Three Required Foundation Course – (9 credits):

  • PSYC1125 Introductory to Social Service Advocacy {Crosslisted with CRIM1125]
  • PSYC3381 Field Placement
  • PSYC4391 Techniques of Psychotherapy

Two criminal justice courses – (6 credits) from the following:

  • CRIM 1130 Working with Children & Family
  • CRIM 2204 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
  • CRIM 2208 Victimology
  • CRIM 2246 School to Prison Pipeline
  • CRIM 3307 Domestic Violence
  • CRIM 3320 Interviewing & Counseling
  • CRIM 3322 Negotiation and Conflict Management
  • CRIM 3324 Community Resource Mgt.
  • CRIM 3326 Rehabilitative Strategies

Students who are majoring in Psychology are not permitted to enroll in this minor, Psychology majors may elect to complete the clinical social work track within their major and must complete a minor in another area.

Course Descriptions

  • CRIM1125 This course introduces the students to fundamental concepts and theories of social service advocacy, social work and explores the practical implication of these on organizations, communities, groups, families and individuals (the client). The course is centered on three major components of social work practice: 1) inequality and social justice; 2) social welfare policy and 3) social practice methods. The course will also explore human behavior and development as well as needs and services within the legal and organizational context of the discipline.

  • CRIM1130 This course is designed to prepare students with the knowledge, skills and ethics for effective practice in the field of child and family welfare. This course will explore the history, evolution and current status of child welfare policies, the service continuum provided to families and children and the socio-cultural context of child welfare practice. Enpowerment and strengths based perspectives will form the theoretical framework for practice skills. An emphasis will be placed on understanding public policies that support the basic needs of families, as well as policies governing the child welfare system and selected policies governing juvenile justice, adult criminal justice, mental health and educational systems.

  • CRIM2204 The objective of this course will be to offer the student a comprehensive overview of juvenile delinquency and its impact on society. It will examine the demands that delinquency places on schools, police, the courts, corrections and the community. Attention will focus on the history, trends, patterns, and extent of delinquency, along with the role gangs, family, peers, gender, and schools play in its development. The impact of the police, the courts, and juvenile corrections on reducing juvenile delinquency will also be examined.

  • CRIM2208 This course will focus on the criminal event from both the perspective of the victim and the motive of the offender. It will examine victimization patterns, typologies, lifestyles, causal factors, consequences and analyze the criminal justice system?s procedures, treatment and resources for crime victims. Also, it will utilize numerous case scenarios and analyze the dynamics of various violent crime for warning signs, criminal purpose/selection and strategies for individuals to reduce their risk of becoming crime victims.

  • CRIM2246 This course covers topics of special interest.

  • CRIM3307 This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining domestic violence. The cycle of violence, dominance, and control among adults and intimate partners will be explored from a sociological, criminological, and psychological perspective. The course will examine the criminal justice system?s response to the role of the police and proactive arrest policies, aggressive case prosecution, court-issued restraining orders, and anti-stalking legislation.

  • CRIM3320 Effective communication lies at the heart of the criminal justice enterprise. Every profession that is linked to the system has a requirement for skill in communication and the maintenance of resourceful states. Each student will be expected to learn the strategies of successful communication and change in an open model that will serve him or her through their undergraduate and professional careers. This course focuses specifically on the development of oral communication skills and the development of sensory acuity in communication.

  • CRIM3322 Criminal Justic professionals are regularly placed in positions where they must diffuse threats, negotiate between parties, and bring calm to potentially exposive situations. This course will examine the theoretical basis for and practice the skills and techniques for diffusing threats, calming, finding common ground and creating the basis for agreement and cooperation in interpersonal, inter-group, and other problem contexts.

  • CRIM3324 Criminal Justice professionals regularly encounter people who are in need of a host of services, including crisis management, legal and financial asistance, food, emergency housing or protective shelter, health care, mental health care and substance abuse treatment. This course will examine the kinds of problems typically encountered, the agencies that can supply these needs, levels of service, eligibility criteria, and how to navigate the various systems.

  • CRIM3326 Criminal Justice professionals are often charged with facilitating diversionary sentences, reducing recidivism, addressing a wide range of problem behaviors, and easing transition from prison life into normal society. This course will examine the problems, contexts, and techniques faced by criminal justice professionals charged with some facet of facilitating the rehabilitative process.

  • PSYC1125 This course introduces the students to fundamental concepts and theories of social service advocacy, social work, and explores the practical implication of these on organizations, communities, groups, families and individuals (the 'client'). The course is centered on three major components of social work practice: 1.) inequality and social justice; 2.) social welfare policy; and 3.) social practice methods. The course will also explore human behavior and development as well as needs and services within the legal and organizational context of the discipline.

  • PSYC3381 Supervised experience in community agencies for a minimum of 60 hours, plus a weekly two-hour seminar. Integration of psychological theory and practical applications. Recommended for juniors and seniors. Admission by permission of the instructor.

  • PSYC4391 Techniques used by several schools of psychotherapy and research in the field. Application of behavioral principles to behavior and relationship variables in therapy. Prerequisite: PSYC 1102 General Psychology II and either PSYC 1115 Psychology of Adjustment, PSYC 3315 Abnormal Psychology, or PSYC 3384 Theories of Personality.