Department objectives for the Criminal Justice major enable students to:
- Plan careers within the field of Criminal Justice after developing an understanding of basic principles relative to the field of Criminal Justice;
- Build a solid base of knowledge from which to draw in the performance of their work in the field of Criminal Justice;
- Refine their oral and written communication skills appropriate to the level of academic achievement and the Criminal
Justice employment opportunities sought by them;
- Gain a wider and deeper understanding of the society in which they will perform their duties and of the societal issues that
contribute to and influence the work they will perform as Criminal Justice practitioners;
- Gain practical experience and insight into the Criminal Justice system;
- Realistically assess the requirements of a specific Criminal Justice career and their interests, aptitudes, desires and abilities
as well as build a substantial foundation on which to build their future professional lives.
The department offers the BA degree. A major in Criminal Justice requires 36 credit hours of required core work (indicated by an asterisk) as well as 8 credit hours of criminal justice or sociology electives. Criminal Justice majors are receive a C or better in each required course. A minor in Criminal Justice requires 21 credit hours of core work (indicted by double asterisks) and 6 credit hours of criminal justice electives. Please note that outside of your major's or minor's course work there are also graduation requirements set by the University of Dubuque that all undergraduate students must complete.
Department Courses Offered (via the 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog):
*SCJ 104-Voices/Values/Vocation in SOC/CJ(1)- Learn what jobs are available and what those jobs will include.
**SOC 111-Introduction to Sociology(3)- Gain a base understanding of the sociological mindset .
*SCJ 211-Criminal Law (3)- The nuts and bolts of how to be a better criminal.
*SCJ 212-Criminal Procedure (3)- Learn how the criminal justice system operates.
** SCJ 231-Criminology (3)- The who, what, when, and why course.
**SCJ 232-Criminal Justice (3)- Information about the key components of criminal justice.
**SCJ 233-Juvenile Delinquency (3)- How juveniles are handled in the criminal justice system.
**SOC 331-Social Stratification (3)- Learn about how different groups of people interact with each other.
OR SOC 336-Social Theory (3)-Read articles from famous writers like Karl Marx, Augustus Comte, and Emile Durkheim.
OR SOC 311-Inequalities of Race, Class, and Gender (3)-Learn about the social aspects of race, class, and gender and their impact on our world.
*SCJ 385, 386, 387, 485, 486,487-Internship (3-9)- Gain field experience in the area of choice.
*SCJ 495-Senior Seminar: Ethics and Criminal Justice (3)- Grooms for professional behaviors and touches on ethics.
SCJ 315-Interview Techniques (3)- Learn how to conduct interviews and interrogations. Prerequisite: SOC 11 or SOC 112
SCJ 301-Policing (3)- For those thinking about law enforcement as a career. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 305-Corrections (3)- A study of trends and developments in all elements of modern correctional systems for the treatment of juvenile and adult offenders.
SCJ 312-Victimology (3)- A study of various perspectives on victimization as to patterns, roles of victims in crime and victims’ roles, rights and experience within the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 313-Introduction to Constitutional Law (3)- A survey of Constitutional Law, emphasizing civil rights and institutional liberties and the role of Constitutional Law within the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 316-Forensics (3)- Study of scientific investigative detection methods. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112; SCJ 212
SCJ 317-Human Rights & Civil Liberties in Criminal Justice (3)- Examination of human rights and civil liberties from historical and contemporary perspectives with the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 214-Legal Writing (3)- A study of the rules of narrative writing, effective note taking and organization, the components of a crime report, issues in legal writing, preparation of legal documents, including search warrants, and problems related to legal report writing. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 215-Court Systems and Judicial Process (3)- A study of the organization of our State and Federal Court Systems, the operation of our Judicial process, with special attention to the adjudication of criminal offenses, and the political and social impact of court decisions. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 216-Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice (3)- A study of Criminal Justice topics including acute and recurring issues, historical issues, and those anticipated in the future. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 217-Gender, Race, Ethnicity & Criminal Justice (3)- A study of gender, race and ethnicity in crime, response to crime, stereotypes and the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 220-Probation & Parole (3)- Study of the practice and theory supporting probation and parole of convicted offenders. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 491 Independent Research (3)- Open to junior and senior CJ majors at the consent of the department chairperson.
