Courses for Spring 2027

Title Instructor Location Time All taxonomy terms Description Section Description Cross Listings Fulfills Registration Notes Syllabus Syllabus URL Course Syllabus URL
CRIM 1100-401 Criminal Justice Dilara Bural MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM This course examines how the criminal justice system responds to crime in society. The course reviews the historical development of criminal justice agencies in the United States and Europe and the available scientific evidence on the effect these agencies have on controlling crime. The course places an emphasis on the functional creation of criminal justice agencies and the discretionary role decision makers in these agencies have in deciding how to enforce criminal laws and whom to punish. Evidence on how society measures crime and the role that each major criminal justice agency plays in controlling crime is examined from the perspective of crime victims, police, prosecutors, jurors, judges, prison officials, probation officers and parole board members. Using the model of social policy evaluation, the course asks students to consider how the results of criminal justice could be more effectively delivered to reduce the social and economic costs of crime. SOCI2921401 Society sector (all classes)
CRIM 2025-301 Transnational Crime Dilara Bural MW 5:15 PM-6:44 PM This course examines the complex and evolving landscape of transnational crime, which generates billions of dollars annually and operates across international borders. Far from the glamorized portrayals in popular media, the reality of transnational organized crime is rooted in fluid, global networks that thrive on illegal markets for drugs, firearms, human trafficking, counterfeit goods, and more. In this course students will explore the multifaceted nature of these crimes, their impact on global security, and their role in undermining economic, social, and political systems worldwide.
CRIM 2050-001 Technology in Criminal Justice Maria Cuellar MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM This course explores the integration of technology in the criminal justice system, focusing on its impact on law enforcement, judicial processes, and corrections. Students will examine cutting-edge technological tools such as forensic analysis, AI algorithms, predictive policing, ShotSpotter, and facial recognition. The course will emphasize the ethical and fairness implications of these technologies, questioning their efficacy and the potential for bias. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will critically analyze the benefits and challenges associated with the adoption of technology in criminal justice.
CRIM 2060-301 Crime and Human Development John M Macdonald TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM One of the central research problems in criminology is the relationship between human development and the likelihood of committing crime. This course will examine the tools for measuring the onset of crime, its persistence, intermittency, and desistence. These tools include the study of birth cohorts of everyone born in a certain time and place, life course studies of juvenile delinquents and non-delinquents, trajectory analysis of people studied from pre-school through middle age, and interviews with 70 year old former delinquents who reflect on how their life-course affected the crimes they committed. This course will also examine the research findings that have been produced using these tools. Students will be asked to consider what these findings imply for major theories of crime causation as well as policies for crime prevention.
CRIM 2090-301 Wrongful Convictions Charles E Loeffler R 1:45 PM-4:44 PM This course explores wrongful convictions from an interdisciplinary perspective. Using research from the disciplines of law, criminology, psychology and sociology, this course explores how legal errors occur and how they might be prevented in the future. Connections to quality control research and practice in other industries will also be examined. No prerequisites are required.
CRIM 4022-401 Juvenile Justice in the U.S. Charles E Loeffler R 8:30 AM-11:29 AM What should society do when children break the law? This seminar will explore the theory and practice of juvenile justice in the United States from the 18th century until the present. Using the lenses of legal history and policy evaluation we will explore the development and current state of juvenile justice policies, practices, and institutions. Students will be asked to assess the continuities and changes between different policy regimes as well as the risks and opportunities that they represent. Class visits by juvenile justice practitioners will provide another opportunity to learn about and explore these themes and topics. CRIM6022401
CRIM 6001-301 Pro-Sem in Crim Justice Anthony Braga T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM This course provides and overview of what we know about the criminal justice system in the United States and other developed nations. The central purpose of the course is to increas your knowledge about how the U.S. criminal justice system works but we will also spend a great deal of time thinking about the quality of the available evidence and how we know what we know. Topics covered will vary from year to year; recent topics have included police use of force, capital punishment, pre-trial detention, the use of predictive algorithms in the criminal justice system and the relationship between immigration and crime in the United States.
CRIM 6003-301 Res Meth/Crime Analysis Aaron J Chalfin M 10:15 AM-1:14 PM This course provides an overview of the application of social science research methods and data analysis to criminology. Students will learn research design principles and statistical techniques for the analysis of social science data, including how to interpret results as part of the rigorous practice of evidence-based criminology. M.S. students will conduct a semester-long, data-intensive crime analysis project using quantitative methods to address a specific research question. Student projects culminate with a poster presentation, an oral defense, and the submission of a written research paper.
CRIM 6022-401 Juvenile Justice in the U.S. Charles E Loeffler R 8:30 AM-11:29 AM What should society do when children break the law? This seminar will explore the theory and practice of juvenile justice in the United States from the 18th century until the present. Using the lenses of legal history and policy evaluation we will explore the development and current state of juvenile justice policies, practices, and institutions. Students will be asked to assess the continuities and changes between different policy regimes as well as the risks and opportunities that they represent. Class visits by juvenile justice practitioners will provide another opportunity to learn about and explore these themes and topics. CRIM4022401