Minor in Criminal Justice
The curriculum for the criminal justice minor requires a total of 18 credits. Students will be required to take SOC151 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (3 credits) and Theories of Crime and Criminal Justice Policy (3 credits). Theories of Crime and Criminal Justice Policy will be a higher level 300-level class. Students will be required to take two of three courses offered within the Criminal Justice Systems cluster. If a student wants to take all three courses within the Criminal Justice Systems Cluster, they will be permitted to, with the third course being accepted as an elective.For the remaining electives students can pick from a number of criminal justice-related courses as well as courses offered outside of the minor. This includes courses offered in Sociology, Government, Psychology, Philosophy, and Social Work.
Summary of Requirements
Required courses 6 credits
| CRJ 350 | Theories of Crime & Criminal Justice Policy | 3 |
| SOC 151 | Introduction to the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
Criminal Justice Systems Cluster 6 credits
Choose two of the following:
| CRJ 250 | Law Enforcement in the United States | 3 |
| CRJ 255 | Corrections in the United States | 3 |
| GOV 352 | Civil Liberties | 3 |
Electives 6 credits
Choose from the following:
| CHE 250 | Introduction to Forensic Science | 4 |
| GOV 355 | Mock Trial Experience | 3 |
| GOV 370 | Human Rights | 3 |
| PHI 359 | Philosophy of Criminal Punishment | 3 |
| PSY 321 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 243 | Sociology of Deviance | 3 |
| SOC 351 | Juvenile Delinquency | 3 |
| SOC 405 | Current Issues in Criminology [Topic to be specified] | 3 |
| SOC 436 | Social Inequality: Race, Class and Gender | 3 |
| SWK 318 | Human Diversity | 3 |
| | Criminal Law | |
| | Environmental Criminology | |
| | Ethics in the CJS | |
| | Crime and the Mass Media | |
| | The Deaf Experience and CJS | |
| | Victimology | |
Program Outcomes
1: Identify the underlying philosophies, history, and processes across the three components of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts, corrections) (GU SLO: Critical thinking)
2: Identify the nature, extent, causation, and prevention of deviance and crime and understand of the major theories that are used to explain deviance and criminal behavior (GU SLO: Critical thinking)
3: Critically interpret and synthesize research related to the criminal justice field and criminological theory (GU SLO: Science literacy, Critical Thinking)
4: Employ effective communication and presentation skills when discussing criminal justice-related issues (GU SLO: Bilingualism)
5: Understand and apply criminal justice concepts and theories to contemporary social issues and events (GU SLO: Career Readiness)
6: Identify and understand ethical considerations in policy construction and implementation (GU SLO: Career Readiness, Ethics)
7: Identify how the criminal justice system is differentially experienced based on social status and identity. (GU SLO: Critical Thinking)