SCJ Course Descriptions

27:202:511 Foundations of Criminological Theory (3) This is the first course of a two-part graduate sequence introducing students to the major theories of crime and criminal justice. It focuses on the foundations of criminological theory, with an emphasis on classical readings. It familiarizes students with key research questions and assumptions of theoretical approaches, their core propositions and challenges for measurement/testing, as well as policy implications.
Required Course - Ph.D.

27:202:512 Measurement and Correlates of Crime (3) Review and critique of major sources of data for measurement of crime and victimization: official records, surveys of crime victimization in households and individuals, and self-report methods. Data collection procedures and sources for each data source analyzed; sources of measurement error identified. Analyze procedures for aggregating and reporting data and for measuring crime rates. Review patterns and trends over time in specific forms of crime; identify geographic and demographic correlates according to each data source. Factors influencing disparities and convergence between data sets analyzed. Crime rates compared for U.S. and international data, as well as for specific regions within the United States.

27:202:514 Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime (3) Seminar. Review of contemporary knowledge on the many drug-crime relationships. Review of articles that represent dominant views and consideration of alternative perspectives and criticism of empirical research and theory. Survey of the literature examines theory, research, intervention strategies, and crime control policies. Both adolescent and adult behaviors, and also the varieties of licit and illicit drugs associated with crime and delinquency, considered.

27:202:516 Offender Rehabilitation (3) This course is designed to give graduate students a strong foundation in the theoretical underpinnings of offender rehabilitation and to examine current knowledge about best practices in promoting offender change. The course will examine interventions and programs in the context of correctional settings and in the community. In addition, the mechanisms of change related to personal identity will be examined, as will strengths based approaches to change. Students should come away form the class with a sense of the state of the field concerning offender rehabilitation as well as practical concerns regarding program implementation and evaluation. The class will emphasize policy analysis and research experience.

27:202:517 Violent Crime (3) Investigates and analyzes aggression and violence as forms of individual, group, and societal behavior. Includes an assessment of anthropological, biological, philosophical, political, and sociological theories. Combines student presentations and projects with lectures and tutorials.  

27:202:518 Contemporary Criminological Theory (3) This is the second course in a two-part graduate sequence introducing students to the major theories of crime and criminal justice. It examines contemporary theoretical contributions in criminology and criminal justice. The aim is to familiarize students with key research questions and assumptions of contemporary theoretical approaches, their core propositions and challenges for measurement/testing, as well as policy implications. Required Course - Ph.D. Prerequisite: 27:202:511.

27:202:520 The Criminal Justice System (3) Foundation and overview of the criminal justice system and process. Focuses on critical decisions with emphasis on contemporary issues, controversies, and trends.

27:202:521 Criminal Justice Policy (3) This course is designed to give doctoral students a broad overview of criminal justice policies. It examines the goals and values underlying justice policy, the social construction of crime problems and the process of policy development, and the ways that policies shape the day-to-day working of the criminal justice system. It also investigates the specific institutions of the criminal justice system including the juvenile justice system, police, courts, and the correctional system, as well as the activities and processes carried out by these entities. The course will provide an overview of best practices for formulating and evaluating criminal justice policy.
Required Course - Ph.D.

27:202:525 Justice, Law, and Policy (3) Multidisciplinary overview of key institutions, processes, and policy issues regarding crime and justice. Includes readings and discussion on: traditional criminal justice institutions and processes; the role of private sector and community organizations in crime control; law and justice policy in a federal system; crime prevention and institutional responses to crime; emerging cross-national issues in crime, law, and policy.
Required Course - M.A.

27:202:528 Problem Analysis (3) This course will focus on defining and analyzing problems commonly faced in justice and related agencies. Examples may be drawn from: inmate classification systems; institution population models and prediction; crime analysis; case tracking and analysis for community corrections; and application of bail classification matrixes. Topics will include: problem statement and formulation; fundamentals of statistics and data analysis; and documentation and principles of measurement. Required Course - M.A.

27:202:529 Planning and Evaluation (3) Focuses on program planning and evaluation, the kinds of things executives, managers, and planning and oversight agencies do. Additional topics on statistics and other forms of analysis will be covered. The course will examine traditional evaluation designs and case studies, generally through an action research framework. Topics will include: logic modeling; evaluating/assessing policies and programs; probability and nonprobability sampling; and overview of data collection techniques. Required Course - M.A. Prerequisite: 27:202:528.

27:202:531 Probation, Parole, and Intermediate Sanctions (3) Analysis of the theories and practices of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions. Emphasis on understanding--as human-service organizations--the functions of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions. Special attention given to policy developments in the field.
 

27:202:532 Corrections (3) Traces the historical development of institutions for confinement and analyzes present trends in correctional practice. Reviews characteristics of various correctional policies and analyzes prison life. Special emphasis on current trends and controversies.

