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Criminology (BA)

Criminology is the study of crimes, criminals, crime victims, theories explaining illegal and/or deviant behavior, the social reaction to crime and criminals, the effectiveness of anti-crime policies and the broader political terrain of social control. The major contains courses in sociology, other social science disciplines and the humanities. Students who are planning to attend graduate or professional schools and students who are currently working in criminal justice or other public service fields as well as those planning to do so in the future will find this major of interest.

Some details:
Part 1: Disciplinary Requirements
Part 2: Multi-Disciplinary Foundations
Part 3: Applications of Criminology
Part 4: Advanced Methods
Part 5: Electives

Credits required: 36

Prerequisites: SOC 101 and PSY 101. These courses fulfill the College's general education requirements in the social sciences. Other courses also have prerequisites beyond courses previously taken in the major:

Honors Option: Students with a cumulative 3.5 grade point average when they have completed 75 credits are eligible for a Criminology Honors track. The Honors track requires completion of 6 additional credits in the form of a a two-semester research internship (SOC 430-431) or a research independent study. Consult the major coordinator for further information.

Coordinator: Professor Douglas Thompkins, Department of Sociology (212.484.1118, dthompkins@jjay.cuny.edu)

Additional information: Certain courses are offered only in fall semesters and others only in spring semesters. Students who enroll for the first time at the College in Fall 2010 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose either the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version can be obtained at the Office of Undergraduate Studies or at the Lloyd George Sealy Library.

Part 1. Disciplinary Requirements Subtotal: 15 credits

Required

SOC 203 Criminology
SOC 314 Theories of Social Order
SOC 440b Senior Seminar in Criminology
SSC 325 Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences
STA 250 Principles and Methods of Statistics


Part 2. Multi-Disciplinary Foundations Subtotal: 3 credits

Select one

ANT 230 Culture and Crime
ECO 170 Introduction to the Economics of Crime and Social Problems
LAW 310/PHI 310 Ethics and Law
PSY 242 Abnormal Psychology


Part 3. Applications of Criminology Subtotal: 6 credits

Select two courses

SOC 236/ CRJ 236 Victimology
SOC 301 Penology
SOC 308 Sociology of Violence
SOC 309 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 335 Migration and Crime
SOC 360/ECO 360 Corporate and White Collar Crime
SOC 420/CRJ 420 Women and Crime
Sociology 3XX Special Topics in Criminology


Part 4. Advanced Methods Subtotal: 3 credits

Select one course

SOC 327 Advanced Sociological Methodology
Sociology 328 Qualitative Research Methods
Sociology 329 Evaluation Research
Sociology 3XX Advanced Social Statistics

Part 5. Electives Subtotal: 9 credits

A. Multi-Disciplinary Electives

Select one

AFR 215 Police and the Ghetto
ANT 330 American Cultural Pluralism and the Law
ANT 340 Anthropology and the Abnormal
ECO 315/PSC 315 An Economic Analysis of Crime
PSC 216 Crime Mapping
PSY 372 Psychology of Criminal Behavior
LIT 327 Crime and Punishment in Literature
LLS 325 The Latina/o Experience of Criminal Justice

B. Sociology Electives

Select two

SOC 201 Urban Sociology
SOC 206 Sociology of Conflict
SOC 222 Sociology of Mass Communication
SOC 240 Social Deviance
SOC 251 Sociology of Human Rights
SOC 302 Social Problems
SOC 305 The Sociology of Law
SOC 351 Crime and Delinquency in Asia
SOC 405 Social Systems/Modern Organizations
Sociology 2XX Race, Racism and Crime
SOC 202/PSY 202 The Family: Changes, Challenges, and Crisis Intervention

 

Total: 36 credits