CRIM 2204 (formerly 1204) CR-3
Criminal Justice and Psychology
Students will critically examine and evaluate the Canadian criminal justice system from a legal psychological perspective. They will study the structure and functions of the criminal justice system and its principal participants by examining current knowledge in the field of forensic and social psychology. Students will analyze theories and research relevant to the role of the police, prosecutor, defence lawyer, judge, jury, witness, and defendant. They will review the relevance and admissibility of psychological knowledge in criminal adjudications through case law analysis. Students will also explore the influences on the criminal justice process from the community, the public, and the media.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1101 (CRIM 1107 and 1202 recommended)
Law, Media and Popular Culture
Students will critically examine the various ways in which law interacts with and is represented in the media and popular culture. They will explore interrelated legal and criminal justice issues through various media forms including films, television, print media, literature, and music. Students will analyze how these various media representations influence both public perceptions of law and justice issues and legal policy development.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1107
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
CRIM 2211 (formerly 1211) CR-3
Introduction to Policing
Students will examine the organization, structure, and operation of Canadian policing. They will analyze police history, the police role, subculture, powers, and exercise of discretion. Students will critically analyze police procedures, operations, and management.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
CRIM 2213 (formerly 1213) CR-3
Women, Girls and Crime
Students will develop an historical and analytical overview of the female offender and female victimization.They will take into account the function of gender in criminality and victimization and the social responses to crime and victimization Students will examine various theories of female crime and delinquency, with an emphasis on feminist theories They will focus on patterns of control and punishment for women and girls and the specific crimes for which women and girls are most often convicted
Prerequisites: CRIM 1100 or 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Corrections: Theory and Practice
Students will develop a basic understanding of the history of corrections, correctional theory, contemporary correctional organization and the interaction of various correctional agencies, gender issues in corrections, trends in correctional practice in western societies, and restorative justice. They will also examine power dynamics and violence within correctional settings, and will examine the experiences and ideas of staff and convicts. The central focus of the course will be on North American corrections, with reference to international developments
Prerequisites: CRIM 1100 and CRIM 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
CRIM 2249 CR-3 (formerly 1249)
Youth Justice
Students will study the definition and control of youth misconduct in an historical and contemporary context. They will become familiar with the ways in which the definition of youth delinquency changes with shifting philosophical and socio-political circumstances with an emphasis on how these circumstances play out in a Canadian context. Students will critically analyze theories of juvenile delinquency. They will assess the social impact of programs and services implemented to deal with young offenders.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Current Issues in Correctional Practice
This course introduces the student to many of the most controversial issues in the techniques of correctional practice today. The emphasis will be on the total environment in which the correctional process takes place, an appreciation of the clinical sciences in assessing treatability and predicting dangerousness, and an appreciation of some of the legal and ethical considerations associated with clinical decision-making. Specific topics may include: the treatment of sexual aggression and the right to receive and refuse treatment; mental disorder; violent crime and the prediction of dangerousness; treating the female offender and native offender programs.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1100 or CRIM 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Police Administration & Management
This course complements Introduction to Law Enforcement (CRIM 1211). The emphasis will be on the organizational dynamics of law enforcement as opposed to a focus on the role of police in society. This change in focus will enable the law enforcement student to attain a broader and more balanced perspective concerning the delivery of police service in contemporary society.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1211
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour
Students will receive an introduction to and critical examination of neurophysiological, bio-genetic, psychiatric, and psychological explanations of deviant and criminal behaviour. Special attention will be given to research that is exploring associations between criminality and genetics, brain chemistry, the endocrine system, mental disorders, personality, moral development and various forms of social learning.
