Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry focused on the resolution of conflict within society. Criminal Justice studies the phenomenon of social control in organized societies with the rule of law as the primary social control mechanism. Such rules function within various cultures and value systems creating the need to constantly identify and analyze deviance, enforcement and punishment methods. Rather than train individuals for a particular occupation through sole instruction in specific vocational skills, the program offers a broad liberal arts education which focuses on the cultivation of analytical and creative thought, and the ability to communicate effectively in a 21st century workplace and social environment.
The Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and concentrations in the Bachelor of General Studies and Master of Liberal Studies degree programs in the broader Criminal Justice program, offers curriculum and experience designed to prepare students for careers in criminal justice agencies and allied fields. Additionally, the program is comparable with law school admissions and as a precursor to entrance into quality social science graduate.
Criminal Justice Faculty Listing
Academic Programs
Corrections Certificate Criminal Justice - BA Criminal Justice - BS in CJ Criminal Justice Minor Justice Networking Certificate Law and the Courts Certificate Law Enforcement Certificate Victim Advocacy CertificateCourses
This is a variable topics course meant to facilitate the delivery of course credit attached to training programs and other continuing education sessions deemed to be of sufficient academic rigor as to justify the offering of academic credit.
A survey of the process for managing and controlling crime and criminal offenders across the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
This course is designed to receive non-equivalent elective transfer credit.
A survey of the causes and effects of criminality and of the means taken to cope with criminal behavior. Emphasis on the social context of crime, with special attention given to economic and political factors.
This course expands students' basic writing skills while developing the skills needed to write effective reports across the criminal justice system. Emphasis will be placed on technical report writing in all three major areas of criminal justice, including law enforcement, corrections and courts, as well as on scientific writing in the discipline.
This course engages students in a critical examination of ethical issues arising in the criminal justice system in areas such as policing, corrections and the courts.
This course is designed to enhance student understanding of issues related to crime and responses to crime occurring in the digital/online domain and law enforcement response to such crimes.
This course examines and analyzes organized crime and efforts to control it. Attention is paid to criminal organizations, including but not limited to, government agencies, corporations, and corrupt individuals.
An analysis of administrative theory and practice as it relates to justice agencies. Emphasis will be placed on organization and function. Law enforcement, corrections, and the courts will be viewed both from a systems approach, as well as individual components of the larger justice system.
This course examines the operation of contemporary criminal justice systems under various cultural contexts. Of particular concern will be social, economic, political, and ideological forces which have impacted the various justice systems in place in the world today. Potential areas of conflict and cooperation between and among systems will be examined.
This course examines security planning. Specifically, students will evaluate differences between proactive versus reactive security measures, as well as differences between the public versus private sectors for controlling crime.
This course provides an enhanced understanding of a career in law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, including an examination of the art of police work and the difficulties and problems officers face as they go about their complex duties. Further evaluation includes the discussion of management, police-community relations, contemporary problems and an examination of the history and the future of law enforcement.
This course examines and analyzes how law enforcement responds to crime. Specifically, consideration is given to procedural justice and Community-Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving (COPPS).
A survey of approaches, theoretical and applied, for understanding delinquency and processes of the juvenile justice stystem. Practical components include the examination of law enforcement, courts, and correctional approaches to managing juveniles.
This course explores the intersection between crime and symbolism that results from understanding culture, critical criminological theories, the media, popular culture, social class and social control.
Provides an examination of criminal law in the U.S. Specifically, students will evaluate differences between Constitutional law and substantive versus procedural law. Students will explore types of offenses, concepts of criminal responsiblility and criminal defense.
This course examines and analyzes issues related to civil liability as it pertains to agencies across the criminal justice system.
This course examines the social construction of race/ethnicity, gender and social class in crime and crime control, with a special focus on issues of inequality within the United States.
This course provides students an introduction to the treatment of criminal offenders in the U.S., including sentencing structures, jails, community corrections, probation/parole, prisions, and the duties of correctional personnel.
This course provides a rewview of probation, parole, and community corrections. Specifically, students will evaluate approaches for managing offenders in the community.
The course explores issues related to drug and alcohol use. Specifically, students will evaluate the impact that drugs have on society, criminalization, decriminalization, and legalization of drugs, and the criminal justice responses to drug use.
This course explores elements and advanced features of criminal investigation, including duties and responsibilities of investigators throughout the process of an investigation.
Social justice: action and policy examines public policy decisions from the perspective of social and economic justice. Historical and contemporary implications relative to justice will be analyzed.
This course explores issues related to women as offenders, victims and professionals working in the criminal justice system.
This course explores the intersection of the criminal justice system and victim services. This course integrates research, theory, and application into working with and understanding the needs of survivors.
The course explores the historical and theoretical foundations of terrorism as defined by various types and motivations associated with such criminal acts and behaviors.
This course explores the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems in the U.S. including the significance of mental health reform for shifting persons with mental illness from psychiatric to correctional facilities.
The course explores the field of behavioral evidence analysis, referred to as criminal profiling, as it applies to understanding repeat and violent offenders.
This course is a study of the impact specific programs and policies have on the criminal justice system in the United States. It includes identifying effective ways to enact planned change through program creation, monitoring, assessment, examination of current issues and approaches to policy within the criminal justice system, analyzing current and empirical criminological evidence on these topics, and identifying and developing appropriate responses to specific concerns within the criminal justice system.
This course provides knowldege related to various aspects of criminal justice, related to a topic not normally covered in the regular major curriculum.
The course examines the historical, theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects and applications of the victim's role in the justice system and the demand for victim advocacy.
