Forensic Psychology

Catalog description

The course Forensic Psychology examines how psychological science informs-and is shaped by-the leagl system across criminal, civil, and administrative contexts. Students survery core domains of forensic psychology, including competencies and criminal responsibility, risk assessment and psychometrics, eyewitness memory and identification, investigative interviewing, deception and malingering, juvenile and family court issues, victimology and trauma, jury decision-making, corrections and rehabilitation, and ethics and professional standards. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice, cultural competence, and the limits of inference when translating research to policy and casework. Applied activities include case analyses, mock evaluations and reports, structured risk assessements, and testimony simulations that foreground scientific validity, legal admissibility, and clear communication to non-specilist audiences.