Critical Issues in Criminology & Criminal Justice

Catalog description

This course explores critical/contemporary issues in criminology and criminal justice. It investigates specific crime concerns or injustices in society and how they are understood, analyzed, and responded to by researchers as well as practitioners, and other professionals in the justice system. Examples of topics that may be covered in this course include but are not limited to: the war on drugs, sex crimes, cybercrime, hate crime, human trafficking, homicide, genocide, crimes against animals and the environment, state violence, and/or wrongful convictions and exonerations. Students in this course will gain an introductory understanding of criminology and criminal justice as related to issues selected by the instructor through considerations of the research, theory, and evidence-based practices along with solutions. They will critically think about crime and "justice"-and they will conduct their own criminologically-driven investigations (traditional or applied) to learn more about a given harm, address controversies/debates, and develop strategies/solutions for future justice.