GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Masters Program

Course Descriptions

(All courses are subject to change without notice)

CORE MASTERS PROGRAM COURSES
(Electives Courses)

Criminology HCJ G200

Provides an overview of the current understanding of the causes of crime from an interdisciplinary perspective. Focuses on the major theories of crime and causation developed over the past two hundred years. Emphasis is on integrating criminological theory and research, assessing the implications of this knowledge base for policies relating to crime control and prevention. Also presents and discusses the most current data regarding the nature and extent of crime in the United States.

Criminal Justice Process HCJ G202

Introduces students to the operation of the criminal justice system. Covers the components of the system, the process by which defendants are moved through that system, and key issues in the administration of criminal justice.

Research and Evaluation Methods HCJ G204

Surveys the basic techniques of research and evaluation methods. Addresses various research strategies including surveys, observation archival data, experiments, and evaluation designs. Topics include ethical problems and the design, procedures, and politics of research.

Research and Evaluation Methods Lab HCJ G205

Accompanies Research and Evaluation Methods. Covers topics from the course through various experiments.

Statistical Analysis HCJ G206

Introduces probability and statistical analysis. Topics include measures of central tendency and dispersion; probability and probability distributions; sampling distributions and hypothesis testing; and correlation, regression, and forecasting.

Statistical Analysis Lab HCJ G207

Accompanies Statistical Analysis. Covers topics from the course through various experiments.

Law and Society HCJ G208

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Focuses on the sociology of law; emphasis is also on jurisprudential thought and the political analysis of legal institutions. Explores the sources of law and functions and dysfunctions of law in action. Reviews institutional roles of courts, legislatures, and administrative agencies. Topics include alternative dispute resolution, how the law can help or impede social change, whether Americans have become too litigious, or race and gender issues in achieving justice.

Juvenile Law HCJ G232

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Examines the legal relationship between the juvenile offender and the state. Covers case and statutory law as well as constitutional due process standards in juvenile proceedings. Topics include jurisdiction, prejudicial process, waiver of jurisdiction, adjudication, disposition and post dispositional issues, as well as the right to treatment.

Law and Psychiatry HCJ G238

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Discusses the fundamental principles, concepts, and development of criminal law and the constitutional provisions that govern it. Focuses on the relationship of the individual to the state and includes and examination of the general framework of criminal law as a means of social control.

ELECTIVE MASTERS and PHD PROGRAM COURSES
(Core Master Courses)

Law and Society HCJ G208

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Focuses on the sociology of law; emphasis is also on jurisprudential thought and the political analysis of legal institutions. Explores the sources of law and functions and dysfunctions of law in action. Reviews institutional roles of courts, legislatures, and administrative agencies. Topics include alternative dispute resolution, how the law can help or impede social change, whether Americans have become too litigious, or race and gender issues in achieving justice.

Juvenile Law HCJ G232

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Examines the legal relationship between the juvenile offender and the state. Covers case and statutory law as well as constitutional due process standards in juvenile proceedings. Topics include jurisdiction, prejudicial process, waiver of jurisdiction, adjudication, disposition and post dispositional issues, as well as the right to treatment.

Law and Psychiatry HCJ G238

(may satisfy either the law requirement or elective course)
Discusses the fundamental principles, concepts, and development of criminal law and the constitutional provisions that govern it. Focuses on the relationship of the individual to the state and includes and examination of the general framework of criminal law as a means of social control.

Gender, Crime and Justice HCJ G210

Examines ways in which criminology, the criminal justice system, and the law contribute to the social construction of gender. Investigates process through which biological females are encouraged to become girls and women by cultural assumptions about female deviance, discourses on female crime, the criminal justice system, and legal assumptions about the meaning of equality on feminist approaches to criminal justice that parallel the new feminist jurisprudence.

Juvenile Justice HCJ G212

Analyzes critically the policies and practices of the agencies involved in the processing of young persons through the juvenile justice system. Emphasis is on jurisdictional issues, police practices, detention, intake, diversion, adjudication, and dispositions of juveniles within the justice system. Also focuses on the historical development of the juvenile justice system as well as assesses current trends and proposals for reform. Emphasis is on the key policy issues facing juveniles involved with the juvenile justice system today.

Corrections Theory and Practice HCJ G214

Reviews the history of our correctional system, said by many to have four central themes (revenge, restraint, reformation, and rehabilitation/reintegration). Defines the role and working relationship of corrections in the greater spectrum of criminal justice, identifies and discusses the issues and problems facing the system today, and evaluates its intended purpose versus how it actually functions. Explores prison operations from designing and staffing a prison to responsible reintegration. Discusses the political, social, and economic issues that have impacted correction operations, such as sentencing reform, overcrowding, and boot camps. Provides an overview of corrections through a blend of theory, practice, and firsthand observation.

Alternatives to Incarceration HCJ G216

Examines the concepts of community corrections, utilizing historical, philosophical, and practice-oriented perspectives. Includes an analysis of the alternatives to imprisonment or institutionalization. For course purposes, community-based programs are defined as programs aimed at reducing the occurrence of criminal and delinquent behavior through prevention, rehabilitation, reintegration, and/or diversionary services in no institutional settings, which make maximum use of existing and potential community resources.

Youth Gangs HCJ G220

Examines the nature and extent of contemporary gangs in the United States, with emphasis on the relationships between gangs, drugs, and violence. Discusses variations in gang structure, function and activities, and highlights gender, ethnic/racial, and community distinctions. Evaluates policies and programs addressing gangs, and guest speakers (including law enforcement and social service personnel) are invited to discuss their experiences with gang suppression, intervention, and prevention strategies in Boston.

