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Social Work and Criminal Justice

Courses

Courses

(CRJ) Criminal Justice Courses

2301 Introduction to Criminal Justice. An introductory course designed to familiarize students with the facets of the criminal justice system, the sub-systems and how they interrelate, processing of offenders, punishment and its alternatives, and the future of the criminal justice system. F

2302 Fundamentals of Texas Criminal Law. This course provides Texas substantive procedural and evidentiary law with emphasis on the legal elements of the most commonly committed crimes as defined by the Texas Penal Code,; warrants of arrest and search and seizure, including how to prepare affidavits in support of those warants, for judicial approval and authorization based on the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure; the law of confessions and interrogations under Texas decisional law, and how to make lawful traffic stops under Texas criminal law. S

2303 Criminal Investigation. This course provides a brief overview of scientific crime detection and more detailed discussion of techniques for case management and documentation, the concept of proof, the impact of emergent technology on the investigative process, interacting with victims and witnesses, and interviewing suspects. Particular emphasis may be placed on the investigation of particular types of crimes, for example, homicides, sex offenses, child abuse, hate crimes, and so forth. F

2304 Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement. Investigation, arrest, search and seizure; study of constitutional and statutory law and the decisions of the United States Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. S

2305 The Courts and Criminal Procedure. Examines procedural requirements for judicial processing of criminal offenders. Examines concepts of evidence sufficiency, standards of proof, due process, and constitutional safeguards. F

3301 Criminology. This course provides an overview of the major criminological perspectives and an examination of the social, political, and intellectual milieu within which each developed. The course focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of criminological thought. F

3302 Juvenile Delinquency. The adjustment of youths as they take on the roles and statuses culturally defined for their age group; emphasis on causation, treatment, and prevention of juvenile delinquency; sociological principles for working with youth. Delinquency is reviewed as a form of deviant behavior. S

3311 White Collar Crime. The study of the ideas and perspectives that are dominant in the field of white-collar crime. Topics such as organizational crime, occupational crime, legislation aimed at white collar crime, law enforcement, causes of white collar crime, and possible forms of intervention will be discussed. F

3312 Violent Offenders. This course provides an introduction to psychological issues relating to understanding, assessing, managing criminal and other abnormal behavior. An overview of mental disorders and their relationship to criminality and violence is provided. Topics include sanity, psychopathy, criminal profiling, serial killers, stalking, women who kill, and threat assessment. S

3321 Understanding Sexual Offending. This course provides an overview of the sexual offender. The origins and various motivations for sexual offending are explored as are treatment strategies and their relative effectiveness with different offender groups. Various approaches to community supervision are examined as are controversial issues such as castration of sex offenders. F

3322 Social Deviance. The psychological and sociological aspects of socially deviant behavior; theoretical overviews and implications for social control and social policy. S

3323 Family Violence. The course will address the theoretical issues, both past and present, regarding family violence in order to provide the student with an understanding of the salient issues. In addition, attention will be given to the impact family violence has on the victim and society, legal aspects of family violence, key factors associated with recognition of family violence (especially child abuse), and pertinent research focusing on the subject. F

3324 Corrections, Probation, and Parole. This course will provide an overview of the corrections system in the United States, including the legal and practical aspects of probation, parole, and incarceration systems; the court process; alternatives to imprisonment; corrections systems and functions; studies of those institutionalized in corrections facilities, including male, females, juvenile, and other special offenders; legal rights of those in corrections systems; and systems to reintegrate offenders from corrections facilities and systems back into the community and society.

3325 Supervising Police Personnel. This course provides an introduction to supervising police personnel from the leadership perspective, including police team fundamentals of values, ethics, vision, communications, and time management; police team building, including team leadership, motivation, empowerment, team training, and vitality; and police teamwork, including organizing, performance, conflict resolution, community-oriented and problem-oriented policing, and anticipation of future issues in supervising police personnel.

3326 Crisis Intervention. A study of crisis situations in multiple settings with emphasis on appropriate behaviors and responses to crisis. Applied therapeutic counseling in general and crisis intervention are presented along with strategies to alleviate crisis and deal with crisis aftermath. S

4321 Forensic Psychology. A study of the intersection of crime, law, and psychology. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how abnormal behavior is treated in the judicial system, as well as civil commitment and criminal competencies. F

4322 Drugs, Alcohol, and Behavior. Survey of psychological factors involved in drug use and an introduction to chemotherapy used in treatment of mental illness. S

4324 Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping. This course will provide an overview of the field of crime analysis and crime mapping, including key concepts, definitions, and relevant criminological theory as well as methods and techniques of tactical, strategic, and administrative crime analysis and useful information about Internet sites that complement the topics discussed in class.

