CRJ 601 Crime, Justice and Morality
This course begins from the premise that any conception of justice necessarily has its foundation in a conception of morality and an understanding of what human begins are and what leads to their flourishing. Laws, then, are properly directed to promoting a conception of the human good. Students will examine a variety of foundational texts in Plato, Aristotle, and St. Thomas to develop a deep understanding of the interconnectivity of justice and morality and, when properly understood, their impact on an understanding of law and crime. The second part of the course will apply this classical understanding to modern approaches and dilemmas. Fundamentally, students will develop responses to the modern statement that “You cannot legislate morality” and examine whether this claim the very root of the social problems we see today. Students will be challenged to apply the classical approach to modern criminal justice issues.