PSCI-500/CRMJ-500—Seminar in Social Science
Three Credit Hours
An interdisciplinary introduction to the social sciences with an emphasis on the perspectives and patterns of inquiry of several subfields. This course surveys the empirical and theoretical contributions of different social science disciplines in order to provide a fundamental understanding of the dynamics of individual and group behavior. Topics include ethics, social science methodology, and the key criticisms of these methods.
PSCI-501/CRMJ-501—Research Methods in Social Science
Three Credit Hours
An examination of methods in the scientific study of social phenomena with emphasis given to the systematic study of society and contemporary research problem in the social sciences, including research design, data collection, data analysis, and computer applications.
PSCI-502—The American Federal System
Three Credit Hours
This course will examine the origins of and the relationships between the national government and the state and local
governments. Topics covered will include the nature of the federal system and overviews of the functions and powers of the national and state and local governments. Particular attention will be given to an evaluation of the policy-making process through a study of one or more policy areas such as urban policy, welfare policy, and environmental policy.
PSCI-503—The Politics of American Democracy: Political Be- havior, Interest Groups, and Political Parties
Three Credit Hours
This course will examine the political process in the United States, including an analysis of public opinion, the mass media, political parties, interest groups, voting behavior, and elections. It will incorporate an introduction to the basic methods of data analysis in order to allow students to read and understand social science literature.
PSCI-505—Instructional Approaches to Social Sciences
Three Credit Hours
This course is designed to provide an overview of the social sciences, to show how they differ from the humanities and the natural sciences, to review how the scientific approach and the scientific method may be applied to the study of social sciences, and to introduce students to a variety of pedagogical techniques; special emphasis will be given to the use of technology in the teaching of the social sciences and will include instruction on the use of the internet, on the gathering and analysis of social science data, and the utilization of simulations in the classroom.
PSCI-506—Legislative Process
Three Credit Hours
A study of the organizations and procedures of a legislative body with attention on its role in policy formation and its relationships with other parts of a political and governmental system.
PSCI-507—American Presidency
Three Credit Hours
A study of the modern presidency with attention to its origin and its historical and constitutional development. Emphasis is placed on the examination of the various roles and functions of the President and on an analysis of presidents in action.
PSCI-509—Urban Politics
Three Credit Hours
A survey of urban areas and their development with emphasis on the politics of U.S. urban and suburban areas. Topics explored through lectures, seminars and student-led discussions of the professional literature include types of urban governance; urban demographics; suburbanization and gentrification; “urban sprawl”; the development of professionalized city planning; public administration and finance; pluralist competition in city regimes; race and politics; economic development; issues of federalism; and city-county consolidation and state-city relations.
PSCI-510—Topics in Political Science
Three Credit Hours
Selected topics that fit the needs of students as well as the specialized knowledge of the faculty. Topics could range from stability and change in the American political system to the best way to attain security in a nuclear-armed world.
PSCI-521—Advanced Placement: American Government
Three Credit Hours
This course reviews and examines the materials, methods, and approaches utilized in organizing and teaching the high school advanced placement course on American Government. Successful completion of the course satisfies the state requirement for certification to teach the advanced placement American Government Course.
PSCI-561—Law and Legal Process
Three Credit Hours
A general survey of the American legal process (except for the criminal justice process) with emphasis on the nature and function of law, the organization of legal institutions (primarily the state and federal judiciaries), an introduction to civil law and the civil justice process, the roles of judges and lawyers, the judicial decision- making process, and the impact of court decisions.
PSCI-570—The Civil Rights Movement
Three Credit Hours
An examination of the Civil Rights Movement from World War II to the present with extended attention given to the critical period from 1954 to 1965; the course will consider the impact of this “civil rights decade” on American politics and political behavior during the last third of the 20th century. Key events, organizations, and personalities will be examined, and continuing issues (such as affirmative action, majority-minority legislative districting, and racial typing) will be discussed. Secondary analyses will be supplemented by the use of videotapes, first-hand accounts, and primary documents to enhance students’ understanding of the movement and its effects.
