Criminal Justice Studies
College of Health and Social Sciences
Dean: Don Taylor
School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement
Director: Gerald Eisman
Criminal Justice Studies Program
HSS 236
Phone: 415-405-4129
Website: http://cj.sfsu.edu
Faculty:
Professor: Musheno
Associate Professors: Brown, Snipes
Assistant Professor: Simmons
Lecturers: Gerould, Macallair, Viola, Walsh
Associated Faculty: Clavier, Fischer, Garcia, A. Smith
Programs
B.A. in Criminal Justice Studies
Minor in Criminal Justice Studies
Program Scope
Drawing upon a rich urban environment, the multidisciplinary program in criminal justice studies explores the connections between law, crime and justice. The curriculum emphasizes critical thinking about the administration of justice, crime and delinquency, legal studies, and working with diverse communities. As part of the major, students participate in a culminating field experience at the end of their program. The program is intended for a diverse group of students whose interests range from the local to the global, from street crime to terrorism, from municipal policing to international courts.
Students seeking a major or minor begin with a foundation course that provides a cross-disciplinary perspective of criminal justice. Both majors and minors will pursue course work within and across four areas of emphasis within the field of criminal justice studies.
I. Administration of Justice. Students explore central features of criminal justice systems. Courses include treatment of distinguishing features of the U.S. criminal justice system and comparative perspectives of systems around the globe. Attention is given to recurring problems including abuse of authority, community conflict, and discrimination in case processing. Students have opportunities to learn methods and applications for studying criminal justice systems and processes.
II. Crime and Delinquency. Courses in this area expose students to major explanations of what brings about different forms of juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. Students have opportunities to explore biological, feminist, economic, international, psychological, racial and sociological perspectives of crime and delinquency. In addition to addressing street crime, courses are available for learning about hate crime, organized crime, terrorism, and white collar crime.
III. Legal Studies. Attention is given to legal doctrine relevant to criminal justice, the practice of law by criminal justice agents and the experience of law by defendants, family members and victims. Courses include distinctive disciplinary perspectives of law as well as issues faced by particular populations. Students have the opportunity to learn and apply legal analysis, including case law and development of legal briefs.
IV. Working with Diverse Communities. Working in the criminal justice system in any capacity requires interacting with individuals from diverse family, cultural, social and economic backgrounds. Courses in this area expose students to a deeper understanding and appreciation of individuals and groups from backgrounds other than their own. These courses help students develop communication skills to bridge cultural differences while working toward common goals related to the pursuit of social as well as criminal justice.
Students pursuing the major will complete their coursework with a culminating field experience.
A network of criminal justice agencies and personnel in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area serves as a powerful asset for students. An active Criminal Justice Student Association plans and implements community service activities, has a guest lecture program featuring criminal justice professionals, and creates a sense of community on campus.
Career Outlook
The major and minor provide training for students who anticipate they will be engaged in their communities regarding issues of law, crime, and justice as well as those seeking related careers in government, law and higher education. Career opportunities include those in law enforcement, diversion, crime analysis, probation, parole, corrections, juvenile justice, victim advocacy, corporate security, community development and justice research. Students who intend to pursue graduate education in criminal justice, justice studies, criminology and related fields as well as those planning to apply to law school are encouraged to consider the major and minor in criminal justice.
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies
Students are encouraged to take introductory courses in at least two of the following six disciplines based on their academic interests prior to entering the degree program: economics, history, international relations, political science, psychology, sociology.
Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated. On-line course descriptions are available.
Change of Major Applicants
Undeclared majors and students enrolled in other disciplines at SF State who seek to change their major to criminal justice studies must have junior standing, have completed a minimum of 52 units with a grade of C- or better, have taken ENG 214 (or equivalent), and one GE Segment I critical thinking course with a grade of C or better before applying for a change of major.
Writing Competence
Criminal justice majors who complete either C J 323 GW with a grade of C or better in fall 2010 or later, or C J 330 GW in spring 2011 or later, will have satisfied the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
Foundation Courses (7-8 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| C J 300 | Criminal Justice: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective (4) |
| C J 323 GW or C J 330 GW |
Ethics in Criminal Justice Research Methods in Criminal Justice (4) |
Distribution Requirements (24 - 32 units)
Select two courses from each of the four categories (I-IV) below.
