This course provides an introduction to criminal justice. One of the primary goals of this course is to provide a general understanding of how the criminal justice system responds to crime in society. The main component parts of the criminal justice system (i.e., police, courts, and corrections) will be examined with a particular emphasis on developing an understanding of the behavior and interactions among the main actors in the criminal justice system. To accomplish this goal, we will examine how criminal cases are processed in the criminal justice system. We will also consider how external forces, such as political decisions, public opinion, and the media influence criminal justice decision-making. Students will also formulate, argue, and evaluate ethical perspectives regarding criminal justice systems, individual-level decisions, and recognize relationships with other ethical problems in society. Finally, throughout the course we will emphasize how the societal response to crime has evolved over time.

Law is pervasive and shapes our daily lives in a multitude of ways. This course examines the relationship between law, social institutions, and society using an interdisciplinary social scientific approach. Students will examine theoretical frameworks used to understand how law shapes society and how society, in return, can shape the law and legal institutions. Consensus and conflict perspectives of the origins and formation of law will be contrasted and applied to an understanding of the practical applications of law. Throughout the course the role of law as an instrument of political and social change will be examined with a particular focus on historical and contemporary issues including topics like, privacy and surveillance, the tension between public social control and civil liberties, and the disparate application of law and its relationship to racial and economic inequality.

This course provides students with a foundation in substantive and procedural criminal law. Characteristics of crimes against people, property, and the state will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of criminal conduct and specific elements of major crimes, including intent and legal causation. The principal defenses applied to criminal law will be examined and compared. Attention will also be paid to the due process protections afforded to individuals under the United States Constitution.

This course provides a general overview of policing in the United States. The historical development of modern policing will be explored with an emphasis on the evolving relationships between police organizations, the justice system, and society at large. The role of the police in society, social and legal constraints on police practice, policy reform, and the relationship between police and communities will be discussed. Throughout the course students will interrogate the tension that exists between police authority, efforts to address public safety, and the need to uphold individual liberties and ethical expectations.

This course provides students with an understanding of the recognized functions of state and federal criminal courts in the United States. Social science and legal scholarship concerning major court actors (especially judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys) and important processes (including pre-trial decisions, plea bargaining, trials, and post-conviction steps) will be studied. Non-traditional approaches, such as collaborative problem-solving specialty courts will also be examined. An important theme throughout the course will be the degree to which courtroom actors and processes are able to effectuate the goal of “justice.”

This course covers the origins, philosophy, and constitutional basis of evidence as it applies to criminal law and criminal courts. In this course students will examine the types of evidence that are admissible in a criminal trial. The applicability of real, testimonial, hearsay, and circumstantial evidence to the criminal trial will be studied. The development of evidentiary rules as they apply to evolving science, technology, and policies will be critically examined within the context of constitutional protections.