CJ 200 Crime and Justice in America: The Issues (5 credits)
Distribution Area Fulfilled General Transfer Elective
Course Description
This course examines the intersections of social justice, privilege, and the U.S. criminal justice system. Students analyze how social identity factors (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, etc.) influence institutional values, public policy, and criminal justice practices. The course emphasizes theoretical frameworks, cross-cultural communication skills, and the assessment of systemic change initiatives. Students evaluate how proposed reforms in law, policy, and procedure affect various stakeholders and explore strategies for effective conflict resolution in diverse contexts.
Course Content
A. Effective cross cultural communication skills to assist in resolving conflicts
B. Cultural impacts on the criminal justice system
C. The major theoretical arguments in the controversies discussed in class to include examining various aspects of social identity including ethnicity, “race”, gender, hetero-sexism, socioeconomic, class, etc.
D. The social values underlying various positions in the controversies discussed in class
E. The organizational and institutional values and needs which support the status quo and/or conflict with proposed changes in law, policy, and procedure discussed in class
F. System-wide impact of proposed changes in law, policy, and procedure discussed in class
G. Social impact of and public response to proposed changes in law, policy, and procedure discussed in class
H. Social and criminal justice theories, trends, and practices in the United States
Student Outcomes
1. Analyze the systemic impact of social identity factors (ethnicity, race, gender, privilege, socioeconomic class) on criminal justice processes and outcomes.
2. Apply cross-cultural communication strategies to resolve conflicts in diverse criminal justice settings.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice theories, practices, and policies in addressing contemporary social issues.
4. Assess how personal and professional biases influence decision-making in criminal justice contexts.
5. Construct evidence-based arguments about criminal justice issues using empirical data.
6. Analyze the organizational impact of policy reforms on criminal justice agencies and their stakeholders.
Degree Outcomes
Program Outcome: Graduates will build knowledge of diverse ideas, values, perspectives and experiences.
Intercultural Engagement: Graduates demonstrate self-efficacy in intercultural engagement to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through reflections and expressions of cultural humility, empathy, and social and civic engagement and action. Further, graduates examine how identities/positionalities such as races, social classes, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and cultures impact perceptions, actions, and the distribution of power and privilege in communities, systems, and institutions.
Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking: Graduates will evaluate, analyze and synthesize information and ideas in order to construct informed, meaningful and justifiable conclusions.
Effective Communication: Graduates will be able to craft and exchange ideas and information in a variety of situations, in response to audience, context, purpose, and motivation.
Information Literacy: Graduates will be critical users, creators, and disseminators of information by examining how information is created, valued, and influenced by power and privilege.
Global Citizenship: Graduates will be able to critically examine the relationship between self, community, and/or environments, and to evaluate and articulate potential impacts of choices, actions, and contributions for the creation of sustainable and equitable systems.
Lecture Contact Hours 50
Lab Contact Hours 0
Clinical Contact Hours 0
Total Contact Hours 50
Potential Methods
A. Essay
B. Project
C. Presentation
D. Portfolio, paper
E. Group activity
F. Peer evaluation
G. Learning lab
H. Instructor observation
I. Journal
J. Self evaluation
K. Paper
L. Assessment Center
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