CRMJ-564— Juvenile Justice
Three Credit Hours
A study of juvenile delinquency and the operation of the American juvenile justice system. The course explores classical and contemporary theories of juvenile delinquency and status offending, as well as the effects of family, peers, school, gang affiliation, and drug usage on youthful offenders. In examining the juvenile justice system, the course investigates the historical development and individual operating components. (e.g., police, courts, and corrections) of the system. Consideration is given current and future issues involving youth and delinquency such as curfew, boot camp, youth violence, drug usage, and court waiver.
CRMJ-565 Corrections
Three Credit Hours
An overview of the American correctional system including prisons, jails, probation and parole. In addition to the historical development of punishment and corrections, the course explores issues involving the effectiveness of formal punishment, deterrence effects, punishment types, and the death penalty. Discussions also include prison inmate culture, prison gangs, prison life, inmate civil rights and litigation, problems and dilemmas of early release, probation, parole, and recidivism. Future trends and prospects for an increasing prison and parole population are discussed.
CRMJ-566— Ethics in Criminal Justice
Three Credit Hours
A study of the role of justice, ethics, and ethical behavior in the criminal justice process and practice. The course examines ethical issues regarding the applications of law enforcement, law, courts, and corrections in the justice mechanism. Consideration is given to the function of ethical conduct in the rule of law, use of authority, and exercises of governmental power in criminal justice. Ethical dilemmas and practical applications are explored.
SOCI-501—Social Determinants of Modern Life
Three Credit Hours
This course explores some of the major determinants of group life such as social structure, socialization, stratification, the major social institutions, and social change. In addition, attention will center upon population dynamics and migration and the effects which they exert upon community life.
ANTH-501—Physical and Cultural Adaptations
Three Credit Hours
This course examines how humans have adapted to their unique environments through cultural alterations and physical changes to the body by looking at pre-1492 Native American peoples. The development of human cultures are examined beginning with the origins of the First Americans and tracing their migrations to the various environments of North, Central, and South America for a more in-depth look at the range of variability among living peoples. The growth and development of human cultures are examined from the movement of pre-1492 Native Americans as bands and progressing through tribes to more advanced urban societies.
PSCI-592—Political Theory
Three Credit Hours
Major theoretical writing from the ancient Greeks to the present day with emphasis on a comparison of ideas and on the relationships between theories and contemporary problems.
PSCI-662—Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties
Three Credit Hours
A study of the underlying and basic principles of the Constitution as reflected in the leading decisions of the United States Supreme Court with special attention directed to the Bill of Rights and the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.
CRMJ-510— Topics in Criminal Justice
Three Credit Hours
Selected special topics or problems in the general area of criminal justice to fit the needs of students as well as the specialized knowledge of the faculty.
CRMJ-560— Criminal Justice Agency Administration
Three Credit Hours
Seminar on the nature of criminal justice organizations, criminal justice personnel, and group behavior in criminal justice organizations. Organizational and management theories are analyzed and applied to contemporary structure. Innovative strategies are discussed, as is policy development consistent with jurisdictional variables.
CRMJ-561— Drugs and Crime
Three Credit Hours
This course of study explores and analyzes issues involving drugs and crime. Drug types, drug offenders, drug trafficking/global smuggling, money/laundering, law enforcement/interdiction, governmental response, domestic and international drug policy, drug-crime correlation, drug testing, and the drug relationship to other social problems are examined. Future trends and current dilemmas are investigated regarding the effectiveness of law enforcement, the “war on drugs”, and drug usage.
CRMJ-562— Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
Three Credit Hours
An examination of the ideology, structure, and justice processes of various criminal justice systems in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America This comparative study involves the analysis of diverse social control, legal, police, court, correction, and juvenile systems from representative justice approaches around the world. Variations among countries in crime and deviance phenomena, as well as, comparative normative values, practices, and ethics of justice system practitioners are explored. Contemporary dilemmas and issues involving crime and criminal justice practices among divergent justice schemes are discussed.
CRMJ-563— Criminal Evidence
Three Credit Hours
A graduate level discussion of types of evidence, collection of evidence, the chain of custody, and procedures relating to its introduction into judicial proceedings. Special attention is given to Fourth Amendment constitutional issues and the changing nature of the judicial order.