Criminal Justice Studies
College of Health and Social Sciences
Interim Dean: Alvin Alvarez
School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement
Director: Elizabeth Brown
Criminal Justice Studies Program
HSS 210
Phone: 415-405-4129
Website: http://cj.sfsu.edu
Faculty:
Associate Professors: Brown, Snipes
Assistant Professor: Gerould
Lecturers: Carroll, Chappell, Dudley, Juno, Koehler, Macallair, Santos, Vencill, Viola, Walsh, Woods
Associated Faculty: Clavier, Fischer, 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.
Complementary Studies
Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least twelve units of complementary studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)
Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the complementary studies requirement. Additional ways to complete complementary studies for students in the Criminal Justice major is to meet with an advisor to identify twelve units of courses complementary to the major. With advisor approval, up to twelve of these units may be used to satisfy units in the major. Consult with your major advisor for assistance.
Transfer students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill Complementary Studies requirements for their major only if these courses are included in the minimum units required for the major. Students should consult with a major advisor.
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.
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 Area A3 Critical Thinking course (formerly Segment I critical thinking) 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).
Criminal Justice Studies (B.A.) — 35 - 44 units
Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.
Foundation Courses (7 - 8 units)
- C J 300 Criminal Justice: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective (4)
-
C J 323 GW Ethics in Criminal Justice - GWAR
or
C J 330 GW Research Methods in Criminal Justice - GWAR (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)
- C J 340 Comparative Criminal Justice (4)
- 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
- PLSI 551 Judicial Process (4)
- PSY 475 Psychology of Policing
- SOC 455 Punishment and Social Control
II. Crime and Delinquency (6 - 8 units)
- 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 515 Extremism as Crime
- C J 520 Construction of Crime and Justice
- C J 550 School Violence and Discipline
- C J 600 Youth Gangs in Community Context
- ECON 515 Economics of Crime and Justice
- I R 361/ Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4)
- C J 461 Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4)
- LTNS 430/ Race, Crime and Justice
- C J 435 Race, Crime and Justice
- LTNS 485/ Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice
- C J 485 Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice
- SOC 362 The Social Construction of Deviance and Conformity (4)
- SOC 451/ Criminological Theory (4)
- C J 452 Criminological Theory (4)
- SOC 452/ Juvenile Justice (4)
- C J 470 Juvenile Justice (4)
III. Legal Studies (6 - 8 units)
- 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/ International Criminal Law (4)
- I R 332 International Criminal Law (4)
- ECON 516 Law and Economics
- GPS 375/ Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S.
- PHIL 375 Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S.
- HIST 470 The 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 552 Individual Rights and the Constitution (4)
- PSY 472 Introduction to Legal Psychology
- SOC 457 Sociology of Law (4)
IV. Working with Diverse Communities (6 - 8 units)
- 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)
- HIST 462/ Making Whites: Race-making in America
- RRS 670 Making Whites: Race-making in America
- HIST 465 American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present
- LTNS 415 Economic Progress of Latinos in the U.S.
- LTNS 470 Latina/o Immigration to the U.S.
- PHIL 455/ Sex and the Law
- SXS 569 Sex and the Law
- PLSI 466/ Race and American Democracy (4)
- ETHS 466 Race and American Democracy (4)
- PLSI 512/ Urban Politics and Community Power (4)
- USP 512 Urban Politics and Community Power (4)
- PSY 547 Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution
- RRS 330/ Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.:
- SOC 330 Class, Gender, and Nation
- RRS 571 Women, Class, and Race
- SXS 455 Sex, Power and Politics
- WGS 554 Gender and Global Migration
- WGS 570 Women, Gender, Policy, and Justice
Culminating Experience (4 units)
- C J 680 Field Course in Criminal Justice (4)
Total units for the degree: *120
*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
Criminal Justice Studies, Minor — 16 - 20 units
Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.
Foundation Course (4 units)
- 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)
- C J 340 Comparative Criminal Justice (4)
- 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
- PLSI 551 Judicial Process (4)
- PSY 475 Psychology of Policing
- SOC 455 Punishment and Social Control
II. Crime and Delinquency (3 - 4 units)
- 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/ Race, Crime and Justice
- LTNS 430 Race, Crime and Justice
- C J 452/ Criminological Theory (4)
- SOC 451 Criminological Theory (4)
- C J 461/ Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4)
- I R 361 Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare (4)
- C J 470/ Juvenile Justice (4)
- SOC 452 Juvenile Justice (4)
- C J 485/ Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice
- LTNS 485 Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice
- C J 515 Extremism as Crime
- C J 520 Construction of Crime and Justice
- C J 550 School Violence and Discipline
- C J 600 Youth Gangs in Community Context
- ECON 515 Economics of Crime and Justice
- SOC 362 The Social Construction of Deviance and Conformity (4)
III. Legal Studies (3 - 4 units)
- 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/ International Criminal Law (4)
- I R 332 International Criminal Law (4)
- ECON 516 Law and Economics
- GPS 375/ Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S.
- PHIL 375 Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S.
- HIST 470 The 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 552 Individual Rights and the Constitution (4)
- PSY 472 Introduction to Legal Psychology
- SOC 457 Sociology of Law (4)
IV. Working with Diverse Communities (3 - 4 units)
- 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)
- HIST 462/ Making Whites: Race-making in America
- RRS 670 Making Whites: Race-making in America
- HIST 465 American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present
- LTNS 415 Economic Progress of Latinos in the U.S.
- LTNS 470 Latina/o Immigration to the U.S.
- PHIL 455/ Sex and the Law
- SXS 569 Sex and the Law
- PLSI 466/ Race and American Democracy (4)
- ETHS 466 Race and American Democracy (4)
- PLSI 512/ Urban Politics and Community Power (4)
- USP 512 Urban Politics and Community Power (4)
- PSY 547 Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution
- RRS 330/ Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.:
- SOC 330 Class, Gender, and Nation
- RRS 571 Women, Class, and Race
- SXS 455 Sex, Power and Politics
- WGS 554 Gender and Global Migration
- WGS 570 Women, Gender, Policy, and Justice
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 .