Prerequisites: PSYC 1100
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour
This course will introduce students to sociological perspectives on the extent and distribution of crime and deviant behaviour in modern society. The logic underlying perspectives such as strain theories, cultural deviance, and conflict theories, interactionist theories, phenomenological and feminist theories, control theory and critical theory will be explored with a view to critical assessment.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1125
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Canadian Criminal Justice Administration
Students will examine issues in the administration of criminal justice in Canada with regard to accountability, change and impact. They will use theories of the state and society to analyze criminal justice events, institutions and processes, and will examine the creation of public opinion and the influence of social, political and other groups. Students will compare the responses of the judiciary, the administration, and the legislature to the development of criminal justice policy and will consider the impact and application of scholarly research and views on policy development.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1101 and 1107
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Police Deviance and Accountability
This course will describe and analyze the issue of police accountability. Issues to be addressed include a look at the social, political, organizational and psychological factors which contribute to police deviance. Specific subject matters to be covered include: corruption, perjury, the use of excessive force, and personal or family repercussions of work pressures. Systemic racial and class discrimination will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the unique Canadian aspects of this topic. The course analyzes our society’s response to police deviance.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Advanced Theories of Crim and Community
Students will critically examine theoretical and empirical issues in crime and community research. They will study the ways in which structural, cultural, and institutional components of communities impact crime and delinquency. Students will also examine the effect of crime and delinquency on communities.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2330 and 2331
Quantitative Data Analysis II
Students will learn the important role that theory plays in guiding quantitative data analysis in criminal justice research. They will, through the use of computer software, use regression-based techniques to assess different types of variable relationships that are theorized in the field of criminology, including those that involve direct, indirect, and conditional effects.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2103
Qualitative Research Methods
Students will learn the theory and practice of qualitative inquiry in criminal justice research. They will examine and assess data collection procedures that may include naturalistic observations, participation, open-ended interviews and focus groups, and will evaluate strategies for organizing and analyzing qualitative data. Students will apply learned principles to selected examples.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1208
Contemporary Sociological Criminology
Students will examine contemporary trends in sociological criminology. They will review current themes and debates arising from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Students also will explore how an increasing emphasis on integrative model building influences sociological thinking in criminology. They will critically assess policy implications arising from recent developments in sociological criminology.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: 60 undergraduate credits including CRIM 2331
Critical Criminology
Students will examine the core elements of critical analysis within criminology and will assess their application to the study of crime and social control. They will differentiate between alternative critical perspectives in terms of underlying assumptions and conceptions of power and inequality in society.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1100 and 2331
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Crime Mapping
Students will examine the use of geographic information systems (GIS) techniques as applied to crime analysis and criminal investigations. They will critically analyze the developments within the past decade in the use of geographical concepts/methodology toward the spatial-statistical analysis of criminal activity. Students will conduct spatial analyses of criminal activity and criminal patterns via geographic software. They will critically analyze the interrelationships between various methodological and practical issues pertaining to applied crime mapping versus academic criminological spatial analyses.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2103
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
White-Collar & Corporate Crime
Students will critically analyze conceptualizations of white-collar crime, corporate crime, and elite deviance. They will examine constructions of social harm and theoretical explanations of political, environmental, occupational, and corporate criminality. Students will study societal reactions to, and the prevention and regulation of, white-collar crime, corporate crime and elite deviance.
Prerequisites: CRIM 1100 and (CRIM 2331 or 2341)
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Community Corrections
Students will examine the role of community corrections as an alternative to incarceration and an approach to rehabilitation. They will critically analyze community corrections models and existing programs and sanctions as well as the advantages and disadvantages of working with offenders in community settings. Students will examine specific topics such as probation, the use and effectiveness of intermediate sanctions, conditional sentencing, conditional release options, community treatment programs, and restorative justice practices.
Prerequisites: (CRIM 2341)
Issues in Youth Justice
Students will critically and comparatively analyze current issues in youth justice. They will study issues such as the over-representation of aboriginal youth and/or other minority youth in the youth justice system, gender justice, models of youth justice, policy implications of theories of youth justice, sentencing youth, violent and/or persistent youth offenders, rehabilitation, and youth and the media.
Prerequisites: (CRIM 1100 or 1101) and 2249 and 2331
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
CRIM 3302 (formerly CRIM 1202) CR-3
Procedure and Evidence
Students will learn the fundamentals of the law of criminal procedure and criminal evidence in Canada and will critically assess the policies behind the law. They will examine issues relating to charges, bail hearings, preliminary hearings, trials and appeals. Students will study the law on collecting and presenting evidence in light of current constitutional, statutory and common law limitations, and will compare criminal process with civil process.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341 and 1207
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Law and Society
Students will learn about the relationship of law to different social and political structures. They will study the processes of making, enforcing and reforming law, from different sociological, historical, and jurisprudential perspectives. Students will study the development of public opinion about law within communities and in the broader society, and the role of public opinion in law reform. They will consider the role of legal reform in defining crime and deviance.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341 and (CRIM 2330 or 2331)
Issues in Conflict Resolution
Students will learn theories of conflict resolution and mediation. They will study emerging uses of conflict resolution and mediation in the criminal justice system and in other settings within the community. Students will engage in basic conflict resolution techniques and skills.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341 and ( CRIM 2330 or 2331)
CRIM 3351 (formerly CRIM 1251) CR-3
Philosophy of Law
Students will study theories about the purpose and function of law from various historical eras. They will study major philosophical movements and perspectives on law including natural law, legal positivism, legal formalism, legal realism, law and economics and critical legal studies. Students will apply these philosophies and perspectives to current legal issues relating to topics such as rights, punishment and justice.
