COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
JUSTICE POLICY
(CRJ)

5023 History of Justice Policy Development
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
History and development of crime control policy in America. Sources of policy initiatives (e.g., economics, law, social conditions, political environment); criminal justice policy process; dynamics of policy formation; implementation and evaluation. Case studies and simulations in externalities.

5113 Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CRJ 3013 or equivalent.
Advanced practice with research design, quantitative techniques, and statistical software used in policy research. Familiarizes students with conventions for statistical report writing and data presentation.

5123 Justice Policy Formation and Implementation
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Detailed study of policy formation and implementation process, stakeholder networks; agenda setting; policy crafting; constituency building; consideration of alternatives; political decision making and resolution; short-term and long-term implementation issues; role of evaluation and evaluators.

5133 Management of Justice Organizations
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Management theory; organizational dynamics; leadership and administration research related to public and private justice organizations; case studies and simulations of common administrative problems; operational policies; implementation and evaluation.

5323 Program Evaluation: What Works, What Doesn’t
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CRJ 5113 or its equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to methods for assessing whether policy relevant justice programs work as envisioned; different evaluation methods will be explored including process, output, outcome, and cost-benefit analysis; evaluation considerations in development of policy; and common problems associated with evaluation research.

6003 Decision Analysis in Criminal Justice Settings
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Surveys decision-analysis concepts and tools for application to policy problems in criminal justice involving risk, uncertainty, and conflicting objectives. Considers both qualitative and quantitative decision-making models. Introduction to decision-analysis software.

6103 Seminar on Topics in Theory of Crime and Justice
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Consideration of selected topics related to the theory of crime and justice. Explores particular theories or perspectives of crime and its implications for justice policy. Topics may focus on traditional or emerging theories of crime and justice. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6113 Advanced Research Applications
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CRJ 5113 or its equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Survey of multivariate statistical techniques. Advanced practice conducting quantitative analyses using criminal history, offender tracking, and other justice policy information systems. Introduction to problems of data manipulation and interpretation using common agency databases.

6123 Seminar on Topics in Research Methods
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: CRJ 5113 or its equivalent.
Study of qualitative or quantitative methods not addressed as part of the regular course offerings. Topics may include systems analysis in criminal justice, interrupted time-series analysis, and qualitative methods in criminal justice research. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6203 Seminar on Topics in Corrections Policy
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Consideration of selected topics in the field of corrections. Topics may include offender classification, case management, pretrial supervision, management of confinement facilities, juvenile justice, special needs populations, comparative corrections and criminal sanctions on individuals or corporations. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6223 Ethics and the Practice of Social Control
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Survey of the major schools of ethics theory; sources of the ethical and philosophical foundations for justice, social control, and criminal justice functions; common ethical quandaries confronting formal agencies of social control; the role of law, facts, and values in ethical use of formal social control. Externalities related to operational, administrative, and political decision making.

6303 Seminar on Topics in Policing and Crime Control
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Consideration of selected topics related to police and private sector crime control practices. Topics may include the roles, responsibilities and limitations of public and private enforcement; surveillance, use of force, minority relations, extralegal practices, labor relations, security operations, terrorism, and national security. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6363 Paradigms of Justice Policy
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: CRJ 5113 or its equivalent, and 9 additional hours in the program.
Examination of the major paradigms of justice policy from early deistic and philosophical perspectives to modern and postmodern perspectives of social justice; and exploration of policy implications of these perspectives.

6403 Seminar on Topics in Law, Society and Justice Policy
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Consideration of selected topics related to law and society issues. Topics may include decision-making by groups or individuals, criminal law and courts, international law, sentencing reforms, and history of law. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

6503 Applied Policy Research
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Organized applied policy research by a group of students under faculty direction. Research conducted within justice agencies on policy or program evaluation. Involves out-of-class data collection and analysis. Reports are produced for participating agencies.

6951,3 Independent Study
1 or 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission in writing (form available) of the instructor and the student’s Graduate Advisor of Record.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not usually available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours will apply to the Master’s degree.

6961 Comprehensive Examination
1 hour credit. Prerequisite: Approval of the Graduate Program Committee to take the Comprehensive Examination.
Independent study course for the purpose of taking the Comprehensive Examination. May be repeated as many times as approved by the Graduate Program Committee. Enrollment is required each term in which the Comprehensive Examination is taken if no other courses are being taken that term. The grade report for the course is either "CR" (satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination) or "NC" (unsatisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination).

6983,6 Justice Policy Research Project
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Permission of the Graduate Advisor of Record and Justice Policy Research Project Advisor.
A policy research project of thesis quality involving interaction with one or more justice agencies, conducted by the student under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but no more than 6 hours may be applied to the Master’s degree. Credit will be awarded upon submission and acceptance of the formal research report.

6993,6 Master's Thesis
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Permission of the Graduate Advisor of Record and thesis advisor.
Thesis research and preparation. May be repeated for credit but no more than 6 hours will apply to the Master’s degree. Credit will be awarded upon completion of the thesis. Enrollment is required each term in which the thesis is in progress.