Skip to main content

Trends in Criminal Justice

In this course, students examine Criminal Justice trends in the 21st century and the rapidly evolving expectations for accountability from the public. They examine the impact of terrorism, technological change, and social dynamics on the practice of criminal justice as well as the challenges of increased scrutiny from the public and the media. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to explain significant changes in the areas of leadership, structure, culture, policy, and technology as these relate to the Criminal Justice System.

Criminal Justice Internship

The Criminal Justice Studies internship provides students with an opportunity to acquire practical work experience through a supervised learning experience with a criminal justice agency related to the student's interest. Upon completion of the internship, students will be able to relate the knowledge acquired in the classroom to the performance of professional criminal justice roles.

Psychology, Introduction to

This course introduces students to some of the major theories and topics of psychology, including the physiological basis of behavior, personality and learning theories, memory, states of consciousness, stress, research methods, intelligence, human development, psychopathology, and social behavior.

Community Policing Strategies

In this course, the learner will identify community resources available in your area, describe the role of an advocacy group in the criminal justice community, demonstrate cultural self-awareness, interpret state and federal laws related to discrimination and diversity, utilize appropriate skills for interacting effectively and professionally with persons from culturally diverse backgrounds and lifestyles, identify and implement personal strategies that take into account cultural differences, identify the types of situations and the characteristics of individuals that are likely to be encounte

Introduction to Criminology

In this course, students examine what constitutes a crime and how to classify crimes. They identify criminals and differentiate between accidental and premeditated violent crimes. Students relate certain abnormal human behavior that leads to criminal activity and study cases that demonstrate classic symptoms of violent behavior. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to identify common motives behind the criminal activity and explain methods of deterring criminal activities.

Criminal Justice Administration

In this course, students examine the functions of organization and administration as they relate to the criminal justice system. They explore recruitment, training, and retention of human resources, and they analyze funding and budgeting for organizations. Students relate management principles, practices, and communication to organizational effectiveness. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to explain the functions of a criminal justice organization and its administrative operations.

Rules of Evidence

In this course, students explore the types, proper treatment, and disposition of criminal evidence. They analyze rules for obtaining evidence, and they examine the problems of admissibility in court proceedings. Upon successful completion, students will be able to explain the various requirements that evidence must meet before it can be admitted into court.

Sociology, Introduction to

This course examines interpersonal relationships of humans and groups and the consequent structure of society. It details the various social processes and concepts which shape human behavior, analyzing such phenomena as organizations, deviance, race and ethnic relations, population, urbanization, social change, and social movements. Religion, education, and the family are studied.

Mathematical Reasoning

All college students, regardless of their college major, need to be able to make reasonable decisions about fiscal, environmental, and health issues that require quantitative reasoning skills. An activity based approach is used to explore numerical relationships, graphs, proportional relationships, algebraic reasoning, and problem solving using linear, exponential and other mathematical models. Students will develop conceptual and procedural tools that support the use of key mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts.

Report Writing

In this course, students examine a variety of law enforcement reports. They identify the essential elements of communication required to accurately convey required information used by criminal justice professionals and the public. Students practice taking effective field notes, synthesizing relevant information, and writing reports. Upon completion, students will be able to identify the information that should be included in a variety of reports, and they will be able to write narratives and organize information in reports.