College of Justice and Safety

Criminal Justice & Police Studies

Criminal Justice Program

Undergraduate Course Descriptions

CRJ 101 – Introduction to Criminal Justice. (3)
A. Formerly COR 101 and PAD 101. A general overview of the criminal justice system including a description of the major agencies: police, prosecution, courts, and corrections, and an analysis of their interdependence in the criminal justice process.
CRJ 301 – Drugs, Crime and Society. (3)
A. Formerly PAD 301. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. An examination of the relationship between organized crime and drug trafficking; the connection between drug use and other types of crime; and a review of drug control policies, including the impact of the media of the media and politics.
CRJ 305 - Family Violence (3)
A. Formerly COR 312. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Family violence as it pertains to criminal justice. Examination of the theoretical and empirical literature on violence against women, children, and elders. Addresses such issues as physical abuse of children, child sexual abuse, courtship violence, domestic violence, marital rape, and elder abuse.
CRJ 312 - Judicial Processes (3)
A. Formerly COR 312. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. An in-depth study of law-making and the American judicial process. Includes a systematic and comprehensive analysis of American courts, their pivotal role in the criminal justice system, and the function and responsibilities of the key personnel within them.
CRJ 313 - Criminal Justice Ethics. (3)
A. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Examines the moral, legal and normative obligations of the state and criminal justice professionals. Surveys the philosophies and theories of ethics and deviance.
CRJ 315 - Administration of Justice. (3)
A. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Examines theories of organization and management as they relate to criminal justice practice. Organizational life, leadership personnel management, bureaucracy, resource management, and other critical administration issues are addressed.
CRJ 325 - White Collar Crime (3)
A. Formerly PAD 325. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. A review and analysis of the upper world crimes of business and government committed in the course of legitimate occupations and financial activities. Credit will not be awarded to students who have credit for APS 325.
CRJ 331 - Perspectives on Crime and Delinquency (3)
A. Formerly PAD 331. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Overview of crime and its control. Examines law making, law breaking, and the social response from theoretical perspectives including social, economic, cultural, symbolic, psychological and biological. Includes historical and contemporary developments.
CRJ 345 – Diversity and Criminal Justice. (3)
A. Formerly COR 345 and PAD 345. Prerequisite: departmental approval. Contemporary race, gender, and other diversity issues and their relevance to criminal offenders, crime victims and the criminal justice system. Includes such issues as the civil rights and women’s movements, and equal opportunity.
CRJ 350 - International and Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. (3)
A. Formerly PAD 350. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. A survey of selected world criminal justice systems including police, courts, and corrections. Cross-national and cross-cultural criminality from several perspectives will be examined.
CRJ 388 – Criminal Justice Research. (3)
A. Formerly COR 388 and PAD 300. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Overview of the research process, with emphasis on finding, using, and evaluating criminal justice research. Examination of both quantitative and qualitative social science research methods and procedures appropriate to the study of crime policy and criminal justice.
CRJ 400 – Applied Criminal Justice Analysis. (3)
A. Formerly COR 308 and PAD 400. Prerequisite: CRJ 377 or equivalent. Analytical and statistical concepts and procedures relevant to crime and criminal justice data. Includes quantitative and qualitative techniques.
CRJ 401 – Organized Crime. (3)
A. Formerly PAD 401. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. History, scope and methods of control of organized crime. Emphasis on local, regional, national and international control of organized crime. Cultural and social implications of the presence of organized crime are examined in depth.
CRJ 406 – Critical Issues in Criminal Justice (3) I, II
Formerly PAD 406. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Examination of the criminal justice system and process with an emphasis on problems and trends. This course provides an analytical overview of justice and its response to the needs of society.
CRJ 423 Topical Seminar: _________: (1-3)
A. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. Intensive study of selected topics related to criminal justice. May be retaken for a maximum of six hours on different topics.
CRJ 424 - Field Experience: (1-6)
A. Prerequisite: Instructor and departmental approval. Designed to broaden the educational experience through appropriate observational work assignments. (intended for pre-service students in non-sworn positions.) Maximum six hours.
CRJ 460 – Independent Study (1-6)
A. Prerequisite: Instructor and departmental approval. Individual study and/or research on a problem pertaining to criminal justice. Student must have the independent study proposal form approved by faculty supervisor and departmental chair prior to enrollment.
CRJ 490 – Senior Seminar. (3)
A. Prerequisite: Senior standing and completion of at least 30 hours of CRJ coursework or departmental approval. Capstone course consisting of development and production of a senior level research paper grounded in relevant criminal justice literature. Emphasis on integration of knowledge acquired in previous courses.
CRJ 540 – Special Problems in Criminal Law. (3)
A. Prerequisite: CRJ 101 or departmental approval. Advanced study of criminal law and criminal procedure. Consideration of problems relating to the police ole in the administration of criminal justice and judicial enforcement of limitations upon police practices.