I. Administration of Justice (6-8 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| C J 340 | Comparative Criminal Justice (4) |
| C J 400 | Police and Public Policy |
| C J 451 | The Architecture of Incarceration |
| C J 460 | Community Corrections and Sentencing |
| C J 475 | Intervention Policies in Juvenile Justice |
| C J 480 | California Corrections System |
| C J 525 | Global Restorative Justice and Corrections |
| C J 530 | Geographies of Social Control and Urban Diversity |
| C J 550 | School Violence and Discipline |
| PLSI 551 | Judicial Process (4) |
| PSY 475 | Psychology of Policing |
| SOC 455 | Punishment and Social Control |
II. Crime and Delinquency (6-8 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| COMM 445 | Rhetoric of Terrorism (4) |
| COMM 449 | Rhetoric of Criminality and Punishment (4) |
| C J 401 | Criminal Profiling |
| C J 405 | Organized Crime |
| C J 435/ LTNS 430 |
Race, Crime and Justice |
| C J 452/ SOC 451 |
Criminological Theory (4) |
| C J 461/ I R 361 |
Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4) |
| C J 470/ SOC 452 |
Juvenile Justice (4) |
| C J 485/ LTNS 485 |
Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice |
| C J 515 | Extremism as Crime |
| C J 520 | The Construction of Crime and Justice |
| C J 600 | Youth Gangs in Community Context |
| ECON 515 | Economics of Crime and Justice |
| SOC 362 | Social Construction of Deviance and Conformity (4) |
III. Legal Studies (6-8 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| AFRS 375 | Law and the Black Community |
| AFRS 376 | Government, the Constitution, and Black Citizens |
| COMM 461 | Issues in Free Speech (4) |
| COUN 630 | Legal Center Training I |
| C J 335 | Legal Writing and Research (4) |
| C J 501 | Criminal Law |
| C J 502 | Criminal Procedure |
| C J 505/ I R 332 |
International Criminal Law (4) |
| ECON 516 | Law and Economics |
| GPS 375/ PHIL 375 |
Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S. |
| HIST 470 | U.S. Constitution to 1877 |
| HIST 471 | U.S. Constitution Since 1877 |
| LABR 650 | Labor Law: An Introduction and Overview |
| PHIL 335 | Law and Society |
| PHIL 380 | Philosophy of Law |
| PLSI 457/ SOC 457 |
Sociology of Law (4) |
| PLSI 552 | Individual Rights and the Constitution (4) |
| PSY 472 | Introduction to Legal Psychology |
| SOC 459 | Criminal Law and Social Process (4) |
IV. Working with Diverse Communities (6-8 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| AA S 595 | Asian American Communities and Public Policy |
| AIS 460 | Power and Politics in American Indian History |
| COMM 503 | Gender and Communication (4) |
| COMM 525 | Sexual Identity and Communication (4) |
| COMM 531 | Conflict Resolution (4) |
| COMM 541 | Intercultural Communication (4) |
| COMM 542 | Intracultural Communication (4) |
| COMM 543 | Dialogues Across Differences (4) |
| RRS 330/ SOC 330 |
Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.: Class, Gender, and Nation |
| ETHS 466/ PLSI 466 |
Race and American Democracy (4) |
| RRS 571 | Women, Class, and Race |
| RRS 670/ HIST 462 |
Making Whites: Race-making in America |
| HIST 465 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present |
| SXS 455/ S S 455 |
Sex, Power and Politics |
| SXS 569/ PHIL 455 |
Sex and the Law |
| PLSI 512/ USP 512 |
Urban Politics and Community Power |
| PSY 547 | Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution |
| LTNS 415 | Economic Progress of Latinos in the US |
| LTNS 470 | Latina/o Immigration to the U.S. |
| WGS 554 | Immigration and Refugee Women |
| WGS 570 | Issues in Women and Public Policy |
Culminating Experience (4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| C J 680 | Field Course in Criminal Justice (4) |
Total units in Major: 35-44
Note: A minimum of 40 upper division units must be completed for the degree (including upper division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper division units required for graduation. In this case additional upper division courses will be needed to reach the required total.
Note: A total of 30 units in the major must be in upper division courses. Up to a total of six transfer units in the following Criminal Justice courses completed at a community college may be counted toward meeting distribution requirements for the major:
- Introduction to Criminal Justice in the “Administration of Justice“ category and/or
- Concepts of Criminal Law in the “Legal Studies” category. For applicable courses, go to the ASSIST website: http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html.
Minor in Criminal Justice Studies
Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated. On-line course descriptions are available.
