Jul 01, 2024  
GRCC Curriculum Database (2024-2025 Academic Year) 
    
GRCC Curriculum Database (2024-2025 Academic Year)
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CJ 111 - Criminology


Description
In this course, students analyze social-psychological perspectives on crime. Historical and current theories of the causes of criminal behavior are examined. Various crimes such as white collar crimes, violent sex, and victimless crimes are also studied.
Credit Hours: 3
Contact Hours: 3
School: School of Business & Industry
Department: Criminal Justice
Discipline: CJ
Last Revision Date Effective: 2017-03-03 20:30:10
Course Review & Revision Year: 2025-2026
Course Type:
Program Requirement- Offering designed to meet the learning needs of students in a specific GRCC program.
Course Format:
Lecture - 1:1

General Education Requirement: None
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
NA
Course Learning Outcomes:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of what criminology is, how it evolved, and what criminologists do in their work.
  2. Understand how criminologists view crime.
  3. Articulate the distinction between recent crime trends and patterns of crime.
  4. Evaluate the nature, extent, and causation of crime and critique the major criminological theories as it relates to criminal behavior.
  5. Identify the various forms of crime: violent, property, public order, white collar, green collar and cyber crimes.
  6. Examine the ecology of diet and crime.
  7. Understand the institutional nature of criminal justice, including disparities associated with race, class, and gender.
  8. Understand the concept of Restorative Justice.
  9. Understand the concept of Victimization.
  10. Understand biases and stereotypes and how they are disproportionately applied to minority groups, impacting treatment.
  11. Create a written summary of the main ideas extracted from information gathered. 
  12. Apply creativity thinking skills and alternative thinking to brainstorm new ideas and possible solutions to problems or issues. 

 


Approved for Online Delivery?: Yes
Course Outline:
I. Define Criminology: 

A. A scientific approach to studying criminal behavior 

B. Involves the disciplines of sociology, psychology, political science, economics and natural science 

C. Distinguish between criminal justice and criminology

D. Criminal statistics

II. How Criminologists View Crime: 

A. The consensus view of crime 

B. The conflict view of crime 

C. The interaction view of crime 

III. Crime and Deviance

A. Defining crime 

B. Defining Deviance

IV. Crime Trends: 

A. Self-reporting surveys crime trends 

B. Trends in violent crimes 

C. Trends in property crimes 

D. Trends in NCC reports 

E. Trends in self-reporting

V. Forms of Crime: 

A. Crimes against property

B. Crimes against persons

VI. Nutrition and Crime: 

A. Diet and crime

B. Neurophysiology conditions and crime

C. Evaluation of boo-social branch of train theory

VII. Psychological Traits and Characteristics: 

A. Personality and crime 

B. Intelligence and crime 

VIII. Restorative Justice: 

A. Re- integrative shaming 

B. The concept of restorative justice 

C. The process of restoration 

D. The challenge of restorative justice 

IX. The Nature of Victimization: 

A. The social ecology of victimization 

B. The victim’s household 

C. Victim characteristics 

D. Victims and their criminals 

X. Social Structure Theories: 

A. Strain Theory 

B. Social Disorganization Theory 

C. Cultural Deviance Theory

D. Social Learning Theories: 

1. Differential Association Theory 

2. Neutralization Theory 

XI. Causes of Violent Crime: 

A. Psychological abnormality 

B. Substance abuse 

C. Socialization and upbringing 

D. Exposure to violence 

E. Cultural values/subculture of violence 

F. History of rape 

G. Types of rape and rapists 

H. Murder and homicide

I. Degrees of murder 

J. Types of robbery 

XII. White-Collar Crimes: 

A. Embezzlement 

B. Employee fraud 

C. Bribery

           D. Organized crime: 

       1. Characteristics of organized crime 

       2. Activities of organized crime 

       3. The concept of organized crime 

       4. Contemporary organized crime groups 

       5. Controlling organized crime 

XIII. Cultural Awareness: 

A. Disproportionate application of minority groups

B. Bias and stereotypes 

XIV. Crime Pattern: 

A. Age and crime 

B. Gender and crime 

C. Race and crime 

D. Chronic offenders/career criminals


Mandatory CLO Competency Assessment Measures:
None
Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: None
Instructional Strategies:
Lecture: 50-95%

Multi Media Presentation: 0-5%

Facilitated Instruction: 0-20%

Group Exercises: 5-15%

Guest Speaker: 0-10%


Mandatory Course Components:
- Must cover at least 8 theories.

- Evidence mastery through qualitative and quantitative research project.

- Court Observations

- Use rubrics to grade assigments


Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: None
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corerequisite(s): None
Course-Specific Placement Test: None
Course Aligned with IRW: IRW 97, IRW 98, IRW 99
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required
Total Lecture Hours Per Week: 3
Faculty Credential Requirements:
18 graduate credit hours in discipline being taught (HLC Requirement), Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details: Standard requirements for the Criminal Justice Department apply.
General Room Request: None
Maximum Course Enrollment: 32
Equivalent Courses: None
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
Programs Where This Courses is a Requirement:
Juvenile Services, A.A.A.S., Law Enforcement, A.A.A.S., Pre-Criminal Justice, A.A. (General Transfer)
People Soft Course ID Number: 100864
Course CIP Code: 43.9999
High School Articulation Agreements exist?: No
If yes, with which high schools?: NA
Non-Credit GRCC Agreement exist?: No
If yes, with which Departments?: NA
Corporate Articulation Agreement exist?: No
If yes, with which Companies?: NA



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