Curriculum for Criminology & Criminal Justice Degree

Concern about racial injustice, excessive force, and inadequate training and accountability within law enforcement have created consensus about the need for change throughout the U.S. criminal and juvenile justice systems, but the nature and extent of that required change remains a question. In this seminar, students will (1) analyze reform efforts currently under way to reshape law enforcement, prosecution and defense practices, sentencing, incarceration, and re-integration; (2) analyze the strengths and weaknesses of current reform efforts, and identify and examine areas requiring reform that remain unaddressed; (3) consider how reform agendas are created, and how they result in changes that produce both positive and harmful consequences; and (4) examine the ways in which advocacy, social movements, law and media can be successfully engaged in order to effect change.

This course is an introduction to the study of the crime from a sociological perspective. Students will examine the ways in which crime is defined and measured, and through application of criminological theory to high-profile crimes, explore its nature, causes, patterns, and trends. Students will examine the role of the criminal justice system within U.S. society and evaluate the ways in which it succeeds and fails in achieving its goals.

Victimology, the study of victims of crime, is a subdiscipline of criminology with contributions from psychology, social work, economics, law, cybersecurity, and other fields. This course examines the causes, consequences, and responses to crime victims. It begins by introducing the concept of victimology and its historical development. Students will explore various types of victimization, including interpersonal violence, hate crimes, property crimes, and cybercrimes. They will also examine victimization's physical, psychological, social, and financial impact on individuals, families, and society.

Computer evidence (digital evidence) is being used every day in our country to convict criminals of crimes ranging from possession of child pornography to embezzlement to murder. Every competent, modern law enforcement officer understands the significance of digital evidence in every case submitted for prosecution. Students will be required to learn, and apply, legal principles that govern how this vital evidence is recovered (and used) to insure that it will be legally admissible in court.

This course will provide students with a thorough presentation of the various types of white-collar crime identified by our law enforcement community. Students will gain insight into the motives behind white-collar crime and methods used by white-collar criminals to pursue their criminal endeavors. Students will also be presented with enforcement strategies and techniques.