Course Descriptions
Lower Division
CJ 2250 Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 units)
Provides an overview of the criminal justice system. The focus is on the role of law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and their relationships. The definition, measurement, and causes of crime are also discussed. Satisfies G.E. area D2. (CAN AJ2) (Fall, Spring)
CJ 2260 Evidence (3 units)
A case study and statutory analysis of the origins, development, and philosophy of criminal evidence. Includes the application and process of evidence collection; its preservation, maintenance, and use in criminal trials; burden of proof, relevancy, hearsay rules, and impeachment. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor. (CAN AJ6) (Fall, Spring)
CJ 2270 Criminal Investigations (3 units)
Explores detection, interrogation, development of evidence, and apprehension. Stringent evidentiary standards based on the Constitution, statutory law, and administrative regulations for law enforcement and correctional personnel are reviewed as they apply to various aspects of investigations. In addition to reviewing the rule of law, the underlying ethical, social, and moral issues which direct the investigator’s role are examined. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor. (CAN AJ 8) (Fall, Spring)
CJ 2280 Criminal Law (3 units)
Using a case study approach, criminal law traces the historical development and current principles and rules which determine the substantive criminal law. Topics include the purpose of criminal law; principles of liability; defenses involving excuses or justifications; and crimes against persons, property, and public order. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor. (CAN AJ 4) (Fall, Spring)
CJ 2450 Criminal Judicial Process (3 units)
(Formerly CJ 4165 and CJ 4170) A detailed analysis of judicial processing, from booking to sentencing, of individuals accused of crimes. Includes lecture and case study approach of substantive and procedural issues concerning pretrial motions and hearings, arraignments, bail, plea bargaining, trials, and sentencing. May include field trips to selected courts. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor. (Fall, Spring)
Upper Division
CJ 3070 Going to Prison (3 units)
A tour of local jails and State correctional institutions. Provides the criminal justice student with an opportunity to visit and tour jails in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, tour State prisons, learn first-hand from correctional officers about correctional supervision, and observe prison life from inside. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3100 Legal Research and Writing (3 units)
Designed to provide the criminal justice student with a thorough understanding of legal research and legal drafting. The student will learn LEXIS/NEXIS, the functional uses of a law library, to reference and cross-reference statutes, state and federal cases, words and phrases, indexes, journals, forms, and slip opinions. The student will learn and develop the ability to draft legal memoranda, motions, complaints, points and authorities, briefs, and be required to draft various legal documents. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, CJ 2280, or consent of instructor.
CJ 3120 Causes of Crime (3 units)
Analysis of crime causation provides students the opportunity to form critical thinking by presenting them with current theories and research and competing viewpoints in human criminality. Students will also be exposed to information on diversity, use of technology, and policy in criminal justice. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3130 Administration of Corrections (3 units)
Provides the historical development of community-based and institutional programs. Using competing philosophical goals —retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation — various current programs such as probation, parole, diversion, and institutional treatment are contrasted and future trends are projected. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3160 Administration and Management in Law Enforcement (3 units)
Examines the various types of administrative and management principles and practices applicable to law enforcement agencies. The history of law enforcement management, the levels of organizational structure and development, and various management philosophies will be explored. Special attention will center on history, organization, operations, and administrative philosophies of federal law enforcement agencies. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3170 Criminal Justice Research Methods (WP) (4 units)
(Formerly CJ 4930) Directed social science research applied to gathering data in criminal justice and criminological research. The focus will be on special problems encountered in research settings and groups where information about crime is to be gathered and analyzed. Includes review of research. Satisfies upper-division writing proficiency requirement. Corequisite: CJ 3173. Prerequisites: CJ 2250 and completion of the Writing Proficiency Screening Test with a passing score. (Lecture, 3 hours; activity, 2 hours) (Fall, Spring)
CJ 3230 Police Ethics and Civil Liability (3 units)
Using a case study, social and legislative analytical approach, this course will explore ethics in law enforcement from its historical roots through contemporary ethical issues. Ethical issues will include areas such as communications, race, sex, excessive physical force, corruption, and conflicts of interest. Civil liability will focus on the tort liability for certain statutory and ethical violations. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3235 Domestic Violence and Intimate Abuse (3 units)
Explores historical, sociological, and legal causes, effects, and sanctions of issues pertaining to family and domestic abuse and violence. Discussion and research will incorporate inter alia, state and federal legislation on intimate violence and abuse, causes of abusive behavior, battered woman’s syndrome, self-defense, cyclical violence, children of abusive environments, and treatment for batterers. Consists of lecture, discussion, video documentaries, case study and legislative analyses, examinations, and socio-legal research and writing. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
CJ 3315 Hate Crimes (3 units)
(Formerly CJ 3310) A case study, lecture, and theoretical approach to analyzing issues, causes, effects, history, and solutions of hate crimes. Includes informational discussions on individuals who commit hate crimes, organized hate groups, and the victims of hate crimes and activities. Additional analyses and discussions will center on federal and state hate crime legislation, pertinent case law, and constitutional protections and constraints. Satisfies G. E. area G. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, CJ 2280, or consent of instructor.
