Criminal Justice Courses & Descriptions

Professor KOHL, Section 80, Contemporary Issues in Policing: This course will provide students with an in-depth examination of contemporary policing practices and associated philosophies. Through discussion of current issues and challenges facing police, communities and individuals in America, the class will analyze the broad spectrum of contemporary policing practices employed and the positive and negative impacts of each. The course will compare and contrast evolving operational practices in policing, take an in-depth look at the diversification and broadening of police services, and conclude with an investigation and better understanding of how each of these policing alternatives might impact the future of policing in America.

Professor MILLER, Section 02, Comparative Crime and Punishment: In this class, we will explore the US case in a comparative context, seeking to understand variation in imprisonment in democratic countries. In order to do this, we will seek to understand what factors contribute to imprisonment, how and with what consequences crime becomes a political issue and what extremely high rates of violence and incarceration can tell us about politics and inequality more generally in the United States, compared to other democratic countries.