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Criminology Minor

SSH PEAK

The Criminology minor presents students with a distinctly liberal arts approach to this "rendezvous discipline." In other words, we investigate criminology from a number of disciplinary and political perspectives, such as sociology, anthropology, photography, performance, fiction, and poetry, to name a few. Students will learn how criminal law, police, courts, and correctional systems operate both through traditional criminal justice discourses and critical lenses like reform movements and abolitionism. Elective courses will provide pathways for students to explore global criminological perspectives, criminological theories, and contemporary hot topics. During the Prison Experience capstone course, students visit a variety of adult and juvenile facilities and gain insights into prison life. The internship option offers valuable experience in regional facilities that forges connections for future employment.

Minor Requirements

15 credits

Students will complete two core classes and three elective classes. 

Core Courses (6 credits)

ENG-368The Prison Experience

3 credits
SOC-115Introduction to Criminal Legal Systems

3 credits

Electives (9 credits)

EDU-300Schools and Society

3 credits
INT-497Internship

1-6 credits
POE-215Power and Policy

3 credits
POE-315Case Studies in Political Economy

3 credits
PSY-404Abnormal Psychology

3 credits
PSY-407Legal Psychology

3 credits
SOC-301Topics in Criminology

3 credits
SOC-307Topics in Criminal Law and Procedure

3 credits
SOC-308Police and Policing

3 credits
SOC-310Community Corrections

3 credits
SOC-330Criminological Theory

3 credits
SOC-335Global Criminology

3 credits

Students may count a maximum of 3 credits of internship toward this minor.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this minor, students will be able to:

1)  Describe criminal legal system structures and functions, including police, courts, and corrections;

2)  Debate contentious criminal legal policy issues, such as police use of force, sentencing guidelines, and system reform;

3)  Analyze the connections between criminal legal systems and the societies in which they operate;

4)  Use criminology and deviance theories to evaluate cases;

5)  Explain system-impacted-individual rehabilitation and desistance practices, such as the risk-need-responsivity model and the evidence-based practices movement; and

6)  Discuss why criminology is often considered a "rendezvous discipline."