CJ 3350 Organized Crime (3 units)
Presents a study focused on the phenomenon of organized crime, commencing with an exploration of the definitions of organized crime and the characteristic crimes engaged in by these crime groups. Centers on the historical and contemporary problems faced by the criminal justice professional in combating these unique criminal enterprises. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3420 Community and Problem-Oriented Policing (3 units)
Explores the broad and critical areas of crime prevention techniques using the citizenry as the basis. Encompasses police paradoxical issues concerning the police image, the dilemma of policing, the role of police in the community, police/community attitudes, complaints, and crime prevention through visibility and the media, politics, and the needs of ethnically diverse populations. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3460 White Collar Crime (3 units)
Presents an examination of the breadth and intricacies of white-collar crime in the American criminal justice system. Explores the various types of crimes that constitute white-collar crime and engages the student in critical analysis of the definitions and applications of the criminal law to the ever-growing problem of white-collar crime. Discussion will focus on the history and evolution of the criminal justice response to white-collar crime. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3500 Jury Selection and Decision Making (4 units)
Examines the major issues in jury selection and research on how verdicts can be influenced by extra-legal factors such as the characteristics of the defendant, the jurors, and the political climate. Students will learn about the theoretical ideals underlying the jury system and compare these with the reality of the jury system today and debate proposed jury reforms. Activities may include oral presentations, designing a jury selection strategy, participation as a juror in a mock trial, and courtroom observation. Corequisite: CJ 3503. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 3700 Criminalistics I (4 units)
(Formerly Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science) Study and analysis of the use of science and technology in criminal justice. Focuses on the broad-based concept of the investigative crime laboratory in criminal investigations and crime solving. Explores topics such as the examination of soil, serology, and firearms. Students will be required to complete an assigned lab project. Corequisite: CJ 3703. Prerequisites: CJ 2250, CJ 2280, and CHEM 1100 or consent of instructor. (Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours) (Fall)
CJ 3710 Criminalistics II (4 units)
Continuation of CJ 3700 Criminalistics I. Study and analysis of the use of science and technology in criminal justice. Students will be required to complete an assigned lab project. Corequisite: CJ 3713. Prerequisites: CJ 2250, CJ 2280, and CJ 3700 or consent of instructor. (Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours) (Spring)
CJ 3800 Crime Prevention and Schools (3 units)
Critical examination of the interface between schools and crime prevention. Specific areas of inquiry will include the link between school failure and delinquency, the incidence and prevention of violence in schools, and the types and impact of gangs. Designed specifically for future teachers. (LIBS Integrative: Social Inquiry)
CJ 4030 Criminal Justice Research Analysis (4 units)
Familiarizes students with quantitative measurement of justice variables including formulation of research designs, application of research techniques, data analysis and interpretation. Includes understanding and performing basic research on data sets. Corequisite: CJ 4033. Prerequisite: CJ 3170, or MATH 1600, or consent of instructor.
CJ 4135 Correctional Law (3 units)
Using a case study approach, the new and developing field of applied correctional law deals with the rights, responsibilities, and liabilities of correctional personnel working in county, state, or federal capacities. Details differences which occur depending on the status of the offender, i.e., juvenile or adult, county or state, probation or parole, and defendant or prisoner. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, CJ 3130, or consent of instructor.
CJ 4141 Criminal Procedures I (3 units)
Case study and analysis of the constitutional requirements and constraints in criminal justice proceedings. Examines the origins of constitutional criminal due process, the Incorporation Doctrine, and arrest, warrants, search and seizure, and the Exclusionary Rule. Prerequisites: CJ 2250 and 2280 or consent of instructor. (Fall)
CJ 4150 Probation and Parole (3 units)
The historical development, current practices, and future direction of probation and parole are discussed. Explores the balancing of two competing objectives, i.e., the protection of society and the needs of the offender. The various primary roles of investigator, counselor, court officer, and supervisor are examined in light of competing objectives. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 4151 Criminal Procedures II (4 units)
Case study and analysis of the constitutional requirements and constraints in the criminal justice process. Focus is on the application of substantive and procedural due process under the Fourteenth Amendment and pertinent portions of the Bill of Rights to include self-incrimination, the Exclusionary Rule, double jeopardy, confessions, right to counsel, trial by jury, speedy and public trial, confrontation, and cruel and unusual punishment. Legal research and drafting of an Appellant’s or Respondent’s Opening Brief and presentation of oral argument before a panel of jurors selected from the class are required. Corequisite: CJ 4153. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, 2280, 3100, 4141, or consent of instructor. (Lecture, 3 hours; activity, 2 hours) (Spring)
CJ 4175 Capital Crimes and Death Penalty (3 units)
(Formerly CJ 4170) An analysis of the types of crimes for which the death penalty has been imposed and a study of the death penalty in America.
