Criminal Justice : Academic Bulletin

SPEA-J 101 The American Criminal Justice System (3 cr.) Introduction to the criminal justice system of the United States and its function in contemporary society.

SPEA-J 150 Public Safety in America (3 cr.) The protection of persons and property involves a number of public and private organizations. This course examines the roles that agencies working within the fire service, emergency management, criminal justice, and the private security sector play in securing public safety in the United States.

SPEA-J 215 Concepts of Forensic Science (3 cr.) Forensic science and the criminal justice system. Evidence collection and analysis. Forensic chemistry including drugs and trace evidence, biology including blood spatter and DNA, pathology, entomology, anthropology, and forensic science and the law. Credit not given for both SPEA-J 215 and J 322.

SPEA-J 222 Murder in America: Causes and Consequences (3 cr.) An investigation of homicide in the United States. Focus on the level and nature of homicides as well as domestic homicides, serial and mass murder, race, ethnicity and gender, drugs and alcohol, school and workplace homicides, investigation, profiling and the death penalty, and homicide prevention and intervention programs.

SPEA-J 260 Topics in Criminal Justice (1-3 cr.) Study of selected issues in criminal justice. Topics vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit.

SPEA-J 272 Terrorism and Public Policy (3 cr.) This course surveys terrorism in democratic societies, with an emphasis on public policy responses designed to combat terrorism. Overviews of terrorist organizations in various countries are interspersed with analyses of significant terrorist events and public policies, and legal and public safety responses the events create.

SPEA-J 275 Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) This course examines the influence of diversity issues such as race, ethnicity, class, and gender on crime and the treatment of the underrepresented groups throughout the American criminal justice system.

SPEA-J 303 Evidence (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. The rules of law governing proof at trial of disputed issues of fact; burden of proof; presumptions and judicial notice; examination, impeachment, competency, and privileges of witnesses; hearsay rule and exceptions—all related as nearly as possible to criminal, as opposed to civil, processes.

SPEA-J 305 Juvenile Justice (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. This course is designed to provide an overview of the justice system's response to abused, neglected, and dependent children; juvenile misconduct; and delinquent behavior. An extensive review of the development of recent legal changes to the court, options for prevention, treatment of juvenile offenders, and possible system reforms.

SPEA-J 310 Introduction to Administrative Processes (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. Introduction to principles of management and systems theory for the administration of criminal justice agencies. Credit not given for both SPEA-J 310 and SPEA-V 270.

SPEA-J 312 White Collar Crime (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. White collar crime is an examination of the definitions, theories, laws, and policy responses that shape crimes by corporations, government agencies, professionals, and others engaged in legitimate occupations.

SPEA-J 320 Criminal Investigation (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. Theory of investigation, crime scene procedures, interviews, interrogations, surveillances, and sources of information; collection and preservation of physical evidence; investigative techniques in specific crimes.

SPEA-J 322 Introduction to Criminalistics (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101; R: SPEA-J 301. The broad range of physical evidence developed through the investigative process, and methods of identifying and establishing validity and relevance through forensic laboratory techniques.

SPEA-J 355 Global Criminal Justice Perspectives (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. An international review of select criminal justice perspectives and systems within the primary legal traditions of common, civil, Islamic, and socialist systems, as well as those that do not fit into established categories, such as Native American and African tribal justice.

SPEA-J 370 Seminar in Criminal Justice (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101 Selected contemporary topics in criminal justice. May be repeated for credit.

SPEA-J 376 Principles of Public Safety (3 cr.) P: J 101, J 150 Examination of threats to public safety and of governmental response at various levels to those threats. Treatment of areas such as transportation and highway threats; occupational safety and health; criminal threats; emergency and disaster planning; consumer protection; and fire control and suppression. Discussion of techniques to identify and measure risk, the acceptability of risk, and governmental attempts to control risk.

SPEA-J 380 Internship in Criminal Justice (0-6 cr.) P: Permission of instructor. Open to interested students who qualify upon approval of the faculty. Students may be placed with various criminal justice agencies for assignment to defined tasks relevant to their educational interests. Tasks may involve staff work or research. Full-time participants may earn up to 6 credit hours. Course is graded S /F (Satisfactory /Fail). May be repeated for credit.

SPEA-J 426 Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101 or J 150. The use of geographic information systems to map locations of events and analyze patterns for decision making in areas of public safety including criminal justice, fire services, emergency management, and homeland security.

SPEA-J 429 Public Safety Management and Leadership (3 cr.) P: J101, J150, J202, K300, J376, J382, J387 This capstone course is designed to examine the major public management principles, policy concerns, and leadership theories learned in an undergraduate management curriculum as they relate to how public safety is achieved in the field and in the policy making arena.

SPEA-J 433 Institutional Corrections (3 cr.) P: SPEA-J 101. The history and development of the jail, penitentiary, prison, and reformatory. Analysis and evaluation of contemporary imprisonment.

SPEA-J 470 Seminar in Criminal Justice (1-3 cr.) P: Senior standing. Emphasizes current developments in legal, administrative, and operational aspects of the criminal justice system.

SPEA Undergraduate Bulletin 2018-2019