Foundation Courses (4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| C J 300 | Criminal Justice: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective (4) |
Distribution Requirements (12-16 units)
Select one course from each of the four categories (I-IV) below.
I. Administration of Justice (3-4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| C J 340 | Comparative Criminal Justice |
| C J 400 | Police and Public Policy |
| C J 450 | Jails and Prisons |
| C J 451 | The Architecture of Incarceration |
| C J 460 | Community Corrections and Sentencing |
| C J 475 | Intervention Policies in Juvenile Justice |
| C J 480 | California Corrections System |
| C J 525 | Global Restorative Justice and Corrections |
| C J 530 | Geographies of Social Control and Urban Diversity |
| C J 550 | School Violence and Discipline |
| PLSI 551 | Judicial Process (4) |
| PSY 475 | Psychology of Policing |
| SOC 455 | Punishment and Social Control |
II. Crime and Delinquency (3-4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| COMM 445 | Rhetoric of Terrorism (4) |
| COMM 449 | Rhetoric of Criminality and Punishment (4) |
| C J 401 | Criminal Profiling |
| C J 405 | Organized Crime |
| C J 435/ LTNS 430 |
Race, Crime and Justice |
| C J 452/ SOC 451 |
Criminological Theory (4) |
| C J 461/ IR 361 |
Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4) |
| C J 470/ SOC 452 |
Juvenile Justice (4) |
| C J 485/ LTNS 485 |
Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice |
| C J 515 | Extremism as Crime |
| C J 520 | The Construction of Crime and Justice |
| C J 600 | Youth Gangs in Community Context |
| ECON 515 | Economics of Crime and Justice |
| SOC 362 | Social Construction of Deviance and Conformity (4) |
III. Legal Studies (3-4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| AFRS 375 | Law and the Black Community |
| AFRS 376 | Government, the Constitution, and Black Citizens |
| COMM 461 | Issues in Free Speech (4) | COUN 630 | Legal Center Training I |
| C J 335 | Legal Writing and Research (4) |
| C J 501 | Criminal Law |
| C J 502 | Criminal Procedure |
| C J 505/ I R 332 |
International Criminal Law (4) |
| ECON 516 | Law and Economics |
| GPS 375/ PHIL 375 |
Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S. |
| HIST 470 | U.S. Constitution to 1877 |
| HIST 471 | U.S. Constitution Since 1877 |
| LABR 650 | Labor Law: An Introduction and Overview |
| PHIL 335 | Law and Society |
| PHIL 380 | Philosophy of Law |
| PLSI 457/ SOC 457 |
Sociology of Law (4) |
| PLSI 552 | Individual Rights and the Constitution (4) |
| PLSI 561 | Jurisprudence (4) |
| PSY 472 | Introduction to Legal Psychology |
| SOC 459 | Criminal Law and Social Process (4) |
IV. Working with Diverse Communities (3-4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| AA S 595 | Asian American Communities and Public Policy |
| AIS 460 | Power and Politics in American Indian History |
| COMM 503 | Gender and Communication (4) |
| COMM 525 | Sexual Identity and Communication (4) |
| COMM 531 | Conflict Resolution (4) |
| COMM 541 | Intercultural Communication (4) |
| COMM 542 | Intracultural Communication (4) |
| COMM 543 | Dialogues Across Differences (4) |
| RRS 330/ SOC 330 |
Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.: Class, Gender, and Nation |
| ETHS 466/ PLSI 466 |
Race and American Democracy (4) |
| RRS 571 | Women, Class, and Race |
| RRS 670/ HIST 462 |
Making Whites: Race-making in America |
| HIST 465 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present |
| SXS 455/ S S 455 |
Sex, Power and Politics |
| SXS 569/ PHIL 455 |
Sex and the Law |
| PLSI 512 GW/ USP 512 GW |
Urban Politics and Community Power - GWAR (4) |
| PSY 547 | Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution |
| LTNS 415 | Economic Progress of Latinos in the US |
| LTNS 470 | Latina/o Immigration to the U.S. |
| WGS 554 | Immigration and Refugee Women |
| WGS 570 | Issues in Women and Public Policy |
Total Units in Minor: 16-20
Note: A total of 13 units must be upper division courses. Up to a total of 3 transfer units in Introduction to Criminal Justice or Concepts of Criminal Law completed at a California community college may be counted towards meeting requirements for the minor. For applicable courses, go to the ASSIST website: http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html .