Note: this is a seminar course
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341
Mental Disorder and Canadian Law
Students will critically examine the role mental disorder plays in Canadian civil and criminal proceedings. They will focus on the ways in which mentally disordered individuals are subject to different legal procedures and considerations in Canada. Students will examine the forensic assessment of mental disorder and its relationship to various legal standards and issues including civil commitment, the right to refuse treatment, fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and dangerous and long-term offender hearings.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341
Contemporary Psychological Criminology
Students will study theoretical advancements that span a diverse spectrum of contemporary perspectives in psychological criminology. They will evaluate the explanatory scope and testability of models that examine a wide range of antisocial and criminal behaviour. Students will critically assess policy implications arising from recent developments in psychological criminology.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: 60 undergraduate credits including CRIM 2330
Directed Studies
Students will carry out a detailed investigation of a criminological topic consisting of readings and research, under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in the area. They will be required to identify relevant sources of information and to develop a comprehensive understanding of their topic, in addition to submitting a final assignment.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2330 and 2331 and 2341
Community Criminal Justice Project I
Students will collectively participate in one or more stages of a community-based research project overseen by a faculty member. They will investigate, describe and analyze one or more criminal justice issues in the context of the specific community, drawing on historical sources, theory and comparable research from other projects and other communities. Students will identify and work with community stakeholders to communicate and evaluate their research findings
Prerequisites: (CRIM 3103 or 3104 or PSYC 3300) and permission of the instructor
Community Criminal Justice Project
Students will participate in one or more stages of a research process within the context of a project overseen by a faculty member. They will conduct a literature review focusing on issues related to either the specific stage(s) of the research process in which they will be involved, or to the substantive focus of the research project. Students will relate their findings to research design, implementation, data analysis, and/or communication of results.
Prerequisites: CRIM 3103 and 3104
Community Practicum
Students will observe and work within a criminal justice or community organization within the private or public sector under the supervision of the agency representative and the faculty practicum coordinator. They will integrate acquired knowledge and skills from the degree curriculum with practical field experience. Students will acquire skills, apply knowledge and further their personal and professional development.
Prerequisites: CRIM 4400
Community Safety and Crime Prevention
Students will critically examine initiatives that can be undertaken at the community level to prevent crime and promote public safety. They will study crime prevention approaches that target elements of the built environment as well as the social and economic conditions that are linked to offending behaviour. Students will assess crime prevention and public safety not only in local neighbourhoods, but also at the municipal, provincial, national, and international levels.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2331
Minorities and the Criminal Justice System
Students will critically analyze the concepts of minority and majority. They will learn how these concepts have been applied to groups defined by ethnic background, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, education, ability or other characteristics. Students will examine relations between minorities and majorities within and with the criminal justice system, investigating theories of power, victimization and criminalization, oppression and colonization.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341
Administrative and Regulatory Law
Students will learn the principles of administrative law and consider the scope of their application in a wide variety of decision-making contexts. They will study the roles of decision-makers and advocates. Students will examine the concept of the public interest and the community interest and how it is defined and applied in individual cases. They will practice applying principles of administrative law in mock settings, both format and informal.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341
CRIM 4301 CR-3
Community Advocacy and Human Rights
Students will study the national and international evolution of human rights in public attitudes, political theory and practice. They will contrast ideas about individual human rights with collective rights, diversity and equality, paying specific attention to strategies used by Canada’s First Nations and women. Students will become familiar with the legal framework of human rights in Canada, including provincial and federal legislation, the constitution, case law and international law and various means of articulating and advancing human rights claims and interests.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341
Ethics and Professional Development
Students will analyze critique and apply moral and ethical reasoning in preparation for their role as practitioners in the criminal justice field. They will examine contemporary ethical issues in the criminal justice system using an historical frame of reference as a theoretical foundation. Students will examine, develop and express their own positions relative to the ethical issues/dilemmas they may face as practitioners in the field. They will develop the written, oral, reasoning and interpersonal skills required to respond to ethically challenging situations in a competent and professional manner through simulations and written exercises.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341 and (2330 or 2331)
Policy and Program Evaluation
Students will critically analyze the approaches to developing and conducting policy and program evaluations within the criminal justice system. They will examine quantitative, qualitative, and quasi-experimental methods for analyzing criminal justice initiatives, explore various goals and theories of evaluation, and learn how to interpret appropriately and communicate results. Students will analyze specific criminal justice policies and programs to illustrate possible alternative responses to social problems and the varying effects of criminal justice policies.Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: CRIM 2341 and (CRIM 2103 or PSYC 2300 or SOCI 2365 or MATH 1115
Special Topics
Students will examine a selected topic in criminology, criminal justice, or law and advocacy. They will critically analyze relevant literature and develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Students will examine and evaluate recent developments in the specific field, assess the implications of these developments, and identify future directions of research or policy development. Notes: The area of study will be established in advance by the department. Please check with the department for proposed offerings. This is a seminar course
Prerequisites: 45 credits at the 1100-level or higher, including CRIM 1100 or 1101
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
Honours Thesis I (This course will be discontinued effective September 2009)
Students will carry out a detailed investigation of a topic of criminological interest. They will carry out the investigation, under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in the area, in the form of a literature review. Students will identify relevant sources of information and to develop a comprehensive understanding of their topic, in addition to submitting a final paper. Students will also be expected to identify research questions and to design a research project based on their literature review.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
Honours Thesis II (This course will be discontinued effective September 2009)
Students will carry out an original research project under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in the area selected. Using the information obtained from the literature review in CRIM 5100, they will identify specific issues for research. Students will, using appropriate methods, collect and interpret data, and write a thesis on the results of the project. They will orally defend their thesis.
Prerequisites: CRIM 5100