work, police discretion and misconduct and different types of policing strategies.
CRIM 320 | WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Several elements make innocent people vulnerable to being wrongfully convicted, including faulty or junk science; eyewitness misidentification; false confessions; misconduct by government officials; use of snitches; and poor defense. Using a case study approach, this course explores how innocent people can wind up on death row, incarcerated, or convicted, with a particular emphasis on how race and poverty increase the risk of innocent people being convicted. The class will include accounts of exonerated persons, readings critical of criminal justice system, and videos that highlight key cases and issues.
CRIM 325 | US POLITICAL PRISONERS AND CRIMES OF CONSCIENCE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Although the United States government claims not to hold political prisoners, there are hundreds of individuals in US detention charged with political crimes or crimes of conscience. This course identifies the various types of political prisoners, the history and philosophy of counterintelligence measures, and the accommodations made by the judicial system to enforce social, political and economic codes of behavior on dissenters. In this course, students question the traditional definitions of crime. Specifically, students explore the ways that people purposely break the law to address larger issue of injustice, for example through acts of civil disobedience, and the ways that political resistance is criminalized as in charges of seditious conspiracy.
CRIM 328 | MOBILITY & THE STATE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
In this course we explore the history, culture, and politics of migration along with an examination of the expanding borders of the United States. We analyze the varied mythology of the border as a danger zone, an intermediary zone, and a place of contact and conflict. We also look to the theorizations of the border as a site of cultural exchanges, resistance and critical negotiation; interchanges that impact the construction of race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender from both sides of the border. We examine issues relating to U.S. policies of immigration and labor movements as well as the economic and political consequences of globalization along the border region. Finally, we examine how the U.S. border has shifted and changed over time, critically challenging issues of political, cultural, and legal belonging.
CRIM 330 | REHABILITATION, REINTEGRATION AND REENTRY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course examines the challenges and barriers individuals face as they return from a period of incarceration in jail or prison and the practices and policies that increase successful reintegration and reentry to communities. Challenges and issues that may be examined include, housing, employment, education, criminal history, family reunification, substance use treatment, victimization and trauma, and mental and behavioral health treatment. The course also explores the appropriateness of recidivism as a common metric of success and the concept of desistance.
CRIM 337 | DRUGS AND SOCIETY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides a historical, social, and political examination of drugs in American society. Specifically, the courses explores the causes and consequences of drug use, the impact of the medicalization of human behavior, legislation and enforcement of drug policies and prevention and treatment efforts. The course will pay particular attention to the criminalization of certain substances and groups as a result of the War on Drugs. Students will study the intersection of research, policy and practice to developed evidence based approaches in health promotion and disease prevention relative to treatment and prevention of addiction. The course will conclude with an investigation of alternative drug policies in American society. Special topics of interest include: drug identification, subcultures, drugs and the media, systemic shame, cultural stigma, class and race conflict, drug violence, drug industries, decriminalization, legalization, harm reduction and drug courts.
CRIM 345 | WHITE COLLAR AND CORPORATE CRIME | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The objective of this course is to examine white collar crime in a transnational context. Specifically, the course exposes students to the economic, political and social consequences of white collar crime in a global age. Students investigate the cause and extent of white collar crime with particular attention to the differences and similarities to other criminal activity. The study of white collar crime challenges traditional assumptions of criminality. Therefore, the course explores alternative methodologies to research, investigate, prosecute, and sanction white collar crime in society. Special topics of interest include: embezzlement, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, computer crime, identity theft, tax crimes, securities fraud, conspiracy, RICO, antitrust and environmental laws, obstruction of justice and bribery and corruption.
CRIM 390 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
In-depth examination of selected and timely social issues. Topics vary from quarter to quarter. Topics may be initiated by students.
CRIM 395 | CAPSTONE IN CRIMINOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Capstone in Criminology.
CRIM 398 | INTERNSHIP | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The purpose of the internship is to complement a student's educational understanding with real world experience. Specifically, internships require students to apply Criminology related theories and paradigms to professional settings. Throughout the internship experience, students learn about the criminal legal system through techniques of observation and reflective analysis. An internship opportunity allows students to compare different career fields and develop a better understanding of their personal skills and interests. In addition, internships provide students with professional references and networking contacts. Finally, an internship develops skills, knowledge, and approaches that will distinguish them within a pool of applicants.
CRIM 399 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
With the approval and under the guidance of an assigned faculty member, students in this course conduct research on Criminology related topics.
CRIM 409 | FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
This course will explore the role of federal law enforcement in regards to sharing responsibilities for intelligence collection, national security matters, and expansive criminal investigations. Specific topics will include the interaction between agencies, conflicts between local and federal law enforcement, international responsibilities, and the impact of public perceptions.
CRIM 425 | US POLITICAL PRISONERS AND CRIMES OF CONSCIENCE | 4 quarter hours
(Graduate)
Although the United States government claims not to hold political prisoners, there are hundreds of individuals in US detention charged with political crimes or crimes of conscience. This course identifies the various types of political prisoners, the history and philosophy of counterintelligence measures, and the accommodations made by the judicial system to enforce social, political and economic codes of behavior on dissenters. In this course, students question the traditional definitions of crime. Specifically, students explore the ways that people purposely break the law to address larger issue of injustice, for example through acts of civil disobedience, and the ways that political resistance is criminalized as in charges of seditious conspiracy.