CJUS 100 - Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

Prerequisite(s): None
Restriction(s): None

Corequisite(s): None

This course provides a general introduction to the subject of criminal justice in the United States. Among other topics, the course examines the history of our criminal justice system; the political, social, and cultural forces that shape crime definitions and society’s responses; and measurement of crime statistics. The course is divided into four sections: the nature of crime; police and law enforcement; the judiciary system; and corrections.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: After completing this course, the student will be able to:

Understand how the research process and methods contribute to the development of knowledge
Recognize and understand the differences between various research techniques used in social science.
Recognize the ethical issues of completing social science research.
Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research.
Be able to interpret the various types of statistics used in criminal justice reports
Identify and access current research and data bases available in the field of criminal justice.
Critically evaluate research in the field of criminal justice.
Design a research project.