Graduate Course Descriptions
CJC 401 – Politics and Policies in the Criminal Justice System (Offered in Fall Semester)
This course examines the interactional processes within and among the criminal justice system's components and their relationships to other social, political, public and private institutions. Current issues and examples are used to discuss and analyze the public policy making process, the role that politics play in justice policy and practice, and the ultimate impact public policy can have on crime and justice system operations.
CJC 402 – Theories of Criminal Behavior (Offered in Spring Semester)
This is a comparative review of dominant contemporary theories and research on the causes of crime and delinquency, including theories based on biological, psychological, and social factors. The course also examines social system theories, social disorganization and strain theories, and ecological characteristics of population distribution across geographic areas. It emphasizes the competing theories that seek to explain the causes of crime, the status of research on these theories, and differences in their implications for crime control.
CJC 403 – Research Methods and Program Evaluation (Offered in Fall Semester)
This course provides students with the substantive knowledge to be critical consumers of research studies and program evaluations. Students learn how to critique the internal, construct, and external validity of program evaluations and data collection efforts that seek to understand criminal behavior or the operation of the criminal justice system. The course provides an in-depth discussion of quasi-experimental and experimental designs, types of program evaluations, and strategies to address impediments to, and stakeholders’ concerns about, field research and evaluations.
CJC 404 – Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation (Offered in Spring Semester)
Students learn the skills and knowledge necessary to be critical consumers of statistical information often present in everyday criminal justice practice. Students learn which statistical tools are appropriate for specific measures and research questions, as well as how to generate and interpret statistical output using a statistical software package.
CJC 408 – Applied Research in Criminal Justice and Criminology (Offered Fall and Spring Semesters) (Prerequisites CJC 401, CJC 402, CJC 403, and CJC 404)
In their final semester of the CJC graduate program, students complete a semester-long research project. This culminating experience is student-initiated and supervised by a member of the graduate faculty. This project encourages advanced students to approach the multifaceted problem of research as a set of interrelated issues ranging from tasks of concept formation and theory construction through research design and data collection to the assessment and analysis of the generated data.
CJC 410 – Advanced Topics in Criminology (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on theories or contemporary issues concerning criminal and victim behavior. Examples of topics include: Drugs and Violence; Gender and Crime; Intimate Partner Violence; Violence; Environmental Crime; Victimization; International Criminology; Recidivism; and Race, Ethnicity, and Crime.
CJC 411 – Advanced Topics in Policing (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in policing. Examples of topics include: Community Policing; Intelligence-Led Policing; Evidence-Based Policing; Police Use of Force; and Police Decision-Making.
CJC 412 – Advanced Topics in Courts (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in courts. Examples of topics include: International Criminal Law; Terrorism Enforcement; Jury Trials; Death Penalty; Public Views of Justice; Media, Culture, and Criminal Law; and Legal Rights of Children.
CJC 413 – Advanced Topics in Corrections (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in corrections. Examples of topics include: Principles of Punishment; Sentencing Policy; Community-Based Corrections; Risk Assessment; Re-Entry; Mass Incarceration; and Juvenile Corrections.
CJC 414 – General Special Topics (Semesters Offered Vary)
Special topic course titles will vary and will cover issues that do not fit within the four advanced topics areas of criminology, policing, courts, and corrections. Topics may include: Crime Mapping; Social Psychology and the Criminal Justice System; and Race, Ethnicity and Crime.
CJC 415 – Mental Health and Crime (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course explores the relationship of mental illness to crime and violence, as well as the policies and programs concerning the treatment of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system. The course focuses on the nature, prevalence and consequences of mental disorder among criminal offenders, the mediating effect of substance use on the relationship between mental illness and violence, the assessment of violence risk in mental health and criminal justice systems, the evolving concept of legal competence, and the institutional and community-based treatments of the mentally ill offender.
CJC 416 – International Criminal Justice (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course is an introduction to the nature and scope of international and transnational crime, the emerging legal framework for its prevention and control, and its impact on the U.S. criminal justice system. Emphasis will be placed on international aspects of the work of different criminal justice agencies, such as formal and informal police cooperation and the use of mutual assistance and extradition agreements, and on the bilateral, regional and international structures created for crime prevention, punishment and control.
