CRIMINAL JUSTICE (CRIJ)

CRIJ 1301 Introduction to Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

An overview of the criminal justice system, with a focus on decision points and administrative practices in police, criminal court, and correctional bureaucracies. The historical evolution of criminal justice agencies is covered along with basic criminal procedures.

CRIJ 1306 Courts and Criminal Procedure. Three semester hours.

Survey of the U.S. judicial system with emphases on formal judicial procedures and institutional structures. Also, quasi-judicial and extra-judicial features. Interchangeable with PSCI 4326 with permission of CRIJ advisor.

CRIJ 1375 Issues in Border Justice. Three semester hours.

A survey course in the political strcture, trade effects, economic processes and migration circuits unique to the Mexican-American experience. Emphases will be on constitutional and legal issues along with social class, trend analysis, and domestic and foreign policy effects of migration upon border areas.

CRIJ 2313 Correctional Systems and Practices. Three semester hours.

An analysis and evaluation of contemporary correctional practices. Covers the history of penology, sentencing variations, and community and institutional corrections.

CRIJ 2328 Police Systems and Practices. Three semester hours.

A study of the history and social settings of the police, the police role and discretion, police administrative practices, the politics of policing, and the problems of law enforcement in a democratic society.

CRIJ 3305 Research Methods in Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

Statistical methods and computer applications are covered as they relate to survey research, agency evaluation, and content analysis. Qualitative methods are also taught, and include field methods, historical research, and legal bibliography. Prerequisite for Criminal Justice (CRIJ) majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. Interchangeable with PSCI 3301, PSYC 4304 or SOCI 4303.

CRIJ 3307 Justice, Media, and Crime. Three semester hours.

Survey of field, e.g., media depictions of crime, media coverage of crime, media formats and criminal justice processes, the politics of crime, and institutional responses and strategies. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ.

CRIJ 3310 Juvenile Justice. Three semester hours.

Covers the juvenile justice system with emphasis on the way it differs from the processing of the adult offender. The history of the juvenile court is examined, followed by studies of policies dealing with violent juveniles and status offenders. Roles of police agencies, probation and parole departments, as well as training schools are also analyzed, along with relevant legislation and appellate court decisions. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite fornon-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ.

CRIJ 3315 The Nature of Child Maltreatment. Three semester hours.

To inform students about the complex nature of child abuse and the government policy reactions to this problem. Child abuse is studied from five perspectives: (1) history of child welfare policies; (2) the "medical discovery of child abuse"; (3) state and federal legislation; (4) comparisons of social work and criminal justice policies; and (5) variations on the theme (neglect, sexual abuse, institutional abuse, contributing to delinquency, etc.). Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ.

CRIJ 3320 Organized Crime in the U.S. Three semester hours.

Examines organized criminal groups, such as the so-called "mafia," in the twentieth century. Applies historical, economic, political, and legal perspectives. Emphasizes labor rackets, gambling syndicates, and extortion methods. Covers in detail special government commissions and major legislative reforms. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ.

CRIJ 3325 Drugs in Our Society. Three semester hours.

Provides students with a realistic perspective of the drug problm. Areas of concentration includes (1) history of drug abuse public policy; (2) nature of common drugs; and (3) legislative and enforcement issues including the legalization debate, organized crime, and political dimensions. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. Interchangeable with PSYC 4315.

CRIJ 3330 White Collar Crime. Three semester hours.

Survey of field: financial, corporate, and state crime; intellectual property and computer crime. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ.

CRIJ 4305 Police Personnel Management. Three semester hours.

Personnel management from an interpersonal relationsstandpoint. Emphasis is upon establishing and maintaining effective communications, conflict and conflict resolution, and establishing a supportive climate for teamwork with and between law enforcement agencies. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4310 Seminar on Police Problems. Three semester hours.

Designed to familiarize students with the most important obstacles currently encountered in law enforcement. Issues covered include debates on community policing, racial issues, community relations, brutality, corruption, and measuring police productivity. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4315 Mental Health Issues in Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

Examines the social control aspects of the public mental health systems with emphasis on overlap with criminal justice agencies. Covers the history of psychiatry, laws of involuntary commitment to psychiatric hospitals, incompetence to stand trial, the insanity defense, and prison mental health policies. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4320 Women and Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

The course deals with incidence studies and causal theories in female criminology as well as criminal justice processing of female offenders. Also examined are issues concerning female personnel working in police, court and correctional agencies. A female victimological approach is included. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit. Interchangeable with SOCI 4320.

CRIJ 4325 Environmental Crime and Justice. Three semester hours.

The course defines environmental crime and justice; environmental politics and policies; environmental racism; environmental and supranational regulatory agencies. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4330 International Terrorism. Three semester hours.

