NSU 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog

332 Nova Southeastern University • Undergraduate Student Catalog • 2014–2015 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS crime by exploring the contemporary and historical experience of marginal groups in the criminal justice system. Widely held beliefs regarding the treatment of minority groups by the criminal justice system will be critically evaluated to understand the relationship between crime and marginality in theory and practice. The political influence of minority groups on criminal justice practice and policy formulation is also examined. Substantive areas explored include racial profiling, hate crimes, disparate arrest rates and sentencing, (including the death penalty) of marginal groups, and the experience of minority practitioners in the criminal justice system. Prerequisite: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3100 Juvenile Delinquency (3 credits) An orientation to the issues, policies and procedures that make up the juvenile justice system. This course will cover the historical and theoretical principals of juvenile justice, including the functions and legal responsibilities of the police, probation, juvenile court, and the juvenile corrections system in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on the social forces that cause children to become involved in the juvenile justice system. Prerequisite: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3220 Policing (3 credits) This course covers the historical development of policing, current trends, education, training, models of policing and ethical implications. Students will explore the role that police play in society as well as their relationship with the communities that they serve. Additionally, state and federal levels of law enforcement will be reviewed. Prerequisites: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3250 Interviewing, Interrogation, and Report Writing (3 credits) This course will cover the gathering of information by law enforcement officials from individuals in both an interview and interrogation environment. Emphasis will be placed upon preparation for questioning, discussion setting, general questioning techniques, specific offender type strategies, recognition of deception, obtaining admissions, documentation of confessions, ethical aspects of investigations and legal rights of those interviewed/ interrogated. Further, the composition and writing of reports will be covered with an emphasis on clarity, precision and brevity. Prerequisites: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3300 Corrections in America (3 credits) An analysis of corrections with an in-depth view of the major components of the field. Emphasis is placed on the various systems of corrections, the practice of corrections, institutional custody, community-based corrections, probation and parole, the correctional client and the death penalty. Special attention will be given to trends in incarceration rates, including race, ethnicity, sex, special offenders and enhanced sentencing. Prerequisite: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3400 Criminal Investigations (3 credits) This course will cover the fundamentals of investigation, crime scene search and recording, the collection, documenting and submission of evidence, scientific aids to criminal investigation, interviews and interrogation, follow-up investigation and case preparation. Emphasis is placed on the investigation of specific crimes, identification of information sources and procedures required for the handling of evidence. Also discussed are the legal elements of the crimes and field techniques for the gathering of data and presentation of cases to the courts. Prerequisites: CRJU 1100. CRJU 3500 Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections (3 credits) This course explores the historical development and current administration of probation, parole, and other community corrections strategies in the United States. Topics covered include sentencing structures, supervision strategies, the pre-sentence investigation report, and the role and function of probation and parole officers. Students are exposed to current research and evaluate factors that may contribute to success or failure of community corrections programs. Prerequisite: CRJU 3300. CRJU 3600 Comparative Criminal Justice: Spain (3 credits) This course examines the legal and criminal justice systems of select nations with a special focus on the criminal justice system of Spain. It highlights the differing approaches used by various countries to “the crime problem”, as they compare to the U.S. justice model. This course also addresses the influence of different historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors on the structures of legal institutions and systems of justice. Given the course’s special focus on Spain’s criminal justice system, required Spring Break travel to Spain will include visits to criminal justice agencies and facilities, along with interactions with criminal justice professionals and students. Students will identify and analyze points of convergence and divergence between the United States and Spain on perceived causes of crimes and approaches to crime prevention and control. Prerequisites: CRJU 1100 or LGST 2500 or LEGS 1150 or INST 1500 or POLS 1200 or INB 3550. CRJU 3700 The CSI Effect: Media and Criminal Justice (3 credits) This course illustrates how media coverage and television programs influence the public’s perception of criminal justice. Fiction is often mistaken for reality, and this phenomenon, known as the “CSI Effect,” adds to the assumption that all criminal cases can be easily solved by the employment of high-tech forensic science, as depicted on television crime shows. This course explores the common misperceptions and their consequences, through