Undergraduate Criminal Justice Courses
(**The following information is taken from the 2006-2007 Catalog. While the information below is provided for reference, the official statement of undergraduate policies and curricula are contained in the Radford University Undergraduate Catalog, available online.)
CRJU-100: Introduction to Criminal
Justice (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: None
Survey of the American criminal justice system and processes. Crime, criminal
law, law enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, corrections, and juvenile justice.
CRJU-150: Crime, Law & Justice (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: Declared major
or minor in criminal justice
Introduces students to key concepts in the study of criminal justice.
Topics will include crime and social control, the role of criminal law, the
nature of justice, and a survey of the criminal justice process. In
addition, special attention will be devoted to the conduct of basic criminal
justice research.
CRJU-233: Courts and the Criminal
Process (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: None
An examination of the steps in the process followed in most criminal courts and the
legal rules relating to each step. The manner in which judges are selected in the
American legal system and the organization of state and federal courts will also be
examined.
CRJU-235: Police and Society (3
credit hours)
Prerequisite: None
This course is designed to examine the psychological, sociological, and philosophical
role of the police as it relates to such topics as social conflict, criminal behavior,
police brutality, police corruption, and stress.
CRJU-238: Corrections (3 credit
hours)
Prerequisite: None
A comprehensive overview of the field of corrections, with special emphasis on
community-based corrections as alternatives to institutionalization.
CRJU-290: Seminar (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
Concentrated study of specific area of criminal justice. May be taken
multiple times for credit as long as course content varies.
CRJU-312: Security Administration and
Crime Prevention (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
An introduction to private security administration and crime prevention measures
utilized by industrial, commercial and community agencies.
CRJU-315: Constitutional Rights and the Criminally
Accused (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
The course is a study of legal rules and procedures that are essential to the
criminal justice process.
CRJU-320: Criminal Investigative
Theory (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
Study of criminal investigative theory essential to the solution of crime, including
crime scene, processing, interviewing, and crime-specific solution strategies.
CRJU-330: Deviant Sexual Behavior and
Criminal Activity (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
This course introduces students to the world of the sexually deviant criminal.
Emphasis is placed on understanding the various types of offense behavior, victim issues,
investigative methods and techniques, and treatment of the sex offender.
CRJU-341: Introduction to Forensic
Science (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-320
Study of the application of biological and physical sciences in the legal system.
The course introduces the student to the principles and methods of a forensic
laboratory. (Students may not receive credit for both CRJU-241 and
CRJU-341.)
CRJU-345: Historical Perspectives on
Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
The course provides both an overview of the historical ideas about justice in the
western tradition and of the development of the criminal justice system in the United
States in the context of social and political history.
CRJU-350: Ethical and Moral Issues in Criminal Justice
(3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150, CRJU-233, CRJU-235, and
CRJU-238
Introduces students to theoretical and applied criminal justice professional
ethical norms and standards as they relate to criminal justice decision making
processes in discretion, due process, truthfulness, corruption, and
discrimination.
CRJU-360: Criminal Law and Evidence
(3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
The examination of criminal laws and rules of evidence; origins, definition, scope
and impact upon the criminal justice practitioner.
CRJU-365: Diversity Issues
in the Criminal Justice System (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150; and SOCY-110, or
enrollment in the Women's Studies Program
This course provides an overview of gender, race, and ethnicity issues as related to
criminal justice. Major emphasis will be on developing a student understanding of
cross-cultural variation; feminist thought and its impacts on justice; and the effects
that gender and race have on the lives of people within the context of contemporary issues
of justice.
CRJU-375: Criminal Justice Management
(3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
This course is designed to explore in-depth the major management and organizational
issues that impact on criminal justice administration in the United States. A
critical view of the major problems and issues confronted by contemporary criminal justice
administrators will be considered.
CRJU-380: Rural Crime and Law Enforcement (3 credit
hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150
Introduces students to the aspects of crime that are unique to rural areas
as well as the specific challenges for rural criminal justice agencies with an
emphasis on law enforcement organizations.
CRJU-410: Juvenile Justice (3 credit
hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150; recommended SOCY-444
CRJU-410 will cover the study and function of the juvenile justice system, the
process within the system and the youth who become involved in these processes.