SCJ 357-Special Topics in Criminal Justice (3)- Selected topics of relevance to Criminal Justice
SCJ 410-Criminal Justice Research Methods (3)- Introduction to basic research methods used in Criminal Justice and criminological research. Prerequisites: SOC 111 or SOC 112; SCJ 211 or SCJ 212; and SCJ 231
*SCJ 104-Voices/Values/Vocation in SOC/CJ(1)- Learn what jobs are available and what those jobs will include.
**SOC 111-Introduction to Sociology(3)- Gain a base understanding of the sociological mindset .
*SCJ 211-Criminal Law (3)- The nuts and bolts of how to be a better criminal.
*SCJ 212-Criminal Procedure (3)- Learn how the criminal justice system operates.
** SCJ 231-Criminology (3)- The who, what, when, and why course.
**SCJ 232-Criminal Justice (3)- Information about the key components of criminal justice.
**SCJ 233-Juvenile Delinquency (3)- How juveniles are handled in the criminal justice system.
**SOC 331-Social Stratification (3)- Learn about how different groups of people interact with each other.
OR SOC 336-Social Theory (3)-Read articles from famous writers like Karl Marx, Augustus Comte, and Emile Durkheim.
OR SOC 311-Inequalities of Race, Class, and Gender (3)-Learn about the social aspects of race, class, and gender and their impact on our world.
*SCJ 385, 386, 387, 485, 486,487-Internship (3-9)- Gain field experience in the area of choice.
*SCJ 495-Senior Seminar: Ethics and Criminal Justice (3)- Grooms for professional behaviors and touches on ethics.
SCJ 315-Interview Techniques (3)- Learn how to conduct interviews and interrogations. Prerequisite: SOC 11 or SOC 112
SCJ 301-Policing (3)- For those thinking about law enforcement as a career. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 305-Corrections (3)- A study of trends and developments in all elements of modern correctional systems for the treatment of juvenile and adult offenders.
SCJ 312-Victimology (3)- A study of various perspectives on victimization as to patterns, roles of victims in crime and victims’ roles, rights and experience within the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 313-Introduction to Constitutional Law (3)- A survey of Constitutional Law, emphasizing civil rights and institutional liberties and the role of Constitutional Law within the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 316-Forensics (3)- Study of scientific investigative detection methods. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112; SCJ 212
SCJ 317-Human Rights & Civil Liberties in Criminal Justice (3)- Examination of human rights and civil liberties from historical and contemporary perspectives with the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 214-Legal Writing (3)- A study of the rules of narrative writing, effective note taking and organization, the components of a crime report, issues in legal writing, preparation of legal documents, including search warrants, and problems related to legal report writing. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 215-Court Systems and Judicial Process (3)- A study of the organization of our State and Federal Court Systems, the operation of our Judicial process, with special attention to the adjudication of criminal offenses, and the political and social impact of court decisions. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 216-Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice (3)- A study of Criminal Justice topics including acute and recurring issues, historical issues, and those anticipated in the future. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 217-Gender, Race, Ethnicity & Criminal Justice (3)- A study of gender, race and ethnicity in crime, response to crime, stereotypes and the Criminal Justice system. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 220-Probation & Parole (3)- Study of the practice and theory supporting probation and parole of convicted offenders. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or SOC 112
SCJ 491 Independent Research (3)- Open to junior and senior CJ majors at the consent of the department chairperson.
SCJ 357-Special Topics in Criminal Justice (3)- Selected topics of relevance to Criminal Justice
SCJ 410-Criminal Justice Research Methods (3)- Introduction to basic research methods used in Criminal Justice and criminological research. Prerequisites: SOC 111 or SOC 112; SCJ 211 or SCJ 212; and SCJ 231