Forensic Psychology HCJ G224

Offers a seminar on conceptual, empirical, historical, and professional aspects of selected topics in forensic psychology including such areas as law and psychology, competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and the insanity defense. Topics include jury selection, reliability and validity of eyewitness testimony, truth detection methods, and post conviction pleadings.

Loss Prevention HCJ G226

Focuses on applied methods for use in preventing losses or minimizing the dollar value of those that are inevitable by using a case-study approach. Covers techniques to try to identify those who are responsible for losses, and more importantly, the conditions that allowed the losses to occur initially so that corrective action can be taken to reduce the risk of recurrence. Students are asked to analyze cases where losses occurred, or the potential for loss existed, in terms of what could or should have been done to prevent the incidents or at least minimize the risk of their occurrence.

Criminal Violence HCJ G228

Investigates and analyzes aggression and violence as forms of individual, group, and societal behavior. Discusses a historical review of the role that police have played in society as well as the structure of large and small police organizations. Topics include community policing, problem-solving methods, police discretion, police misconduct, police crime prevention strategies, and restorative justice.

Police and Society HCJ G230

Introduces research, theory, and applications of the causes and consequences of police behavior. Discusses a historical review of the role that police have played in society as well as the structure of large and small police organizations. Topics include community policing, problem-solving methods, police discretion, police misconduct, police crime prevention strategies, and restorative justice.

Criminal Justice Organization and Management HCJ G234

Analyzes the structures, functions, and operations of criminal justice agencies including the police, the court, and corrections (jail, probation, prison, and parole) within the context of the entire criminal justice system. Reviews existing organizational theory and examines the application of these theories within agencies of criminal justice. Discusses interjurisdictional and intrajuisdictional issues facing these organizations and ethical dilemmas facing various decision makers.

Ecology of Crime HCJ G236

and analyzes literature on the demography and ecology of crime. Includes reviews of research and theory that address the influences of economics, demography, social organization, and political economy on crimes within cities and neighborhoods. Combines student presentations of published articles with lectures, tutorials, and student projects.

Race and the Criminal Justice System HCJ G240

Offers a sociohistorical analysis of the effects of race and ethnicity on legitimate social opportunities, criminal behavior, victimization, and differential judicial processing. Analyzes the impact of assimilation and acculturation on criminal behavior, victimization, and criminal justice processes. Discusses issues resulting from increasing diversity of both the criminal justice workforce and society in general.

Terrorism and International Crime HCJ G242

Provides an overview of the various approaches to terrorism employed around the world. Discusses the theories of terrorism as well as the major international and national approaches to reducing threats. Also discusses the role of the news media, the political consequences of terrorism, the military as a resource, and the role of hostages.

Private Security Management HCJ G246

Examines private security theories, operations, and practices, with emphasis on the administration and management of security. Explores the philosophical background, history, and current role of private security as well as the role and status of the security manager in threat assessment, risk prevention, and the protection of assets. Discusses functional-area security systems; law, science, and technology for security; ad issues; and standards, goals, and challenges for the future. Explores security systems, particularly as they relate to criminal justice and the environment.

Victimology HCJ G250

This course involves a scientific study of crime victims and public policy responses to them. Major subsections of the course focus on the nature and extent of criminal victimization, the dynamics of victim-offender relationships (e.g., incest and domestic violence), theories of victimization, a historic analysis of the victim’s role in the criminal justice process, the restorative justice model, and the contemporary victim rights and victim services movement.

White-Collar Crime HCJ G252

This course introduces the concept of white-collar crime as an area of scientific inquiry and theory formation. It critically examines the latest scholarship on the subject by looking at these issues through a multiplicity of perspectives and reference points. These range from focus on the offense, offender, legal structure, organizational structure, individual and organizational behavior, to victimization and guardianship, with special attention on the interaction between these components. The nature, extent, and consequences of white-collar crime will be assessed from a national and international perspective. This course will also focus on the criminal justice system’s current efforts at controlling white-collar crime, and given the relative ineffectiveness of traditional criminal justice responses, alternative systems of control will be examined. Many tangible, research-based suggestions will be made regarding actions that organizations and businesses can take to reduce the significant losses accrued to white-collar crime.

Crime and Personality HCJ G254

This course will examine the interplay among physiological, cognitive, family, social, and cultural forces in the creation and maintenance of individual differences related to crime. The course will focus on the context of crime (e.g., the relationship between crime and human nature), and will describe and interpret the interpersonal traits, processes, and characteristics connected with crime and delinquency (the criminal personality). The course will also cover the development of the criminal personality and will explore the prevention and amelioration of crime and delinquency.

Comparative Criminology HCJ 258

Analyzes crime and criminal justice systems in selected countries and cultures. Focuses on the ways these different societies define and respond to criminal behavior. Specifically addresses how different societies structure their justice systems to meet their goals and reflect their values.

Topics in Criminal Justice HCJ G260

Rotating annually, this course focuses on a particular aspect of the criminal justice system of contemporary interest.

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Internship I and Internship II HCJ G400, HCJ G402

Offers field placement in a criminal justice agency involving administrative, research, teaching, and related activities. Gives students the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts in a practical, applied fashion by observing and contributing to the daily activities of operating agencies and organizations. All students work on at least one specific project a their field placement, and the results of this project are submitted to the Graduate Director.

Directed Study HCJ G411(1sh), HCJ G412(2sh)

Offers the student the opportunity to bring individual, concentrated attention to a particular topic as arranged and agreed upon in advance by a faculty member and the student. This option is generally recommended when the student desires a more intensive analysis of a particular subject.

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