CJC 431 – Criminal Victimization (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course critically explores the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer because of illegal criminal activities. The focus of the course is on the nature and extent of victimization, the estimation of risk, theories about the causes of victimization, and the consequences of victimization experiences. In addition, students will also study the emergence of special victims' groups, the implications of a victim-orientated perspective for the administration of justice, and system alternatives such as restitution and restorative justice.
CJC 432 – Firearm Violence (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the extent and nature of firearm violence, existing laws related to the acquisition, ownership and use of firearms, patterns and reasons for firearm ownership and acquisition, the various attempts to control access to firearms, and the effectiveness of such efforts. This course will explore both the criminal justice and public health perspectives and approaches to reducing firearm violence. Each discipline's framework, strategies, and challenges will be examined, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of implementing interdisciplinary approaches in a "real world" setting. The class will emphasize the application of objective and rigorous scientific methods and research to understanding the extent and nature of firearm violence and evaluating interventions within the context of what is oftentimes a politically and emotionally charged debate.
CJC 501 – Thesis Research (Offered Fall and Spring Semesters)
This course is designed specifically for students with a special interest in research or who intend to work toward a doctorate. A thesis committee, comprised of two or three faculty members, will work with the student in the development and completion of the research project.
CJC 502 – Practicum in Criminal Justice (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters) (Prerequisites CJC 401, CJC 402, CJC 403, and CJC 404)
The field practicum enables the student to apply their knowledge (conceptual, theoretical, and methodological) in a practical setting. Placements are typically made with police, prosecution, judicial, probation, corrections and research agencies in and around Chicago. Students are supervised by the practicum coordinator and an agency administrator. Students are expected to work a minimum of 200 hours and write a log of activities as well as a descriptive paper. Because the paper is the major scholarly component of the practicum, it must be analytical in content and correct in all technical details. Questions about the field practicum should be directed to the Graduate Program Director or Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator.
CJC 595 – Thesis Supervision (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters)
This is a non-credit course. Students who are working on approved master’s thesis research (after having been registered for CJC 501) and are not registered for any course are required to register for thesis supervision.
CJC 605 – Master’s Study (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters)
This course is a non-credit means of permitting students to be formally enrolled at Loyola while completing their culminating experience (i.e., 408 project or thesis).
CJC 401 – Politics and Policies in the Criminal Justice System (Offered in Fall Semester)
This course examines the interactional processes within and among the criminal justice system's components and their relationships to other social, political, public and private institutions. Current issues and examples are used to discuss and analyze the public policy making process, the role that politics play in justice policy and practice, and the ultimate impact public policy can have on crime and justice system operations.
CJC 402 – Theories of Criminal Behavior (Offered in Spring Semester)
This is a comparative review of dominant contemporary theories and research on the causes of crime and delinquency, including theories based on biological, psychological, and social factors. The course also examines social system theories, social disorganization and strain theories, and ecological characteristics of population distribution across geographic areas. It emphasizes the competing theories that seek to explain the causes of crime, the status of research on these theories, and differences in their implications for crime control.
CJC 403 – Research Methods and Program Evaluation (Offered in Fall Semester)
This course provides students with the substantive knowledge to be critical consumers of research studies and program evaluations. Students learn how to critique the internal, construct, and external validity of program evaluations and data collection efforts that seek to understand criminal behavior or the operation of the criminal justice system. The course provides an in-depth discussion of quasi-experimental and experimental designs, types of program evaluations, and strategies to address impediments to, and stakeholders’ concerns about, field research and evaluations.
CJC 404 – Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation (Offered in Spring Semester)
Students learn the skills and knowledge necessary to be critical consumers of statistical information often present in everyday criminal justice practice. Students learn which statistical tools are appropriate for specific measures and research questions, as well as how to generate and interpret statistical output using a statistical software package.
CJC 408 – Applied Research in Criminal Justice and Criminology (Offered Fall and Spring Semesters) (Prerequisites CJC 401, CJC 402, CJC 403, and CJC 404)
In their final semester of the CJC graduate program, students complete a semester-long research project. This culminating experience is student-initiated and supervised by a member of the graduate faculty. This project encourages advanced students to approach the multifaceted problem of research as a set of interrelated issues ranging from tasks of concept formation and theory construction through research design and data collection to the assessment and analysis of the generated data.
CJC 410 – Advanced Topics in Criminology (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on theories or contemporary issues concerning criminal and victim behavior. Examples of topics include: Drugs and Violence; Gender and Crime; Intimate Partner Violence; Violence; Environmental Crime; Victimization; International Criminology; Recidivism; and Race, Ethnicity, and Crime.