CJ 4230 Juvenile Justice (4 units)
A case study and analysis of the American juvenile justice system from its historical beginnings through its current structure and operations and to an exploration of future trends. Discussion will include constitutional rights of juveniles, the judicial process, system structure and operation, juvenile crime, violence, and gangs. As an activity, students will be required to conduct an on-site field observation of the juvenile justice system and complete a case study research project on an actual juvenile case. Corequisite: CJ 4233. Prerequisites: CJ 2250 and 2280 or consent of instructor. (Lecture, 3 hours; activity, 2 hours)
CJ 4250 Psychology of Criminal Behavior (4 units)
(Formerly CJ 4240) A case study and exploratory analysis of the psychological factors that influence and cause criminal behavior in individuals. The class will cover the major psychological theories of criminal conduct such as social learning theories, personality theories, and development theories; criminal behavior, psychopaths, sex offenders, mentally disordered offenders, and mass murderers. The laboratory will include an analysis of covariants of psychological predictors of criminal behavior of exceptional offenders by use of video. The lab findings and research on the psychological criminal behavior of offenders will be presented both orally and within the context of a research paper. Corequisite: CJ 4252. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, CJ 2280, or consent of instructor. (Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours)
CJ 4260 Criminal Justice Seminar (3 units)
Sociological analysis of the history, politics, and economics of criminal justice. Course will focus on theory and research, ideology of crime control, and criminal justice reform. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
CJ 4300 Leadership in Police Organizations (4 units)
Leadership course for the career public safety professional to enhance, understand, and apply modern behavioral science and leadership theories that enhance human motivation, satisfaction, and performance to achieve organizational goals. Corequisite: CJ 4310. Prerequisite: Consent of insructor.
CJ 4310 Advanced Leadership in Police Organizations (4 units)
Advanced leadership skills for public safety professionals. Corequisite: CJ 4300. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
CJ 4850 Scientific Evidence and the Law (3 units)
Study and analysis of the impact and application of forensic science, scientific evidence and technology on State and Federal criminal and civil statues, the Constitution, evidence, and the criminal judicial process. Examines the scientific application and presentation of physical evidence at trial, the role of forensic scientists, criminalists, expert witnesses, and constitutional constraints in the prosecution, defense, and adjudication of criminal and civil cases. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, 2280, 3700 or consent of instructor.
CJ 4910 Cooperative Education (2-4 units)
Provides an opportunity to acquire relevant, practical experience in supervised paid employment within the discipline. Students are placed in private or public sector positions under the supervision of the employer and departmental Co-op coordinator. May be repeated for a total of eight units depending on departmental policy. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and consent of departmental chair. (Fall, Winter, Spring)
CJ 4915 Sex Crimes and Gender Issues in Criminal Justice (3 units)
Focuses on crimes perpetrated against women, the criminal justice system’s response to such crimes, gender disparity in sentencing, gender disparity in corrections, sexual discrimination, and sexual harassment in the criminal justice system. Discussion and research will center on historical and contemporary issues of gender-based criminality, the victimization of women, and on such crimes as stalking, forcible rape, molestation, prostitution, and incest. Consists of lecture, discussion, case study and legislative analyses, examinations, and socio-legal research and writing. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 4925 Historical and Contemporary Criminal Justice (3 units)
Using a case, legislative, and treatise study and analysis, this course will explore the American criminal justice system from its historical roots through its current structure, and discuss critical and controversial current issues within our criminal justice system. The precise contemporary issues discussed will depend on current events and legislation. Provides students with an understanding of the political forces that drive the Democratic Consensus, Irresistible Impulse, and Irrational Forces theories of criminal law and justice, and how such political forces impact, adversely and positively, the system. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 4940 Criminal Justice Internship (2-4 units)
Allows the student who is considering a career in law enforcement, the courts, or corrections the opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, assist them in their duties, and develop hands-on experience. May be repeated for a total of 9 units, but only 3 units may be applied to the major. Prerequisite: CJ 2250, junior or senior standing, or consent of instructor. (Fall, Spring)
CJ 4950 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (1-5 units)
(Topics to be specified in Class Schedule.) Topics vary each term, thus different topics may be taken for credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
CJ 4960 Race, Ethnicity, and the Criminal Justice System (3 units)
Using case law and research studies, an exploration and analysis of the role and treatment of ethnic minorities in the American criminal justice system from a historical, sociological, and legal perspective. The impact of race in the system, and ethnic minorities as criminal suspects, defendants, convicts, crime victims, and criminal justice professionals are discussed, including the system’s biases, disproportionate sentencing, and inappropriate police responses to minority victims. Prerequisite: CJ 2250 or consent of instructor.
CJ 4980 Individual Study (1-4 units)
For students capable of independent work and in need of advanced and specialized study. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. (Fall, Winter, Spring)
