Criminal Justice Degree Online

The Mount offers a new Criminology concentration within the Sociology major as of Fall 2008.

Students within Sociology who select the Criminology concentration will take courses in a wide range of areas including victimology; hate crimes; drugs and society; violence and the community; conflict and resolution; and, comparative criminology.

Students will be required to take courses that provide them with an introduction to the discipline of criminology; an analysis of social problems in the United States; an examination of the creation of laws and reaction to crime by society; various aspects of criminal victimization; and, exposure to criminal justice systems across the world.

This concentration will prepare students for scholarly careers in sociology, criminology and social deviance, as well as such professional careers in corrections, law enforcement, youth programming, rehabilitation, victim services, insurance and financial fraud counseling, private investigation, and the judicial court system.

Learning outcomes specific to the Criminology concentration include:
Understanding the structure, function, and interactions of the main components of the criminal justice system including law enforcement, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice.
Describing the historical milestones in the development of justice, crime and punishment within their legal, social and political contexts. Identifying and assessing the main theories in criminology that help to explain the nature and extent of crime, the causes of crime and criminality, the behavior of criminals, and criminal victimization.
Examining the causes and responses to social injustice.
Exploring society’s role in law creation.
Understanding the role of research in sociology/criminology.
Examining policies and programs related to crime, criminology, and criminal justice.

For more information on the Criminology concentration, please contact Dr. Jenifer Lee-Gonyea at jlgonyea@msmc.edu or 845.569.3322 or go to the MSMC Undergraduate Catalog.

Criminal Justice
2007-2008 Faculty: David CampRequirements

Requirements for a Criminal Justice Major
CJ 124, 212, 324, 475, 491, 492; CJ 224 or 307; PS 224; PY 101, 207, 207L; SO 104. 12 hours of electives chosen from CO 304, 321; CJ 151, 153, 300 (3 hours), any additional CJ course; PS 102, 104, 204, 301, 324, 325, 332, 375; PY 227, 252, 295, 322, 334; SP 101, 102.

TOTAL: 42 hours

Requirements for a Criminal Justice Minor
18 hours selected from CJ 124, 151, 153, 212, 224, 307, 324, 475

TOTAL: 18 hours

Requirements for a Sociology Minor
SO 104, CJ 212, 307, GE 212, PE 310; one additional 300 level course and one additional 400 level courses from the following choices: CO 304, CO 321, CO 332, CO 337, CO 412, any 400 level Criminal Justice courses.

TOTAL: 21 hours

Courses

124. Introduction to Administration of Justice (3 hours)
Second Semester. A survey of the American criminal justice system and processes. Crime, criminal law, law enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, corrections, juvenile justice. Considers the major management and organizational issues that impact on criminal justice administration in the United States. Prerequisite: none.

151. Introduction to Law Enforcement (3 hours)
First Semester, alternate years. Offered 2007-2008. Overview of policing in America. Includes a history of law enforcement, the police and the criminal justice system, and principles of law enforcement. Prerequisite: none.

153. Introduction to Corrections (3 hours)
First Semester, alternate years. Offered 2006-2007. Overview of the correctional system in America. Includes a history of corrections, justification for punishment and imprisonment, sentencing trends, alternates to incarceration, inmate life, and organization and management of correctional institutions. Prerequisite: none.

212. Criminology (3 hours)
Second Semester. An examination of the nature, forms, and causes of crime and criminal behavior. Includes study of the functions of law, theories of crime, comparative criminology, and the problem of punishment and rehabilitation. Prerequisite: CJ 207; SO 104.

224. Juvenile Justice (3 hours)
Second Semester, alternate years. Offered 2007-2008. The changing definitions of delinquent behavior by juveniles and the legal mechanisms that control it. The history and development of the juvenile court systems and the problematic situations sometimes created by such a system are addressed. In addition, the juvenile code, the court, law enforcement, and treatment institutions will be highlighted. Prerequisite: CJ 207.

300. Internship (1-12 hours)
Each Semester. Internships involve working and learning experiences off campus. Each student’s program is developed according to established College guidelines under the sponsorship of a faculty member. See the index under “Internships” for reference to additional information on internship guidelines, or consult the department chair. Prerequisite: Junior standing or above. Not open to any student who is on academic, disciplinary, or Work Program probation.

307. Juvenile Delinquency (3 hours)
Second Semester, alternate years. Offered 2006-2007. Causes and consequences of juvenile delinquency will be accessed using sociological analysis. Prevention, control, and rehabilitation of offenders will also be addressed. Prerequisite: SO 104.

324. Criminal Law (3 hours)
Second Semester, alternate years. Offered 2006-2007. Legal terminology, the definitions of crimes, and criminal procedures will be highlighted. In addition, an examination of sociological research and theory focusing on social structural forces that shape the criminal code, the enforcement of laws, and the imposition of criminal sanctions will be addressed. Prerequisite: CJ 207.

451. Family Violence (3 hours)
First Semester, alternate years. Offered 2006-2007. This course examines the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of family violence across the lifespan, and considers policy and program responses. Theoretic approaches taken are interdisciplinary with most emphasis on psychology and sociology. Topics include: child maltreatment, courtship violence and date rape, domestic violence, and elder abuse. Writing intensive. Prerequisites: SO 104, CJ 212.

