PSCJ-PACS Criminal Justice

PSCJ 2283. Introduction to Criminal Justice.3 Credit Hours.

Investigation and analysis of the three major components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. Topics include the criminal justice system's ability to balance crime control and individual civil liberties, the use of formal and informal decision-making processes, and the effectiveness of criminal justice policies, practices, and programs. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3063. Statistics in Criminal Justice.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. An introduction to the basics of social statistics, the methods and techniques which sociologists, policy analysts, and other social scientists use to summarize numeric data obtained from censuses, surveys, and experiments. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3113. Comparative Justice Systems.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Examines and compares the legal and criminal justice systems of different nations. Focuses on historical, political and social factors, and explains their influence on legal institutions and systems of justice. Discusses points of divergence between other societies and the United States in perceived causes of crime and differing approaches to rehabilitation and crime prevention. Countries representing Europe, Africa, Asia and (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3133. Theories of Criminal Behavior.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. An overview of theories of criminal behavior as well as current issues in criminology. Students will be exposed to biological, sociological and psychological theories of crime, as well as opposing viewpoints on important topics in criminology. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3173. Deviance and Social Control.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Students will be introduced to the sociological study of deviance and social control, with a focus on the social construction of deviant behavior and the relative nature of such definitions through time and across cultures. Current research on selected types of deviance will be reviewed to understand the individual and structural dimension of behavior as well as implications for policy (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3203. Criminal Justice Administration.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Covers the development, proliferation, institutionalization, and goals of the components of the criminal justice system and their administration. The course will also cover the ethics of managing justice and punishment. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3223. American Judicial Processes.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Acquaints students of criminal justice with the overall structure of state and federal courts, including jurisdiction, sources of law, civil and criminal legal procedures from initial pleadings through appeal, substantive civil and criminal law, and policy issues about the role of the judiciary in representative government. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3413. Crime Scene Processing.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission from academic advisor. Introductory training in the process of crime scene management and how to become proficient in recognizing evidence and determining the proper packaging and preservation methods. Topics include basic methods in crime scene photography, sketching, collection, and documentation. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 3463. Homeland Security and Emerging Threats.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from PACS advisor. An introduction to the organizational and process aspects of Homeland Security at federal, state, and local levels and the emerging threats to the U.S. homeland. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4123. Introduction to Forensic Science/Criminalistics.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Using the study and application of science to examine the relationship between science disciplines, and the criminal investigative process, students will be presented with theories and principles related to methods in the recognition, collection, preservation and analysis of physical evidence. Actual forensic cases will be presented and discussed throughout the course. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4143. Drugs and Society.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Examines the impact of drug abuse on contemporary American society. Students learn about drug regulation and legal issues, how drugs affect the brain and shape behavior, and the various categories of drugs and their characteristics. Also focuses on drug abuse prevention, treating drug dependence, and law enforcement programs to address drugs in society. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4243. Police and Policing.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Provides a historical perspective of policing as well as up-to-date information on policing and the issues that police deal with in a post-9/11 society. The course will provide students with a basic understanding of the CSI effect, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and developments in community policing. The course also highlights the role of officers in society (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4263. The American Correctional System.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. A survey course covering the development of the field of corrections from its early American roots to the present. Included are discussions of the role and function of jails, traditional and modern correctional facilities, private/contract corrections, and probation and parole. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4273. Community Corrections.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. Introduction to the topics of probation, parole, and other alternatives to incarceration, collectively referred to as Community Corrections. Emphasis will be placed on the role of research and program evaluation in determining policy/program effectiveness. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4403. Criminal Investigation.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Provides students with the theoretical and practical aspects of criminal investigation. Students develop an analytical and practical understanding of investigative methodology, the collection and preservation of physical evidence and explore current crime solving technology. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4413. Intelligence Analysis for Law Enforcement.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. A survey of intelligence analysis and the use of data, cyber, and human sources of information to predict, interdict, and investigate crime. Topics include understanding the role of intelligence analysis and dissemination in modern law enforcement and homeland security, crime analysis techniques, geographic information systems, cyber data gathering, and human sources of intelligence. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4423. Cyberspace Security.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Provides an in-depth exploration of cyberspace crime and security. An intensive study of the types of crimes committed in cyberspace, a profile of offenders, and current legal issues in cyberspace. Students will explore emerging issues in information assurance and prevention of cyberspace crimes and will examine the proper collection, preservation and examination of digital evidence. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4443. Juvenile Delinquency.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. An overview of juvenile delinquency in the United States, including current issues. Students will read both classic studies on the emergence of the juvenile system and current research on trends in juvenile delinquency. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4453. Human Trafficking.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. An examination of human trafficking and slavery, including bonded labor, forced migration, and sex trafficking. Topics include historical and modern examples from both the United States and global contexts, as well as current policies and laws intended to combat human trafficking. (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4463. Homeland/Global Security and Justice.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from PACS adviser. Designed to help the student understand how governments deal with the problem of securing the homeland. Examines what terrorism is, and how America has traditionally dealt with homeland security, and how that perspective is evolving. Once we understand what terrorism is, the focus of the course will be on how law enforcement and the courts have taken on the challenge (F, Sp, Su)

PSCJ 4493. Organized Crime and International Drug Trafficking.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from PACS advisor. An examination of trends relating to international drug trafficking and organized crime. Topics include the history of the drug trade, criminal organizations and governments involved in drug trafficking, and emerging issues relating to the digital world and cyberspace. (F, Sp, Su)