Criminal Justice Course Descriptions
Note: All courses are three credit hours unless noted otherwise.
CJ 101. Introduction to Criminal Justice
A survey of the history, organization and function of the various components of the criminal justice system; police, courts and corrections. Analysis of the decisions made in the process whereby citizens become suspects; suspects become defendants; some defendants are convicted; and in turn become probationers, inmates and parolees. Successful completion of this course with a grade of C or better is required before a student can continue to take any other criminal justice courses.
CJ 199. Special Topics (1-3 credit hours)
A lower-division course designed for a topic of current interest, including televised courses. Prerequisite(s): As stated for each offering.
CJ 204. Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
A study of the law of juvenile delinquency and the administration of the juvenile justice system. Examines the historical development of the concept of delinquency, the special status of juveniles before the law. Surveys the major theories of delinquency. Considers the legal processing of abuse, neglect and dependency cases.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 223. Police and Society
A study of the various levels, roles and functions of law enforcement in America. The nature and responsibilities of law enforcement are discussed and evaluated, including police accountability and civil liability. Examines the racial, ethnic and gender issues in law enforcement.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 224. Punishment and Corrections
A review of the history of criminal punishment and analysis of major changes and causes. Examines the dominant justifications used for punishing offenders, such as deterrence, retribution and rehabilitation. Survey of corrections alternatives, including probation, parole, jail, prison and community corrections.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 225. Victimology
This course will examine the multifaceted problem of crime victimization. Focuses on the incidence of criminal victimization, social characteristics of crime victims, the treatment of the victim in the criminal justice system and efforts designed to alleviate the consequences of criminal victimization and provide support for the victim.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 226. Court Systems in the United States
This course will provide students with a working knowledge of the major structures and basic legal concepts that underlie the criminal courts. The structure of the courts, the nature of the criminal law they apply and the procedures followed by them will be examined along with the history of how they developed and the goals they seek to achieve. The state and federal court systems will be examined. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 299. Selected Topics in Criminal Justice
A lower-level course designed for a topic of special current interest, including satellite courses. Prerequisite(s): As stated for each offering.
CJ 301. Introduction to Forensic Science
This course is designed to make the student aware of the services of a crime laboratory and the proper utilization of these services. The course will concentrate on the significance of physical evidence and the examination of this evidence in the crime laboratory. Students will be taught the proper recognition, collection and preservation of physical evidence at the crime scene.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 304. Crimes in the Family
This course focuses on crimes committed within families, such as domestic violence, incest, child abuse and homicide. Laws, punishments and treatments for offenders are covered in the course. The effects of these crimes on family members and society are discussed.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 307. Criminal Law
The course covers the history and development of criminal law, elements of a crime, parties to a crime and types of offenses. The general principles of substantive criminal law are studied through the analysis of judicial opinions and text. The scope, purpose and definition of criminal offenses are examined.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 308. Ethics in Criminal Justice
This course offers an examination of the ethical quandaries and moral dilemmas that face criminal justice practitioners; a critical review of the ethical standards used to define appropriate conduct by criminal justice officials; and explores sanctions and laws governing inappropriate conduct. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 311. Drugs and Society
This course is designed to deal with the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, both legal and illegal. The etiology, social phenomena, psychological and physiological effects and current modes of treatment within the criminal justice setting will be examined.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 312. Community Corrections
This course will focus on probation, parole and intermediate sanctions. Community corrections programs such as restitution, community service and community-based drug treatment will be discussed. The course will examine the goals and importance of community corrections. Administration and staffing of these programs will also be explored.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 313. Race, Gender and Crime
The study of the dynamics of racial prejudice in the United States and how it affects the criminal justice system. The relationship between minority status and criminality and the interaction of minorities with criminal justice organizations will be analyzed. Characteristics of female offenders are surveyed and offender classification systems are reviewed for their relevance to understanding motivational and behavioral patterns of female offenders. This course will explore the response of police and court officials to women as victims of crimes and will examine employment opportunities for women and minorities in the criminal justice system. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 314. Statistics for Professional Studies
This course is designed to instruct students in basic statistical concepts and statistical analysis. This course includes instruction on the computation, comprehension and interpretation of inferential statistics relating to Criminal Justice and other service professionals.
