
The Criminology, Law and Society program aspires to be much more than a traditional criminal justice major. CLS features a curriculum that is challenging and broad-based. It gives students a solid foundation in the theoretical core of Criminology, a thorough understanding of the legal system that enacts criminal laws and processes cases through the investigative, prosecutive and corrections phases, and a broad, societal context for the criminal system that only a rigorous liberal arts regimen can supply.
Those who complete this curriculum will recognize that they have enjoyed a true liberal arts experience while learning the art of practical scholarship. Students will become scholars, learning to critically analyze problems, conduct effective research and write with clarity and force. They will appreciate the important specifics of their discipline but never lose their appreciation of the larger societal, political and scientific contexts in which the issues they will study arise.
The ambitious scope of this program reflects the fact that the criminal justice system invites professionals of varying interests and talents to contribute in many ways to the cause of justice. It is an enterprise in which legislators, judges, lawyers, investigators, criminalists, corrections officials, parole/probation officers, agency administrators and academics who study the system in macro terms all play a role. CLS becomes a platform from which graduates may pursue law school, graduate school, a career in high-level federal and state law enforcement agencies, positions as a probation/parole officer, assistant warden or warden in the corrections system or a professional position in any field in which critical analytical skills, professional writing proficiency and administrative prowess are valued.
Major Requirements (48 credits):
Required Courses (33 credits):
CLS 101 Introduction to Criminology - 3 credits
CLS 160 Research Writing and Advocacy - 3 credits
CLS 215 Juvenile Justice - 3 credits
CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure - 3 credits
CLS 245 Corrections, Probation, and Parole - 3 credits
CLS 315 Criminological Statistics - 3 credits
CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justic - 3 credits
CLS 510 Criminological Theories - 3 credits
CLS 590 Criminology, Law, and Society Capstone - 3 credits
PS 100 Principles of American Politics - 3 credits
One of the following:
PY 203 Statistics I - 3 credits
BA 350 Statistics I - 3 credits
Electives - Five of the following (15 credits):
CLS 155 American Judicial System - 3 credits
CLS 205 Criminal Trial Evidence - 3 credits
CLS 210 Civil Rights Law – 3 credits
CLS 220 Criminology of Race – 3 credits
CLS 235 Etiology of Mass Violence – 3 credits
CLS 250 The Police: A History – 3 credits
CLS 266 The Death Penalty – 3 credits
CLS 269 Agency Management – 3 credits
CLS 270 21st-Century Issues in Criminology – 3 credits
CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior – 3 credits
CLS 290 Mental Illness and the Criminal Process – 3 credits
CLS 305 Violence and Victimology - 3 credits
CLS 310 School Violence/Origins and Strategies – 3 credits
CLS 316 Strategic/Tactical Leadership – 3 credits
CLS 320 White Collar Crime - 3 credits
CLS 340 Principles of Homeland Security - 3 credits
CLS 344 Financing Criminal Organizations - 3 credits
CLS 355 Sentencing - 3 credits
CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct - 3 credits
CLS 361 Urban Street Gang Prosecution – 3 credits
CLS 367 Gender and Crime – 3 credits
CLS 375 International Criminal Law - 3 credits
CLS 376 Federal Criminal Law - 3 credits
CLS 377 Addiction and Crime – 3 credits
CLS 380 Criminology of Firearms - 3 credits
CLS 385 Organized Crime in America – 3 credits
CLS 399 Criminal Analytics - 3 credits
CLS 400 Race and Justice – 3 credits
CLS 415 International Criminal Systems – 3 credits
CLS 420 Criminology of Hate – 3 credits
CLS 425 Survey of Cybercrime – 3 credits
CLS 430 Public Sector Management – 3 credits
CLS 440 Constitutional Litigation and Analysis – 3 credits
CLS 485 Crime Mapping – GIS – 3 credits
CLS 550 Internship* - 3 credits
PS 341 Global Terrorism - 3 credits
SO 200 Race and Ethnicity - 3 credits
SO 204 Deviance - 3 credits
SO 235 Inequality and Social Problems - 3 credits
*Internships with various social/criminal justice agencies are available for qualified students.
Minor Requirements (18 credits):
Required courses:
CLS 101 Introduction to Criminology - 3 credits
CLS 215 Juvenile Justice - 3 credits
CLS 227 Criminal Law and Process - 3 credits
CLS 504 Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice - 3 credits
One of the following courses:
CLS 275 Patterns of Criminal Behavior - 3 credits
CLS 360 Prediction and Prevention of Criminal Conduct - 3 credits
SO 240 Deviance - 3 credits
One of the following electives:
CLS 230 Constitutional Criminal Procedure - 3 credits
Any 300 or 400 level CLS course - 3 credits
The Criminology Program takes as it its most important measure of success the successful placement of our graduates into positions in which they may become significant contributors in the criminal justice area on a wide variety of levels.