453. Deviant Behavior (3 hours)
First Semester, alternate years. Offered 2007-2008. This course is designed to expand knowledge of theory, concepts, research, and methods of social deviance. Students will be given the opportunity to expand their skills in evaluating research, writing, applied work, and personal reflection. An emphasis will be placed on sociological theories for understanding deviance and a wide variety of deviant behaviors will be explored. Prerequisites: SO 104, CJ 212.

475. Topics in Criminal Justice (3 hours)
First Semester. Topics will focus on various issues in criminal justice. Examples include: The Sociology of Murder, Penology, Women and Crime, Organized Crime, other courses selected by professor. (As topics will vary, it is possible to take one section of this course to fulfill the CJ requirement, and then to take additional sections as CJ electives.) Prerequisite: SO 104, CJ 212.

491. Seminar I (2 hours)
First Semester. Design and implementation of individual research in the field of criminal justice. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: Senior Standing or departmental approval.

492. Seminar I (1 hour)
Second Semester. Continuation of CJ 491. Presentation of senior seminar and current issue debates.

The Mount offers a new Criminology concentration within the Sociology major as of Fall 2008.

Students within Sociology who select the Criminology concentration will take courses in a wide range of areas including victimology; hate crimes; drugs and society; violence and the community; conflict and resolution; and, comparative criminology.

Students will be required to take courses that provide them with an introduction to the discipline of criminology; an analysis of social problems in the United States; an examination of the creation of laws and reaction to crime by society; various aspects of criminal victimization; and, exposure to criminal justice systems across the world.

This concentration will prepare students for scholarly careers in sociology, criminology and social deviance, as well as such professional careers in corrections, law enforcement, youth programming, rehabilitation, victim services, insurance and financial fraud counseling, private investigation, and the judicial court system.

Learning outcomes specific to the Criminology concentration include:
Understanding the structure, function, and interactions of the main components of the criminal justice system including law enforcement, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice.
Describing the historical milestones in the development of justice, crime and punishment within their legal, social and political contexts. Identifying and assessing the main theories in criminology that help to explain the nature and extent of crime, the causes of crime and criminality, the behavior of criminals, and criminal victimization.
Examining the causes and responses to social injustice.
Exploring society’s role in law creation.
Understanding the role of research in sociology/criminology.
Examining policies and programs related to crime, criminology, and criminal justice.

For more information on the Criminology concentration, please contact Dr. Jenifer Lee-Gonyea at jlgonyea@msmc.edu or 845.569.3322 or go to the MSMC Undergraduate Catalog.

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Both contain extensive resources, covering the spectrum of criminological and criminal justice topics at graduate and research level.
Research Programmes
MLitt in Criminology

The MLitt entails researching and writing a thesis of between 40,000 and 50,000 words over a period of two or at the most three years. The thesis must make a worthwhile contribution to knowledge and understanding within its field.
DPhil in Criminology

The DPhil entails researching and writing a thesis of between 75,000 and 100,000 words over a period of three or at the most four years. The thesis must make a significant and substantial contribution to the field. Probationer Research students are required to follow two courses of instruction in Criminological Research Methods. DPhil students work under the guidance of at least one supervisor who will be an acknowledged authority on their chosen topic. The areas in which members of the Centre for Criminology are able to offer supervision include:
Policing and security;
Sentencing;
Crime, risk and justice;
Human rights and criminal justice;
Victims;
Prisons;
The sociology of punishment;
Restorative justice;
Desistance and rehabilitation;
The death penalty;
Mafias and organized crime;
Public attitude and responses to crime;
The politics of crime and justice;
Crime, criminology and social/political theory;
Comparative criminology.

Further details can be found at the departmental website.

The Bachelor of Science program in criminology is based on the study of criminal behavior and society’s response to it, including the analysis of those policies and systems designed to control criminality. Through the in-depth exploration and study of both theoretical and empirical research drawn from the behavioral, legal, and social sciences students learn about many aspects of crime as a social phenomenon, including the correlates of crime and criminal behavior, the tools and methods used to study and prevent crime, and the institutions involved in the processing of criminal offenders. The department seeks to achieve this mission through its curriculum that emphasizes the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills with respect to each of the following: 1) the structure and organizational behaviors of the justice system; 2) the theories underpinning normative socialization and both formal and informal social control; 3) the roles policing, courts, corrections, and laws play in contributing to social control; 4) the practical and ethical complexities of the roles of justice professionals; 5) macro and micro level criminology theories regarding the etiology of crime, criminality, and delinquency; 6) the measurement, detection, and prevention of crime, criminality, and delinquency; 7) the research, planning, and evaluation methods used to expand knowledge in the field; the international variations on criminal justice systems and social control and comparative criminology; 9) the development and refinement of communication skills both orally and in writing with particular emphasis on persuasive argumentation supported by logic, legal precedent, and scholarly research; and 10) the practical application of all of this knowledge in ways that promote active leadership that effectuates positive change in the agencies of law, law enforcement, rehabilitation, governmental service, academia, and research.