The course will explore the patterns and behaviors of sexual deviancy and the investigative practices, issues of victimology, and victimassistance procedures relative to sex crimes.
Students will learn problem-solving approaches for analyzing crime by criminal justice agencies to reduce crime rates and increase community safety.
This course is designed to receive non-equivalent elective transfer credit.
This course examines and evaluates research across the criminal justice system. Students evaluate various methods and approaches for conducting criminal justice research.
This course engages students in discussion and research related to the major curriculum and related course work. The course integrates and critically analyzes the student's previous learning experiences through research, evaluation, and presentation of critical justice related issues.
This experience involves a minimum of 150 contact hours in a position that affords the student the opportunity to learn practical applications in a law enforcement, correctional, or court services type of setting.
This experience involves a minimum of 150 contact hours in a position that affords the student the opportunity to learn practical applications in a law enforcement, correctional, or court services type of setting.
This course examines the intersection of criminal justice and mental health, evaluating issues that arise for law enforcement, courts, and correctional administrators to develop and incorporate policy to effectively manage offenders with mental illness.
This course examines the intersection of criminal justice and mental health, evaluating issues that arise for law enforcement, courts, and correctional administrators to develop and incorporate policy to effectively manage offenders with mental illness.
This course examines how issues of crime and justice are represented, distorted, and/or filtered by news, entertainment, and social media. The course also examines how criminal justice administrators can use media to their advantage for positively promoting their agency and for solving crime.
This course examines how issues of crime and justice are represented, distorted, and/or filtered by news, entertainment, and social media. The course also examines how criminal justice administrators can use media to their advantage for positively promoting their agency and for solving crime.
This course examines the evolution of the American correctional system, including explanations, theories, policies, and practices. Issues facing correctional managers will be explored, including administrative processes for managing these issues.
This course examines the evolution of the American correctional system, including explanations, theories, policies, and practices. Issues facing correctional managers will be explored, including administrative processes for managing these issues.
This course examines theories of policing underlying law enforcement response to community issues as well as the empirical literature assessing the effectiveness of each response for controlling crime and disorder and improving public perceptions of the police.
This course examines theories of policing underlying law enforcement response to community issues as well as the empirical literature assessing the effectiveness of each response for controlling crime and disorder and improving public perceptions of the police.
The study of contemporary examples of corporate and white collar criminal activity. This includes the study of both popular and factual accounts on record and in the media. The student will examine explanations, theories, and accounts along with corporate crime's investigation, adjudication, and regulation.
The study of contemporary examples of corporate and white collar criminal activity. This includes the study of both popular and factual accounts on record and in the media. The student will examine explanations, theories, and accounts along with corporate crime's investigation, adjudication, and regulation.
Reading and/or research programs to fit the individual needs of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences. Topics are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.
Reading and/or research programs to fit the individual needs of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences. Topics are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.
Topics designed for upper-division and graduate students to reflect advanced study in a justice studies core area, or to examine, in an advance setting, an issue or topic of relevance to justice studies and its tangent fields.
Topics designed for upper-division and graduate students to reflect advanced study in a justice studies core area, or to examine, in an advance setting, an issue or topic of relevance to justice studies and its tangent fields.
This course will explore the theories, types and explanations for violence in contemporary society. A sociological perspective will be used to analyze and discuss both criminal and noncriminal forms of violence present in society.
This course will explore the theories, types and explanations for violence in contemporary society. A sociological perspective will be used to analyze and discuss both criminal and noncriminal forms of violence present in society.
This seminar provides for the analysis, evaluation, and summation of issues relevant to the fundamental operation of criminal justice organizational entities. The police, corrections, and courts will be viewed from a systems perspective, as part of an integrated whole.
This seminar provides for the exploration of contemporary theories of human behavior of both a criminal and deviant nature. Behavioral explanations will be examined from both a positivist and classical framework. Significant attention will be paid to theoretical integration of topics and issues from several disciplines. This interdisciplinary orientation makes the course ideal for the master of liberal studies student.
Study of quantitative research methodology in justice studies. Emphasizing experimental and quasi-experimental design, this course focuses on desiging the experiment, collecting the data and interpreting the results.
Study of quantitative research methodology in justice studies. Emphasizing experimental and quasi-experimental design, this course focuses on desiging the experiment, collecting the data and interpreting the results.
This course is an advanced study of the organization, management, and administration of criminal justice agencies. Topics include police administration in the political arena, organizational theory, police organizational structure, leadership, organizational communication, decision-making, performance evaluation, and organizational improvement.
This course is an advanced study of the organization, management, and administration of criminal justice agencies. Topics include police administration in the political arena, organizational theory, police organizational structure, leadership, organizational communication, decision-making, performance evaluation, and organizational improvement.
Intended to provide the student with a more broad-based experience than other subject specific offerings. This course will allow the student to analyze and discuss materials relevant to ethical dilemmas of contemporary importance in the criminal justice system, and the more broadly defined field of social justice. This course will be handled as a discussion intensive format type of offering.
Intended to provide the student with a more broad-based experience than other subject specific offerings. This course will allow the student to analyze and discuss materials relevant to ethical dilemmas of contemporary importance in the criminal justice system, and the more broadly defined field of social justice. This course will be handled as a discussion intensive format type of offering.
An advanced level project that can take the form of a research design, major paper, policy analysis, or other approved project requiring a great amount of self-directed work at a level commensurate with upper-division and/or graduate credit.
An advanced level project that can take the form of a research design, major paper, policy analysis, or other approved project requiring a great amount of self-directed work at a level commensurate with upper-division and/or graduate credit.
Fort Hays State University
600 Park Street
Hays, KS 67601-4099
785-628-FHSU (3478)