Criminal Justice Studies Minor
Coordinator: Associate Professor McClearn
The Criminal Justice Studies program engages students in the interdisciplinary study of crime and criminal justice, primarily within the United States. Students gain an understanding of the psychological and sociological dimensions of crime as well as insights into the workings of the criminal justice system and its components. Students examine both academic and applied aspects of the field. Ethical implications and critical analysis of issues are stressed.
The most common majors for students who minor in criminal justice studies are psychology, human service studies, sociology and political science. However, students have found that the criminal justice studies minor can serve as a valuable complement to a wide array of majors, including journalism, biology, business and philosophy.
Criminal justice studies students are encouraged to engage in experiences that move beyond the classroom, such as internships, research and independent study. Internships taken in applied settings, such as local law enforcement agencies, prisons, the court system, law offices and a medical examiner’s laboratory have proven exciting and educationally beneficial to criminal justice studies minors. In collaboration with relevant faculty, students have conducted research and independent study on a diverse array of topics, including punitiveness toward criminals, illicit drug use, police personality, psychopathology and crime, serial killers, and the relevance of thinking styles and personality traits to violent behavior.
Students are also encouraged to participate in the Crime Studies Club, a student organization involved in a host of activities related to crime and the criminal justice system. Members of the club have organized field trips to such places as forensics laboratories and prisons. Additionally, the club has hosted nationally prominent experts who have spoken on such topics as designer drugs, forensic science and the profiling of serial killers, as well as career opportunities in the realm of criminal justice.
Many criminal justice studies minors choose to continue their education after obtaining the bachelor’s degree from Elon. They have entered graduate programs in sociology, political science, social services, psychology, forensic science, criminal justice, law and others. Students who choose to enter a career upon graduation have found employment in law enforcement (at the local, state or federal level), prisons and social work.
Minor Requirements:
Required courses: 12 sh
Select eight semester hours of electives from the following: 8 sh
| CJS 171-79 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 2-4 sh |
| CJS 271-79 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 2-4 sh |
| CJS 371-79 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 2-4 sh |
| CJS 255 | ORGANIZED CRIME | 4 sh |
| CJS 481 | INTERNSHIP IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 2-4 sh |
| CJS 491 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | 1-4 sh |
| CJS 499 | RESEARCH | 1-4 sh |
| CHM 132 | CSI: REALITY - CHEMISTRY FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR | 4 sh |
| COR 405 | PRISON NATION: DECONSTRUCTING THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX | 4 sh |
| COR 431 | INVESTIGATING CRIME FICTION: TAMING THE SLEUTH | 4 sh |
| HSS 369 | JUVENILE JUSTICE | 4 sh |
| HSS 349 | VIOLENCE IN FAMILIES | 4 sh |
| HSS 351 | GLOBAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | 4 sh |
| PHL 341 | PHILOSOPHY OF LAW | 4 sh |
| PHL 356 | RESTORATIVE JUSTICE | 4 sh |
| POL 324 | CIVIL LIBERTIES | 4 sh |
| PSY 314 | PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW | 4 sh |
| SOC 315 | DRUGS AND SOCIETY | 4 sh |
| SOC 342 | SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF DEVIANCE | 4 sh |
| SOC 356 | GENDER AND CRIME | 4 sh |
Other courses may be submitted for approval to the program coordinator.
Total Credit Hours: 20