Gwynedd Mercy University
AY2020-2021 / Undergraduate Academic Catalog
A survey of the American criminal justice system and its components : police , courts and correction . The course is designed to describe the functions of the system from arrest through trial , appeal , sentencing , correction and parole . The object of the course is to provide the student with a procedural framework of the criminal justice process . ( Also SOC 102 .)
CRJ-201 Cultural Criminology ( 3 ) This course will look at the cultural influences on crime and deviance . It will examine the issues prevalent in global and local cultures and how this causes and effects crime and deviance . Through the examination of ethnographic texts and contemporary sources , the course will explore the role of culture , media , politics , and demographic factors , on crime , deviance , and the fear of crime . Specifically , the course will look at the emerging issues of terrorism , the politics of gender , and green cultural criminology .
CRJ-205 Stalking & Domestic Violence ( 3 ) This course will introduce students to the topics of stalking and domestic violence from a criminological , sociological , and psychological perspective . In this course students will look at the social factors that contribute to the incidence and prevalence of both stalking and domestic violence . Students will examine victim outcomes and the criminal justice response to these crimes . Students must be at least a sophomore or receive permission of the Instructor .
CRJ-207 Drugs Society & Criminal Justice ( 3 ) The American justice system has struggled to confront the problems related to drugs in our society , which include increased criminal activity , drug use by children and adolescents , and prison overcrowding . Throughout the semester , students will learn and understand the nature of drug use , and the psychological and physiological effects of various legal and illicit drugs . Additionally , this course covers the relative influence that drug use has on both the criminal justice system and larger society . This includes analysis of the various components of domestic and international drug production and trafficking , as well as the efforts made by our government to curtail these criminal initiatives .
CRJ-211 Constitution of the United States ( 3 ) This course provides a basic understanding of the philosophical , historical , and political roots of the United States Constitution , its structure , provisions and interpretations and includes a study of notable Supreme Court controversies .
CRJ-215 Criminology ( 3 ) An introduction to crime and criminality , the course examines types of crime , such as violent and property crime , white-collar , organized and victimless crimes , as well as theories of crime and the collection of statistical crime data .
CRJ-216 Race , Class & Ethnicity ( 3 ) For much of our history , the administration of justice has always been about controlling the minority outside of the ruling class . In fact , race and ethnicity necessarily influence individual experiences in the criminal justice system , as well as within the broader society . The purpose of this class is to critically examine the characteristics of race and ethnicity and how they are used to bias decisions within our criminal justice system . Students will investigate the past and present behavior of
196