27:202:533 Policing (3) Examines the police role and law enforcement policy, police organization, personnel issues, management, and operations, as well as coordination and consolidation of police service, police integrity, and community relations.

27:202:535 Juvenile Justice (3) Focuses on history and philosophy of juvenile justice, landmark court cases, police handling of juveniles, the juvenile court, and juvenile corrections and rehabilitation.

27:202:536 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems (3) Examines crime and criminal justice from a comparative, cross-national perspective. It investigates the benefits and challenges of comparative research on crime and justice, examines the relationship between crime rates and differential criminal justice systems, and analyzes cases that reveal how globalization and socioeconomic development indicators shape the nature of contemporary crime and criminal justice practices. 

27:202:537 Race, Crime, and Justice (3) This course examines the overrepresentation of racial minorities in the criminal justice system. Specifically, it will examine group differences in offending, processing, and victimization. It also analyzes the ways that theory and practice intersect and are mediated by other social factors.

27:202:539 Gender, Crime, and Justice (3) This course examines the role of gender in crime, criminology, and criminal justice. The course framework and readings emphasize theoretical frameworks brought to bear in the study of gender, emphasizing the social structures of gender, social constructions of gender, symbolic meaning systems, and intersections of race, class, and gender. Topics include the impact and nature of gender in crime commission, criminal victimization, and criminal justice processing.

27:202:541 Foundations of Scholarship (3) Develops rudimentary tools needed for conducting research and for writing reports and scholarly papers in the field of criminal justice. Explores approaches to writing a research paper, report writing, forms of documentation, library resources, data sources, presentation techniques, legal research, and computer usage.
Required Course - M.A.

27:202:542 Introductory Statistics (3) This is the first course of a two-part graduate sequence in statistics. It is an introduction to statistics, and provides the background necessary for Intermediate Statistics. The topics to be covered include descriptive statistics, point and interval estimation, statistical inference, measures of association for discrete variables, and regression.  No previous knowledge of statistics is necessary; however the course assumes that students will eventually use statistics in their own research. The subject matter will be covered in enough depth for this to be possible.

27:202:543 Intermediate Statistics (3) This is the second course of a two-part graduate sequence in statistics. It is an introduction to the general linear model, including underlying assumptions and diagnostic tests. An introduction to the binary response model will also be provided. The use of the computer for data analysis will be an integral part of the course. 
Required Course - Ph.D. Prerequisite: 27:202:542. Corequisite: 27:202:640.

27:202:553 Master's Project Seminar (3) Continuation of 27:202:528 and 529. This is the capstone class for all master's students. This seminar-style class will examine how research informs policy. Students will produce a comprehensive research paper.  Required Course - M.A. Prerequisites: 27:202:525, 528, 529, 541. Corequisite: This class must be taken in conjunction with the fieldwork class.

27:202:555 J.D./M.A. Degree Essay (6) The 6-credit paper is the heart of the joint-degree program. Intended to ensure that the cross-fertilization of disciplines is successful.

27:202:556 Fieldwork in Criminal Justice (3) Firsthand experience in the day-to-day operation of a criminal justice program under the guidance and supervision of a faculty member and a practitioner in the field-placement area.
Required Course - M.A. Prerequisites: 12 credits of coursework completed prior to enrollment. Interested students should meet with their advisers for further information. 

27:202:602 Police and Crime Control (3) This class examines major police innovations, such as community policing, broken windows policing, problem-oriented policing, pulling levers policing, third-party policing, hot spots policing, Compstat, and evidence-based policing. It considers the evidence on crime control and public safety impacts generated by these approaches, the extent of the implementation of these new approaches in police departments, dilemmas these approaches have created for police management, and critical issues that persist for the policing profession in launching effective crime control strategies such as race, community engagement, and police legitimacy.

27:202:605 Crime Mapping and GIS for Public safety (3) An examination of techniques associated with the collection, display, analysis, and storage of spatial data, and the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for mapping crime patterns and understanding related public safety issues.

27:202:610 Crime Control Theory and Research (3)   Seminar. Analyze theory and research on crime control, including theories of deterrence and social control, their applications in crime control strategies, and the impacts of crime control strategies based on general and specific deterrence, as well as incapacitation strategies. Review and critique research on the effects of criminal and civil legal sanctions and problems in implementing effective sanctions. Methodological issues in the research on crime control assessed. Research on applications of crime control theory to specific crime problems reviewed.

27:202:612 White-Collar Crime (3) Surveys the history and scope of the study of white-collar crime. Discusses issues of definition, examines empirical evidence, and reviews the contributions of white-collar crime studies.

27:202:613 Victimization (3) This course examines the risks and consequences of crime for its victims. Issues considered include victim-offender relationships, characteristics of victims, the nature of the injuries they experience, and criminal justice procedures that involve them.