An interdisciplinary course examining patterns of behavioral incidence and geography of terrorist crimes; political criteria underlying the identification of terrorists and errorist activities; and causal theories from political, economic, and cultural perspectives. An international (cross-culturation) approach is taken to the study of diplomatic, criminal justice, military, psychobehavioral responsive and preventive policies. The course also addresses the terrorism threat from a corporate orientation, focusing on preventive measures for international businesses. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4335 Truth Production in Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

Survey and analysis of legal, social-scientific, and forensic methods of evidence and truth claims; survey of the politics of expertise. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4340 Special Issues in Criminal Justice. One - Three semester hours.

Intensive seminar examining a criminal justice topic to be chosen by professor. One or two credit arrangement must be approved by the CRIJ faculty advisor. May be repeated when topic changes with permission of the CRIJ advisor. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Prerequisite for non-CRIJ majors: twelve hours of social sciences outside of CRIJ. *May be taken for graduate credit.

CRIJ 4601 Criminal Justice Internship. Six semester hours.

Supervised internship program, for both in-service and pre-service students who are beginning their senior year. Students are placed in criminal justice agencies in the community to engage in individual observation and research into agency operation. Students must maintain activity logs, attend class meetings, and write a research paper based on their agency experiences. Prerequisite for CRIJ majors: successful completion of the lower-level CRIJ courses (or equivalent courses) required for the CRIJ major. Must be taken by CRIJ majors during senior year. Juniors and non-CRIJ majors may take the class with special permission of the Internship Coordinator.

CRIJ 5301 Advanced Seminar on the Criminal Justice System. Three semester hours.

This course is designed to build students critical abilities in analyzing criminal justice practices. Public policy approach to criminal justice is taken, emphasizing political ideologies, legislative histories, and macro-theories. Eminent scholars representing divergent political perspectives are compared and critiqued.

CRIJ 5305 Seminar on the Administration of Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

This course involves applications of public administration principles and organizational theory to the unique problems of criminal justice bureaucracies. Various management approaches and proposed strategies of planned change and innovation are described and assessed.

CRIJ 5310 Seminar on Texas-Mexico Border Crime and Criminal Justice. Three semester hours.

This course includes incidence, sociodemographic, and theoretical studies as they apply to the Texas-Mexico border. Also examined are the policies and practices of the various border-oriented law enforcement agencies. Issues covered include illegal aliens/refugees and federal detention practices.

CRIJ 5315 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. Three semester hours.

A comparative study of criminal justice systems in the United States and selected foreign countries. The comparisons will include countries from some or all of the following areas: Latin America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, and the Middle East.

CRIJ 5320 Graduate Seminar in Criminal Justice Research. Three semester hours.

Advanced research methods with a focus on quantitative approaches. Focus on application of multi-variate statistics. Previously published studies are critiqued, and students perform actual research exercises. Prerequisite: CRIJ 3305.

CRIJ 5325 Seminar in Corrections. Three semester hours.

An in-depth study of correctional issues with a focus on prisons. The course compares the correctional practices of various states, and provides a detailed study in correctional law. "Classic scholarly works" in corrections are also studied as they shaped the academic field of corrections.

CRIJ 5330 Seminar in Criminological Theory. Three semester hours.

Critical examination of biological, psychological, sociological, and economic theories of crime. The "traditional theories" of crime are covered; theories upon which the field was originally founded. Also analyzed are the new "integrated" theories along with relevant research data.

CRIJ 5335 Crime in Literature. Three semester hours.

Literary analysis (symbolism, allegory, etc.) of traditional and popular crime-oriented novels. Criminological theory, criminal justice systemic concerns, and ideological issues in the novels are also examined.

CRIJ 5340 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice. One - Three semester hours.

An in-depth focus on selected social, political, and legal issues currently important in criminal justice. One or two credit arrangement must be approved by the CRIJ faculty advisor. May be repeated when topic changes with permission of the CRIJ advisor.

CRIJ 5345 Critical Issues in Criminal Justice Policy. Three semester hours.

An evaluation of the legal and policy issues affecting the criminal justice system. This seminar will focus on an historical and current analysis of legal issues. Prerequisite: graduate standing in criminal justice. May be repeated when topic changes with permission of the CRIJ advisor.

CRIJ 5397 Individualized Interdisciplinary Study. Three semester hours.

The capstone course for the non-thesis plan of the Master of Arts with a major in Criminal Justice. The course is under the direction of the students graduate committee. Area of study is to be selected by agreement between the student and the chairperson. The purpose of the study will be to extend the students ability to synthesize and evaluate various areas of emphasis in the individualized program. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

CRIJ 5398 Thesis. Three semester hours.

To be scheduled by the student in consultation with his/her major professor. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of the major instructor/advisor.

CRIJ 5399 Thesis. Three semester hours.

To be scheduled by the student in consultation with his/her major professor. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of the major instructor/advisor.