The focus is on social, situational, and environmental sources of crime. This is a seminar for advanced students offered in response to student request and faculty interest. This course may be repeated for additional credit with approval of the criminal justice coordinator, but only when course content differs. Sample topics include the death penalty, hate crimes, civil liability in criminal justice, justice in the media, environmental crime, etc. Topics covered include the logic of causal order, sampling theory, qualitative and quantitative design, data collection, and proper analysis of data.
Emphasis is placed on conducting field research and communicating research in writing.
Each student completes an original research project under supervision of the instructor with input from the on-site agency representative. Students will prepare a comprehensive, formal, written research paper on an appropriate topic. Criminal justice internships normally will not be approved for semesters during which practicums are also available. However, under unusual circumstances, up to 12 credits may be approved by the criminal justice coordinator. This course represents an opportunity to pursue specific interests and topics not usually covered in regular courses.