Requirements and Course Descriptions

A minor in Crime and Justice consists of 25 credits of Sociology, including 210, 311, 319, 412, 483; and three courses chosen from 312, 313 (or 314), 330, 332, 345 and 410. 

Sociology 101 is a prerequisite to all other courses in the department except Sociology 220 and 235.

REQUIRED COURSES

SOC 210 - Law and Society -- 3 Credits -- Fall
A critical analysis of the justice system in the United States of America.  It examines law creation and enforcement in their social, political, and cultural context, and the impact of the justice system on other facets of society. …This course will also assess the neutrality, objectivity, and universality of law; and the relationship between law and social change, with a special emphasis on justice, fairness and equality.

SOC 311 – Criminology  -- 3 Credits -- Spring -- Prerequisites: SOC 210 
This course examines theories pertaining to the causes of crime and treatment of offenders. It will explore theories of violent and property crimes as well as “white-collar” crimes in government, non-profit, and business organizations. There will also be a critical examination of the differential treatment of these types of offenders. 

SOC 319 - Conflict Resolution and Mediation -- 3 Credits – Fall - (Cross-listed as PHIL 319) 
Designed as a broad introduction to the field, this course will familiarize students with conflict and practical approaches to its transformation. … Personal communication and conflict styles, negotiation skills, interpersonal mediation, and facilitation of group decision-making and problem solving. … participate in discussions, exercise, analyses, role-plays, and simulations. In addition to the regularly scheduled meeting times, one Saturday session is included. 

SOC 412 - Adjudication and Corrections: Existing and Alternate Strategies -- 3 Credits -- Spring
Prerequisites: SOC 210 and SOC 311 
This course begins with an overview of the prevailing structures of adjudication, sentencing and corrections in the United States.  It then examines a number of alternative approaches to justice and reconciliation with the community, including community-based rehabilitation, victim/offender conflict mediation, family and neighborhood circles, etc.  Adult and peer mentoring, job training, employment agreements with local businesses, and educational supports will be considered as strategies for community reintegration.

SOC 483 - Senior Practicum/Seminar in Crime and Justice -- 4 Credits -- Fall
Prerequisites: at least 3 courses completed from 210, 311, 319 or 412, and one course from 312, 313, 332, 345 or 410.
This course is designed to be a capstone for the crime and justice minor.  It provides direct experience with the field through placement in agencies of law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections/rehabilitation/community restoration.  The experience is under the careful supervision of both the agency and the sociology department. 120 hours of field participation are required over the semester, and students will also meet for weekly one-hour seminars with the instructor to situate their collective experiences in the larger framework of justice in our society.  Weekly journals and a final substantive paper, integrating their experience with scholarly research, will be required.

ELECTIVE COURSES

SOC 312 - Juvenile Justice and Delinquency-- 3 Credits – Fall  - Prerequisites: SOC 210
An analysis of juvenile crime trends, including the relationship between delinquency and gender, race, and social class. Historical trends in juvenile corrections are examined along with current debates on reform, the relationship of delinquency to family structures, …peer groups, … educational and medical systems, and the courts. …Topics include gangs, juvenile detention, probation, child advocates, waiver to adult courts, and hospitalization.                 Alternate years: offered 2004-2005.

SOC 313 - Gender, Crime and Justice -- 3 Credits -- Fall -- Prerequisites: SOC 210
This course investigates the interaction between gender and social control in the United States and cross-culturally.  The gendered nature of criminal activity is examined, as well as a broad variety of theories that seek to explain these patterns… [including] … historical shifts in the status and treatment of women in society …  Issues in the correctional treatment of women will also be explored.  
Alternate years: offered 2005-2006.

SOC 314 - Gender, Crime and Justice in Mexico -- 3 Credits – Summer Travel Seminar -- 
Prerequisites: SOC 101
This travel course is a comparative investigation of the interaction between gender and social control in Mexico and the United States.  The social positions and roles of Mexican women will be examined, with attention to historical shifts in their status and treatment, and how these impact their relationship to the justice system.  The gendered nature of Mexican criminal activity and corrections is also examined, and compared to patterns and practices in the United States. NOTE: This course is an alternative to SOC 313.  Students  minoring in Crime and Justice will be allowed credit for only one of the two courses.   Offered Periodically: Next available May 2006

SOC 330 - World Justice Systems -- 3 Credits -- Spring -- Prerequisites: SOC 210
A comparative study of justice systems derived from the major world legal systems as well as from tribal societies. … An emphasis on historical trends and social forces …  Comparative themes to be treated include: objectives of the justice systems, the role of political power, …systems of morality, … guilt and innocence, and corrections philosophies.  
Alternate years: offered 2005-2006.

SOC 332 - Public Security and Insecurity -- 3 Credits – Spring -- Prerequisites: SOC 210 
This course is an examination of perceptions of security and danger in America including such topics as immigrants and street crime, organized crime following prohibition, labor conflict, the communist threat, youth gangs and drugs, and terrorism.  The role of “moral entrepreneurs,”… mass media, private and public security, intelligence and surveillance, and political manipulation will be explored.  An emphasis throughout will center on the balance of public safety and individual liberty. 
Alternate years: offered 2006-2007.

SOC 345 - Organizations in American Life - 3 Credits -  Spring 
Structure and functioning of organizations in American society. Patterns of coordination, communication, and control that exist in business and governmental organizations. Labor management strategies, bureaucracy, organizational cultures, hierarchies, and organizational networks are examined from a sociological, rather than a management, perspective.

SOC 410 - Communication Law: Civil Liberties and the Public Good -- 3 Credits – Inter-term
(Cross-listed as COMM 410)          
An examination of how the mass media are constrained and protected by the law and court interpretations. Among the issues to be explored are libel, copyright, obscenity, censorship and freedom of the press, cable TV franchising, corporate and government communications, and other media-related legal issues. 
Alternate years; offered 2003-2004