4325 Forensic Computer Examination. This course will provide an overview of high-technology crime; identity theft and other thefts on the information superhighway; digital child pornography and other abuses of children in cyberspace; financial fraud and con artistry on the Internet; investigating the Internet, including examination of online investigations and sting operations; seizure of digital evidence; obtaining and executing search warrants for digital evidence; law enforcement computer programs which aid in searching computer hard drives and computer media; legal issues pertaining to digital evidence; and the future of high-technology crimes.

4326 Terrorism and Homeland Security. The course focuses on criminology and controversy of terrorism and issues of homeland security, surrounding the post 9/11 era in which we live. The course will investigate known terrorist groups and their operations around the world, as well as the U.S. position on terrorism and the War on Terror.

4333 Professionalism and Ethics in Criminal Justice. The study of theories and practices in areas of legality, morality, values and ethics as they pertain to criminal justice. Included will be such topics as police corruption, brutality, and methods of dealing with such practices, as well as the concept of profession and professional conduct. F

(SOC) Sociology Courses

1300 General Sociology - General introduction to sociology including the relationships of the individual to the society and culture of which the person is a part.
3301 Criminology - This course provides an overview of the major criminological perspectives and an examination of the social, political and intellectual milieu within which each developed. The course focuses on the multi-disciplinary nature of criminological thought.

3322 Social Deviance - The psychological and sociological aspects of socially deviant behavior; theoretical overviews and implications for social control and social policy.

3302 Juvenile Delinquency - The adjustment of youths as they take on the roles and statuses culturally defined for their age group; emphasis on causation, treatment, and prevention of juvenile delinquency; sociological principles for working with youth. Delinquency is reviewed as a form of deviant behavior.

(SWK) Social Work Courses

2300 Introduction to Social Work - An introduction to the definition of social work, to the history of social welfare, and to the knowledge, values and skills of social work. A description of social work services in various fields of social work is provided by speakers from various agencies in the community.

2320 Social Justice - Analysis of social injustices in contemporary society and an examination of possible policy changes to alleviate the injustices. A course designed for both social work and other majors.

2340 Human Diversity - This course is designed to give an overview of diverse population groups from a historical and current perspective. Insight and understanding of social relationships in a culturally diverse society are examined.

3301 Casework - A study of the values, skills, knowledge, and ethics needed for generalist social work practice with individuals and families. PRE: SWK 2300.

3302 Community Organization - A study of the skills, knowledge, and ethics needed for generalist social work practice with organizations, communities, and society. PRE: SWK 2300.

3303 Group Work- A study of the skills, knowledge, and ethics needed for generalist social work practice with small groups. PRE: SWK 2300.

3304 Social Welfare Policy - Social values and philosophical Approaches for social welfare policies are considered. An analysis of the legislative process, policies, and programs affecting the social worker today. PRE: SWK 2300 and POS 2301 or 2302.

3310 Statistics-An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics from the T test to Chi square. Also includes introduction to analysis of variance, multiple regression, and non-parametric techniques.

3311 Human Behavior in the Social Environment I - An examination of the development of the individual throughout the life span. Focus will be on the biological, psychological, and cognitive development of the individual interacting with societal and cultural groups. PRE (or co-requisites): BIO 1300, PSY 1300, and SOC 1300.

3312 Human Behavior in the Social Environment II - An examination of the social systems approach to understanding human behavior within families, groups, organizations, and communities. Particular focus will be on the relationship among biological, social, psychological, and cultural systems as they affect and are affected by human behavior. PRE (or co-requisites): BIO 1300, PSY 1300, and SOC 1300.

3320 Social Research Methods - Introduction to the major steps of scientific inquiry into social realities. Emphasis will be placed on survey design and analysis as well as evaluating one's own practice. PRE: SWK 2300.

4610 Field Practicum I - Field work in an agency under supervision for 200 clock hours plus a weekly seminar. Focus is on integration of knowledge with actual social work experience. PRE: All social work courses, 2.5 GPA in 3301, 3302, 3303, payment of liability insurance fee ($25).

4620 Field Practicum II - Field work in an agency under supervision for 200 clock hours plus a weekly seminar. Focus is on integration of knowledge with actual social work experience. PRE: All social work courses, 2.5 GPA in 3301, 3302, 3303, payment of liability insurance fee ($25), 4610 (or may be taken concurrently).