CJ 315. Methodology
Introduction to the concepts and methods of social science research: the role of theory in research, forming hypotheses and questions, identifying variables and gathering and analyzing statistical data. Emphasis will be on developing good writing skills, and using computers for basic statistical evaluation. This course meets the requirements of POSC 311 and SOC311.
Prerequisite(s): A grade of C in ENGL 102
CJ 316. Firearms/Ballistics
This course addresses forensic issues relating to the chemical aspects of firearms and ammunition. It introduces the history and development of firearms and ammunition including advances in chemical analysis. Several new techniques address evidence collection and testing methods including forensic firearms casework with particular emphasis on the detection of gunshot residues (GSR), firearm discharge residues (FDR), and cartridge discharge residues (CDR) on a suspect’s skin and clothing surfaces. This course also examines unusual firearms cases and summarizes the dangers of incorrect forensic evidence and the increased need for careful training of forensic scientists.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 320. Communication for CJ Professionals I
This course is designed to cover the issues related to the development of appropriate professional research techniques, document development, written and oral communications in the criminal justice system, law enforcement, courts and corrections. Students will concentrate on the development of proper research skills involving professional and peer reviewed resources in various formats. The students will engage in a variety of criminal justice writing styles, including policy analysis, regulation creation, legislation development and case studies. They will refine their utilization of a criminal justice style sheet. In addition to writing skills, attention will be given to the development of effective professional oral communication techniques in the areas of conversation, interviewing, sworn depositions, evidence and expository speaking.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 322. Criminology
This course focuses on the theories of crime. These theories come from several fields, including biology, criminal justice, psychology and sociology. The theories will be examined from a historical perspective beginning with the Classical School in the 1700’s and progressing to the newest integrated theories. The types and extent of crime in the United States and other countries will also be explored.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101 or SOC 101
CJ 323 Therapeutic Interviewing & Counseling
This course offers the foundational strategies, skills, and tools of therapeutic interviewing along with an understanding of the formats and settings in which they will be working. It will also cover general principles of effective interviewing and provide students with the skills and techniques for achieving various interview goals, with an emphasis on counseling interviews and the establishment of helping relationships.
CJ 329 Private Security
This course examines the nongovernmental, private-sector practice of protecting people, property, and information, conducting investigations, and otherwise safeguarding an organization’s assets, which may be performed for an organization by an internal department (proprietary security) or by an external, hired firm or individual (contract security).
CJ 330. Communication for CJ Professionals II
This course is a continuation of CJ 320 and is designed to cover the issues related to the creation of written documentation in the three major components of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts and corrections. Students will be introduced to the various formats, styles and organizational patterns commonly utilized in criminal justice reports and research. Students will become aware of the writing recommendations, guidelines and accrediting requirements of criminal justice professional organizations. Emphasis is also placed upon professional oral and writing skills; including report structure and construction, mechanics, grammar and specific criminal justice vocabulary and usage.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 331 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
This course is designed to effectively explain the complexities of criminal justice systems around the world. Using an accessible, easy-to-understand comparative approach, it helps students recognize the growing importance of an international perspective. Students gain a realistic understanding of the many ways policing, adjudication, and corrections systems can be organized and operated. This course covers more than 30 countries, offering insights into such issues as Islamic legal tradition and the Eastern Asia legal tradition.
CJ 350. Correctional Institutions
This course will focus on jails and prisons. Students will be provided with information on the history of incarceration, as well as theories behind this type of punishment. The course will cover the current conditions of prison life and will provide students with the viewpoints of those who live and work in prisons and jails. Also, management of prisons and jails will be discussed.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 362. Contemporary Issues in Policing
The course covers contemporary issues in policing such as community policing, management procedures and technology.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 370. International Terrorism
This course focuses on the phenomenon of modern terrorism since WWII around the world. This course includes a review of nations, movements and individuals who engage in terrorist violence. The effects of terrorism in terms of individuals, countries and the world are also discussed.
