Course Descriptions

Criminal Justice Core Courses

CRIJ 1301 Introduction to Criminal Justice: This course provides an overview of the history and philosophy of criminal justice and ethical considerations; defines crime and its nature and impact; provides an overview of the criminal justice system, law enforcement, the court system, prosecution and defense, the trial process, and corrections.
CRIJ 1310 Fundamentals of Criminal Law: This course focuses on the nature of criminal law and its philosophical and historical development; major definitions, concepts and classifications of crime; elements of crimes and penalties, using Texas statutes as illustrations; and the concept of criminal responsibility.
CRIJ 1313 Juvenile Justice System: This course provides an overview of the juvenile justice system in the United States, including theories of juvenile delinquency, justice system policy toward juvenile offenders, the structure of juvenile courts, juvenile detention, and juvenile rehabilitation efforts; emphasis is placed on understanding and applying the Texas Family Code, Title III to juveniles processed through Texas juvenile courts.
SOCI 1301 Introduction to Sociology: This course is taught by faculty affiliated with the Department of Behavioral Sciences. This course is an introductory course that examines the study of human society. Major topics of discussion include: the relationship of culture, social interaction, and group life to personality and human behavior; and analysis of group structure, social organization, and social process.
CRIJ 3302 Current Literature and Research in Criminal Justice: This course reviews current literature in criminal justice and examines selected problems affecting the criminal justice system. The course also offers instruction in steps involved in the scientific approach to problem solving and discusses research techniques and paper writing and applications for research in criminal justice.
CRIJ 3303 Nature of Crime: This course is an advanced level criminological theory course. The course examines criminological theory that seeks to explain why some individuals offend and others do not, why some nations, states, cities, and neighborhoods have higher crime rates than others, and how situational factors contribute to criminal behavior. The course also provides an examination of victim and criminal typologies.
CRIJ 4301 Practicum-Field Experiences: This course teaches job interview techniques and resume writing and requires placement in a criminal justice (or related) agency for on-the-job training for a minimum of 120 hours. Students are evaluated by agency critiques, daily logs, and a weekly meeting with the intern coordinator.
GOVT 4321 American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties: This course is taught by faculty affiliated with the Department of Government. This course provides an examination of the limitations of government powers in the United States by use of court cases. Primary emphasis is placed on civil and political rights.
CRIJ 4370 Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice Policy Issues: This course is a capstone course for criminal justice students nearing the completion of the baccalaureate degree. This course is designed to explore current criminal justice policy issues from individual student interest and integrate material learned in the criminal justice curriculum, transcending the parochial view of the crime phenomenon from an agency perspective (police, courts, juvenile justice, and corrections). This course allows the student to explore topical criminal justice policy issues that impact each agency, from the micro to the macro perspectives, and to assess the intended and unintended consequences of criminal justice policies throughout the system and society.

Correctional Administration Concentration Courses

CRIJ 2313 Correctional Systems and Practice: This course introduces the student to the field of corrections and its role in the criminal justice process. Major topics include: organization of correctional systems; correctional role; institutional operations; alternatives to institutionalization; treatment and rehabilitation, and current and future issues.
CRIJ 3331 Legal Aspects of Corrections: This course focuses on legal problems and principles from conviction to release of the offender, including consideration of convictions, imprisonment, sentencing, conditional release, post conviction procedures, prisoners' rights, probationers' rights, and validity of conviction.
CRIJ 3345 Correctional Administration: This course focuses on fundamental concepts of management, organization, and administration as specifically applicable to correctional institutions, field services, and community-based corrections.
CRIJ 4341 Correctional Casework and Counseling: This course examines the role and techniques of casework in corrections with emphasis on integrating casework and counseling responsibilities and procedures. The course includes examining of therapy techniques and processes in various correctional settings and studying of service delivery programs tailored to the specific needs of correctional clients.
CRIJ 4343 Seminar of Issues in Corrections: This course analyses and discusses contemporary correctional systems, including discussion of recent research concerning correctional institutions and various corrections field services. Emphasis is given to administrative and treatment concerns in corrections.

Police Administration Concentration Courses

CRIJ 2328 Police Systems and Practices: This course focuses on the policing profession. Major topics include: the organization of law enforcement systems; the role of police in society; police discretion and ethics; police and community interaction; and current and future issues.
CRIJ 3315 Legal Aspects of Evidence: This course critically examines the legal controls placed on police officers, with special attention to current court decisions related to such issues as arrest, search and seizure, confessions, wiretapping and eavesdropping, right to counsel, and self-incrimination. The course also focuses on issues relating to elements of proof for major criminal offenses. In addition, the course presents an understanding of the concepts of reasonable suspicion and probable cause which direct and control police responses to crime situations.
CRIJ 4311 Advanced Police Organization and Administration: This course provides in-depth discussion of organizational and administrative theory, comparative discussion of philosophies utilized in business and public administration with potential relationships to police organizations. The course also focuses attention on societal trends that impact criminal justice administration.
CRIJ 4312 Principles of Law Enforcement Supervision: This course examines the principles involved in law enforcement supervision. Major topics of discussion include: principles of leadership; psychology involved in handling grievances and in building morale; duties and responsibilities of command level personnel; law enforcement budgeting procedures; supervisory problems and responsibilities relating to discipline; and internal affairs investigations.
CRIJ 4313 Seminar of Issues in Law Enforcement: This course analyses and discusses contemporary issues in policing and places particular emphasis on current developments, service delivery, and the changing police role. The course also stresses the importance of integration of established scientific knowledge with practical police experiences in various areas of policing.

Electives

CRIJ 1307 Crime in America: This course is an introductory level criminological theory course. The course examines criminological theory that seeks to explain why some individuals offend and others do not, why some nations, states, cities, and neighborhoods have higher crime rates than others, and how situational factors contribute to criminal behavior.
CRIJ 2314 Criminal Investigations: This is a course in criminal investigation processes, methods, tools, and techniques, forensic applications, investigative case management, role of the crime lab, and case documentation. Students who enroll in this course engage in semester-long simulation in preparation of comprehensive, legally sufficient investigative felony case folders from crime scene response to the eventual prosecutor’s presentation to a grand jury.
CRIJ 4362 Special Topics: Homicide
CRIJ 4362 Special Topics: Legal and Medical Forensics: This course covers key concepts of forensic emergency medicine and investigative/ evidentiary aspects of traumatic wounds and injuries, death, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse, and elder abuse. The course has an interdisciplinary approach that has value to criminal justice, social service, and health care students and practitioners. The course also proves substantial forensic science familiarization recommended as in-service training of registered nurses.
CRIJ 4362 Special Topics: White-Collar Crime
CRIJ 4363 Gangs and Gang Behavior: This course introduces the student to scholarship on street and prison gangs; it explores gang structure, organization, and characteristics. Official responses to gang problems is also analyzed.

Pre-requisites

In order for a student to enroll in either CRIJ 1313, CRIJ 2313, or CRIJ 2328, the student must have completed English 1302 with a grade of "C" or better. Concurrent enrollment may be allowed with the approval of the instructor of record. In order to enroll in an upper division course (at the 3000 or 4000 level) the student must have completed six hours of Sophomore English (ENGL 1301, ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311, and ENGL 2332 or ENGL 2333). Only Criminal Justice students are permitted to enroll in CRIJ 2314 (Criminal Investigations). A student must have earned a Senior status to enroll in CRIJ 4301 or CRIJ 4370.

CRIJ 2328 Police Systems and Practices: This course focuses on the policing profession. Major topics include: the organization of law enforcement systems; the role of police in society; police discretion and ethics; police and community interaction; and current and future issues.