For more information regarding the Core Curriculum, including a list of courses that satisfy Core Curriculum requirements, click here: The Core Curriculum .
Students interested in criminology and the criminal justice system may elect a Concentration in Crime and Social Justice. This interdisciplinary concentration allows students to apply sociological tools to the study of crime, and to infuse this development of knowledge with an appreciation of how society’s definition and reaction to crime support or hinder social justice. Unlike programs with a technical focus, a flexible, liberal arts curriculum allows students to develop analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills while learning more about the sub-field of criminology and the criminal justice system.
In particular, students will:
- consider how definitions of crime, awareness of crime, and reactions to crime are rooted in larger economic, political, and social contexts;
- develop a critical perspective on the criminal justice system’s role as a system of social control;
- discover how social identities affect the system;
- research policies for prevention, intervention, and reform that promote a more socially just system;
- analyze how crime intersects with other social institutions.
This concentration is a useful foundation for students interested in pursuing a wide range of occupations or graduate degrees in fields such as:
- law,
- criminal justice (law enforcement, corrections, probation or parole systems),
- social work,
- government and non-profit agencies,
- counseling and rehabilitation services,
- family services,
- education,
- juvenile justice,
- community development and empowerment,
- program evaluation and planning.
Sociology majors with a concentration in Crime and Social Justice must complete 39 credit hours, in addition to MATH 1020 (may be applied to Quantitative Reasoning Core requirement) . Of these, the following sociology courses, totaling 16 credit hours, are required: SOCI 1010 (may be applied to Human Behavior Explorations), SOCI 2500 (may be applied to Advanced Rhetoric Core requirement ), SOCI 2530 , SOCI 2530L , SOCI 3030 , and SOCI 4950 . In addition students must complete 24 credit hours as follows: 1) SOCI 2020 and SOCI 2042 ; 2) one seminar course (SOCI 4020 , SOCI 4080 , SOCI 4810 ); 3) 12 credit hours of Crime and Social Justice Electives drawn from Sociology, Communication Studies, and/or Political Science approved courses (see below); and, 4) SOCI 4800 . In order for any course to be counted for degree credit in the major, even if it is in a discipline other than sociology, a student must earn a “C” or better.