CRJU 365
Diversity Issues in the Criminal Justice System
1. Catalog Entry
CRJU 365
Diversity Issues in the Criminal Justice System
Credit hours (3)
Prerequisites: CRJU 100 and SOCY 110; declared major or minor in Criminal Justice
or enrollment in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, or permission of the instructor.
Provides an overview of social class, gender, race, and ethnicity issues as related to criminal justice. Major emphasis will be on developing a student understanding of the roles gender, race and social class have on structuring historical and current experiences within the U.S. culture and the effects that social class, gender and race have on the lives of people within the context of contemporary issues of justice. This course may be used to meet requirements for the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.
2. Detailed Description of Course
1) Adaptation and Racial Antiquity
a. Races as Populations
b. Evolution of Human Cultures
2) Historical Development of Women’s Issues
3) The Measurement and Impact of Social Class
4) Criminal Justice as Social Institution
5) Women, Minorities and the System of Criminal Justice
a. Police, Courts, and Corrections
6) Social Process and Population Trends
a. The Urban and Rural Environment
b. “Minorities” and Criminality
c. Theories of Female Criminality
7) The Future of Women and Minorities in the Criminal Justice System
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
A number of instructional strategies will be used, including but not limited to: lecture,
case studies, student presentations, group learning projects, written assignments
(e.g., exams, research papers), discussion of documentaries, films, and other examples
of popular culture.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:
1) Develop an understanding of the evolution of race as well as an understanding
of historical issues pertaining to women in the criminal justice system.
2) Demonstrate a sensitivity to social class, gender, and race differences and
the broad range of social problems that presently confront our criminal justice system.
3) Demonstrate the ability to communicate orally to the extent that the student
can present ideas within a group setting or part of a group panel.
4) Demonstrate the ability to communicate ideas and thoughts through writing exercises.
5. Assessment Measures
Students will be evaluated on several bases, including but not limited to class discussions,
exams, written assignments, book reviews, and oral and written group presentations.
6. Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
June 20, 2015
March 01, 2021