CJC 411 – Advanced Topics in Policing (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in policing. Examples of topics include: Community Policing; Intelligence-Led Policing; Evidence-Based Policing; Police Use of Force; and Police Decision-Making.
CJC 412 – Advanced Topics in Courts (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in courts. Examples of topics include: International Criminal Law; Terrorism Enforcement; Jury Trials; Death Penalty; Public Views of Justice; Media, Culture, and Criminal Law; and Legal Rights of Children.
CJC 413 – Advanced Topics in Corrections (Semesters Offered Vary)
Variable topics on contemporary issues in corrections. Examples of topics include: Principles of Punishment; Sentencing Policy; Community-Based Corrections; Risk Assessment; Re-Entry; Mass Incarceration; and Juvenile Corrections.
CJC 414 – General Special Topics (Semesters Offered Vary)
Special topic course titles will vary and will cover issues that do not fit within the four advanced topics areas of criminology, policing, courts, and corrections. Topics may include: Crime Mapping; Social Psychology and the Criminal Justice System; and Race, Ethnicity and Crime.
CJC 415 – Mental Health and Crime (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course explores the relationship of mental illness to crime and violence, as well as the policies and programs concerning the treatment of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system. The course focuses on the nature, prevalence and consequences of mental disorder among criminal offenders, the mediating effect of substance use on the relationship between mental illness and violence, the assessment of violence risk in mental health and criminal justice systems, the evolving concept of legal competence, and the institutional and community-based treatments of the mentally ill offender.
CJC 416 – International Criminal Justice (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course is an introduction to the nature and scope of international and transnational crime, the emerging legal framework for its prevention and control, and its impact on the U.S. criminal justice system. Emphasis will be placed on international aspects of the work of different criminal justice agencies, such as formal and informal police cooperation and the use of mutual assistance and extradition agreements, and on the bilateral, regional and international structures created for crime prevention, punishment and control.
CJC 431 – Criminal Victimization (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course critically explores the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer because of illegal criminal activities. The focus of the course is on the nature and extent of victimization, the estimation of risk, theories about the causes of victimization, and the consequences of victimization experiences. In addition, students will also study the emergence of special victims' groups, the implications of a victim-orientated perspective for the administration of justice, and system alternatives such as restitution and restorative justice.
CJC 432 – Firearm Violence (Semesters Offered Vary)
This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the extent and nature of firearm violence, existing laws related to the acquisition, ownership and use of firearms, patterns and reasons for firearm ownership and acquisition, the various attempts to control access to firearms, and the effectiveness of such efforts. This course will explore both the criminal justice and public health perspectives and approaches to reducing firearm violence. Each discipline's framework, strategies, and challenges will be examined, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of implementing interdisciplinary approaches in a "real world" setting. The class will emphasize the application of objective and rigorous scientific methods and research to understanding the extent and nature of firearm violence and evaluating interventions within the context of what is oftentimes a politically and emotionally charged debate.
CJC 501 – Thesis Research (Offered Fall and Spring Semesters)
This course is designed specifically for students with a special interest in research or who intend to work toward a doctorate. A thesis committee, comprised of two or three faculty members, will work with the student in the development and completion of the research project.
CJC 502 – Practicum in Criminal Justice (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters) (Prerequisites CJC 401, CJC 402, CJC 403, and CJC 404)
The field practicum enables the student to apply their knowledge (conceptual, theoretical, and methodological) in a practical setting. Placements are typically made with police, prosecution, judicial, probation, corrections and research agencies in and around Chicago. Students are supervised by the practicum coordinator and an agency administrator. Students are expected to work a minimum of 200 hours and write a log of activities as well as a descriptive paper. Because the paper is the major scholarly component of the practicum, it must be analytical in content and correct in all technical details. Questions about the field practicum should be directed to the Graduate Program Director or Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator.
CJC 595 – Thesis Supervision (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters)
This is a non-credit course. Students who are working on approved master’s thesis research (after having been registered for CJC 501) and are not registered for any course are required to register for thesis supervision.
CJC 605 – Master’s Study (Offered Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters)
This course is a non-credit means of permitting students to be formally enrolled at Loyola while completing their culminating experience (i.e., 408 project or thesis).