CJ 380. Criminal Procedure
A study of the historical development of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The course will focus on Supreme Court interpretations of the Bill of Rights as they apply to arrests, searches and seizures. The emphasis will be placed on the 4th, 5th and 14th amendments to the U. S. Constitution. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 385. Criminal Investigation
Students will learn about the process of criminal investigation for property and violent crimes. This will include crime scene assessment, deductions from modus operandi, interviews, interrogation and modern instruments of investigation. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 399. Selected Topics in Criminal Justice
An upper-level course designed for a topic of special current interest, including televised courses. Prerequisite(s): As stated for each offering.
CJ 408. Correctional Law
This course covers the laws that govern the sentencing process, prisoners’ rights and the rights of released offenders, and offenders sentenced to probation and intermediate sanctions. The course emphasizes United States Supreme Court cases and major lower court cases that have affected corrections.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 409 Advances Criminalistics & Forensic Science
This course is designed for practical applications of forensic evidence in both the field and in the services of a crime laboratory. The course will concentrate on the significance of physical evidence and the examination of this evidence in the legal environment. Students will demonstrate the proper recognition, collection and preservation of physical evidence at the crime scene or will demonstrate appropriate analysis of physical evidence in a laboratory setting. This course is primarily structured in field and laboratory exercises with supporting lecture and instruction.
CJ 413. Internship in Criminal Justice
This course will provide students the opportunity to go into the criminal justice field and observe the actual operation of the system. Students will be able to compare theory and concepts gained from courses to the actual criminal justice process they have experienced. Students may choose an internship in law enforcement, the courts, corrections or juvenile justice.
Prerequisite(s): 24 hours of CJ courses
CJ 415. Management of CJ Organizations
This course examines organizational and management theories as they apply to criminal justice agencies and organizations. Different management styles, practices and problems are discussed. Also covered are the structure, purpose and process of the criminal justice system and policy making in justice administration. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101, 223, 224, 225, 226, 307, 308, 313, 315, 322, 380 and senior standing.
CJ 418. Correctional Counseling
The course focuses on treatment and rehabilitative programs for offenders, examines the treatment methods that are the bases of these programs, and assesses the efficacy of the programs. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 420. Law and Social Control
This course is designed to cover issues concerning the interrelationships between law and society.
Included are the historical developments of social control and law and the role of law in society, its social construction, interpretation and enforcement. Major theoretical perspectives related to how social status and social structure affect crime levels and societal sanctions are discussed. Also examined are new policies in criminal justice that relate to and attempt to affect the levels of crime in the United States.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101
CJ 425. Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice
This course is designed as a capstone experience for all seniors in the criminal justice major. The course content will vary slightly with each offering. The course will basically cover in-depth analyses of problems and issues in the criminal justice system. The course also will provide students with information about opportunities for employment in the criminal justice field and graduate school. The course will use up-to-date texts and articles from professional journals. Students will be required to complete a major research paper on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the instructor. Successful completion of the course with a grade of C or better is required for graduation. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101, 204, 223, 224, 225, 226, 307, 308, 313, 315, 322, 380 and senior standing.
CJ 435. Fingerprinting
This course is a study of the field of friction ridge skin analysis. Topics will include the structure of friction ridge skin, the history of friction ridge skin identification, fingerprint classification, the taking of inked impressions, latent prints and the crime scene, latent print development methods, latent print identification, automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS), fingerprints and the law and expert witness testimony.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 445. Crime Scene Investigation
This course is a study of the techniques and methodologies used in crime scene investigations and the modem forensic laboratory. Topics will include crime scene documentation (photography, sketching, note-taking, etc.), processing for evidence (biological evidence, fingerprints, impression evidence, trace evidence, etc.), the functions of the forensic laboratory and rules of evidence in the criminal court system. Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 455. Interviewing and Interrogation
This course is a study of the techniques and methodologies used in interviewing and interrogations, specifically in criminal investigations. Topics include the processes of interviewing and interrogation as well as the legal aspects of both.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 465. Sex Crimes
This course is a study of the topic of sex crimes, paraphilias, the investigation of sex crimes, the methodology of sex crimes and the relations of sex crimes to other deviant and criminal activity. Topics will focus on violent sexual offenders including typical typologies of such offenders and theories related to sex crimes.
Prerequisite(s): CJ 101.
CJ 499. Special Topics in Criminal Justice
An upper-level course designed for a topic of special current interest, including televised courses. Prerequisite(s): As stated for each offering.