Criminology
These courses are reading and writing intensive.
Introduction to Criminology
Students will examine the core concepts, basic data sources, and general research findings in the field of criminology, with particular attention to Canadian developments. They will study elements of continuity and discontinuity between traditional and contemporary theories of crime, deviance, criminality, and social control.
Criminal Justice System Intro
Students will study the various components that form the processes by which Canada responds to criminal behaviour. They will survey each of these components, such as the police, courts and corrections, and will analyze their impact.
Canadian Legal Systems
Students will study Canada's two legal systems with emphasis on the common law system, and will examine the nature and role of law in society, and the different ways law is made. They will study the court system and processes, the selection and role of judges, and the duties and requirements of lawyers. Students will learn basic concepts in constitutional, contract, tort, administrative, and human rights law, and basic techniques of legal research and reasoning.
Crime Causation
This course introduces students to casual reasoning in criminology. Particular emphasis is focused on the imperfect empiricism of the social sciences with a view to discussing the problems associated with attempts to ascertain causes of crime. The course will provide a foundation for the understanding of theoretical and policy oriented issues arising from contemporary theories of criminogenesis.
Procedure and Evidence
This course will provide an overview of the law governing criminal and civil process in Canada. Methods of gaining and presenting evidence will be discussed in light of current constitutional, statutory and common law limitations governing all levels of legal process. The adjectival law of other legal systems will be briefly outlined to provide a contextual framework for practical exercises in giving testimony, providing and discussing direct and cross-examination and in-court presentation of motions and applications.
Community Policing
This course builds on the foundations of
CRIM 1101 and focuses on the importance of the relationship between the community and their police in the control and prevention of crime. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate existing police-community relations programs.
An Introduction to Judicial Process
This writing intensive course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the complex tasks and functions which comprise the preparation for and the performance of judicial and other court-related roles in Canada. Topics covered will include the arts and skills of case preparation and legal decision making, types of legal reasoning, the impacts of legal training on court and tribunal decisions, and the impacts of court structures and strictures on legal decisions. Influences on judicial processes from within and without the court system will also be canvassed.
Prerequisites:
CRIM 1101, or any college level Psychology course, or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to Criminal Law
Students will study the elements of criminal offenses and defenses in statute and case law in Canada. They will examine the historical, philosophical, and social roots of current criminal law and their impact on the definition of crime in Canada. Students will study how criminal law issues have been defined in the past, and how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has contributed to the resolution of some issues and created new ones.
Methods of Research in Criminology
Students will examine the basic methods of research frequently employed in the field of criminology. They will study the connection between theory and research, key elements of deductive and inductive approaches, quantitative and qualitative analytic strategies, and ethical issues in research.
Women and Crime
This course offers an historical and analytical overview of the female offender, taking into account the function of gender in both criminality and social responses to crime. Emphasis will be given to feminist theories. Attention will focus on the specific crimes for which girls and women are most often convicted, and patterns of control and punishment.
Comparative Police Systems
This course is designed to enable students to study and observe organizational and operational practices of foreign policing systems. Students will be given instruction in techniques of comparative field research as background preparation for an educational tour of a foreign policing system.
Note: Students may not receive credit for both
CRIM 1231 and
1232.
Prerequisites:
CRIM 1101 or permission of instructor.
Comparative Justice Systems
The study of the justice system in a foreign jurisdiction and a comparison with Canadian systems are covered in this course. Students will receive instruction in techniques of comparative research with primary emphasis on the administration of courts and corrections. Field study in a foreign country constitutes an essential feature of this course.
NOTE: Students may not receive credit for both
CRIM 1231 and
1232.
Prerequisites:
CRIM 1101 or permission of instructor
Young Offenders and Justice
This course provides an introduction to the definition and control of youthful misconduct in an historical and contemporary context. Attention is focused upon the emergence and development of the concept of young offender along with a critical analysis of explanations for the criminal behaviour of young persons. Principal theories of ‘delinquency’ are examined in conjunction with an assessment of the social impact of programs and services implemented to deal with young offenders.
Prerequisites:
CRIM 1101 or permission of instructor
Philosophy of Law
This is an introduction to the philosophy of law. Traditional and current explanations of the nature and role of law and the relationship of law to morality, reason and power will be explored and compared, and applied to current legal debates and topics. Topics will include the development and meaning of “rights”, the Nuremberg trials, civil disobedience, theories of punishment, the pornography debate, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and legal classification. The course will include analysis and evaluation of arguments.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