27:202:614 Communities and Crime (3) Surveys and analyzes literature on the demography and ecology of crime. Includes reviews of research and theory that address the influences of economics, demography, social organization, and political economy on crimes within cities and neighborhoods. Combines student presentations of published articles with lectures, tutorials, and student projects.

27:202:616 Environmental Crime Prevention (3) Theoretical background to opportunity-reducing crime prevention through situational prevention (including key concepts of rational choice and displacement) and its relationship to crime prevention through environmental design, defensible space, and problem-oriented policing. Case studies illustrate the practical and policy difficulties of situational prevention.

27:202:618 Human Smuggling and Trafficking (3) This course is an examination of two transnational criminal enterprises--the smuggling and trafficking of persons--that draw on similar criminal groups, methods, and motives. It covers analytic approaches to studying the topics; the role of organized and other forms of crime to each; how agents operate in specific geographic contexts; and how state and nonstate actors are responding to the smuggling and trafficking of persons.

27:202:619 Organized Crime (3) Defines organized crime and its history and examines criminological theories to explain it. Also covers nontraditional or so-called emergent organized crime groups, such as urban street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs. Examines various investigation, prosecution, and sentencing policies, and considers the policy implications for the future.

27:202:622 Gangs (3) This course examines theory, measurement, and research on gangs and gang activity, including definitional issues; gangs in historical context; theories of gang formation; types of gangs; gang involvement in crime, drugs, and violence; and gangs in the international context.  It also examines gang control programs and policies.

27:202:633 Evidence and Criminal Justice Policy (3) Provides a critical introduction to (i) the policymaking process and the role of research evidence, and (ii) approaches to generating evidence about effective criminal justice policies. The course will highlight contemporary debates about the role of experimental and nonexperimental research, the accumulation of knowledge, large-scale implementation of promising programs, factors that compete with evidence in real-world policymaking, and problematic consequences of evidence-based approaches.

27:202:640 Advanced Research Methods (3) Analyzes research strategies and methods for research in criminal justice and criminology. Includes analysis of links between theories and methods. Provides detailed review of quantitative and qualitative methods, including research design, sampling, measurement, data collection, and ethical concerns.
Required Course - Ph.D. Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of research design in the social sciences. Corequisite: 27:202:543.

27:202:641 Advanced Statistics (3) Topics vary from year to year and may include one or more of the following: design and analysis of longitudinal research, including time-series analysis and panel models; quantitative methods for categorical and limited dependent variables; quasi-experimental methods for observational data; or other topics. The course may be repeated for credit when topics change. The use of the computer for data analysis will be an integral part of the course. 
Prerequisites: 27:202:542, 543, 640.

27:202:645 Advanced Scholarship (3) Preparation of a paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. All aspects of paper presentation addressed, and the differences between a paper for publication in a journal and other forms of professional writing (such as proposal and report writing) explored. Prerequisite: 27:202:541 or enrollment in the doctoral program.

27:202:647 Research Design for Causal Inference (3) Provides a tutorial on research design features (as opposed to statistical models) that enhance a researcher's ability to establish cause-effect relationships. Such features generally include a well-defined intervention, a generalizable research setting, pre- and posttest measures, comparable treatment and comparison groups, and random assignment. The course will emphasize the potential threats to causal inference that arise when at least one of these elements is absent, compromised, or poorly approximated.
Prerequisites: 27:202:542, 543, 640.

27:202:648 Qualitative Research Methods (3) Ethnographic and qualitative field methods and their applications to problems of crime and criminal justice. Includes definition of appropriate research problems; data collection, interviewing, and participant observation; ethical issues of protecting human subjects; coding and analysis of qualitative data; inductive theory construction; presentation of findings; and coordinating qualitative with quantitative methods. Requires collection and analysis of some original data. Also includes microcomputer-based qualitative data analysis techniques.   Prerequisite: 27:202:640.

27:202:650 Independent Study (3) Study under the supervision and guidance of a faculty member. Prerequisites: 12 credits of coursework completed prior to enrollment.  Interested students should meet with their advisers for further information.

27:202:652 Issues in Criminal Justice (3) In-depth study of a particular topic in criminal justice.

27:202:653 Issues in Criminology (3) In-depth study of a particular topic in criminology.

26:202:701,702,703,704 Dissertation Research in Criminal Justice (3,3,3,BA) Required of all students involved in preparation, data collection, and writing of Ph.D. doctoral dissertation.
    

27:202:800 Matriculation Continued (M.A.) (E1)

26:202:800 Matriculation Continued (Ph.D.) (E-BA)

27:202:877 Teaching Assistantship (E3 or E6)
Students who hold teaching assistantships are required to enroll in this course for 3 or 6 E credits per semester.