CRJU-430: Comparative Criminal
Justice Systems (3 credit hours)
Pre- or Co-requisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150; and CRJU-365
This course examines the major criminal justice systems of the world, detailing
history, culture, policy, and operation of police, corrections, and judiciary.
CRJU-439: Community-Based Corrections (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: CRJU-238
This course is
designed to examine the variety of correctional services available in the
community, as alternatives to incarceration. Emphasis will be placed on
probation and parole, as well as the range of intermediate sanctions (including,
but not limited to, programs such as boot camps, drug courts, electronic
monitoring, etc.).
CRJU-445:
Juvenile Corrections (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150, and CRJU-238
Introduces students to key concepts in the area of juvenile corrections.
Topics include key differences between the juvenile justice system and the adult
system, diversion programs targeting juveniles, sanctions for juvenile
defenders, juvenile inmate characteristics, and issues related to juvenile
corrections such as privatization of juvenile corrections.
CRJU-475:
Crime and Criminal Behavior (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150, and junior and senior standing
Focuses on the ways in which explanations of criminal behavior influence and
are reflected in public policy and in the workings of the criminal justice
system.
CRJU-481: Forensic Evidence (3 credit
hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-241 or CRJU-341
This course is designed to introduce the student to the major concepts of law and
evidence. The topics for discussion will include, but are not limited to:
kinds of evidence, burden of proof, admission and exclusion of evidence, relevancy,
witnesses, documentary evidence, judicial notice, the hearsay rule and its exceptions, and
the best evidence rule. Students will be assigned a mock trial project.
CRJU-483:
Criminal Justice Experiential Learning (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites:
CRJU-100
or CRJU-150; CRJU-233; CRJU-235; CRJU-238; junior or senior standing; minimum of
3.0 grade point average (overall and in criminal justice coursework); permission
of instructor
Co-requisite: CRJU-484
The student
will complete a field experience related to criminal justice. Students will be
expected to integrate their field experiences with the body of criminal justice
theory to produce a scholarly research project. This course must be taken
concurrently with CRJU-484 (Criminal Justice Internship).
CRJU-484: Criminal Justice Internship
(6-15 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150, junior or senior standing, with minimum 2.5
grade point average; faculty approval
Placement of student with criminal justice agency with academic supervision.
Graded pass/fail.
This course may be
taken concurrently with CRJU-483 (Criminal Justice Experiential Learning).
CRJU-484 may count for 3-12 credit hours for students concurrently enrolled in
CRJU-483.
CRJU-485: Research Methods in
Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150; senior standing (86
credit hours or more), STAT-200
CRJU-485 introduces students to social science research methodology involved in
conducting original research. Research skills include qualitative and quantitative
research methodologies. Other skills will include, but are not limited to, oral
communication, intensive writing, computer operations, and statistical model applications.
CRJU-488H: Final Honors Project (2-3
credit hours)
Prerequisites: Enrollment in Honors Program, completion of all other
Honors Program requirements, a minimum 3.5 GPA in all courses and in criminal justice
Project and topic to be explored determined by the student, the faculty member with
whom he or she works and the student's major department. Topics may include any of
the basic fields offered within the field of criminal justice: law enforcement and
administration; criminology and the courts; or probation, parole and corrections. In
order to receive honors credit, a student must earn a grade of "A" or
"B" for the final project. Course may not be repeated.
CRJU-490: Seminar (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100 or CRJU-150, and junior standing
Concentrated study on specific areas of criminal justice. May be taken again
for credit as often as course content varies.
CRJU-495: Critical Perspectives in
Criminal Justice (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: CRJU-100
or CRJU-150,
and
senior standing
CRJU-495 is designed to emphasize a variety of applied and synthesizing skills,
including oral communication, intensive writing, and service learning.
Decision making skills and ethics will also be emphasized in the area of public policy.
CRJU-498: Independent Study (1-3
credit hours)
Prerequisites: Nine hours of CRJU courses and permission of instructor
Students must obtain approval of department on proposed program in semester preceding
that in which independent study is anticipated. Course may carry one to three hours
credit a semester and may be taken for up to six semester hours credit. Offered as
needed. See "Independent Study" on page 40 of the 2000-2001 Radford
University Undergraduate Catalog.
