Criminology, Bachelor of Arts
Criminology is the study of crimes, criminals, crime victims, theories explaining illegal and deviant behavior, the social reaction to crime and criminals, the effectiveness of anti-crime policies and the broader political terrain of social control. The major contains courses in sociology, other social science disciplines and the humanities. Students who are planning to attend graduate or professional schools and students who are currently working in criminal justice or other public service fields as well as those planning to do so in the future will find this major of interest.
Learning Outcomes. Students will:
- Know the core literature and debates that make up the discipline of criminology.
- Understand the key components of criminological theory and apply theory to specific contexts.
- Understand the methods of criminological research.
- Make reasoned and informed judgments on issues relating to crime and punishment.
- Organize thoughts and communicate arguments effectively in writing.
Credits Required.
| Criminology Major |
39-42 |
| General Education |
42 |
| Electives |
36-39
|
| Total Credits Required for B.A. Degree |
120 |
Coordinator. Professor Andrew Karmen, Fall 2022 (212-237.8695, akarmen@jjay.cuny.edu) and David Brotherton, Spring 2023 (dbrotherton@jjay.cuny.edu)., Department of Sociology.
Advising resources. Criminology and Sociology Advising, contact socadvising@jjay.cuny.edu. Visit the department's website for advising resources (course worksheet and advising handbook). Criminology Advising Resources (including Sample Four-Year Advising Plans.
Honors option. To qualify for honors in the major, a student must have completed the credit requirements for the major and have earned at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average in courses above the 100-level in the major. Credit for courses required as prerequisites for major courses applied to the major will not be calculated into the major cumulative grade point average. Students must have also earned at least a 3.2 overall cumulative grade point average. This honor will be noted on the student’s transcript.
Experiential Learning Opportunities. The Criminology major offers students a wide variety of experiential learning opportunities. Many students take tours of state and federal correctional facilities and also to museums as part of their class studies. Students are offered opportunities to conduct original research under the supervision of a faculty member with those who have been caught up in the criminal justice system. Students are also able to take classes with prison inmates as part of cooperative programs established by the college under the Prison to College Pipeline program. In their junior and senior years, students can also participate in an internship course, SOC 378.
Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in Fall 2017 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose either the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained in the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Bulletin.
Foundation courses
RequiredTotal Credit Hours: 3-6
Advisor recommendation: SOC 101 will fulfill the Flexible Core: Individual and Society area and MAT 108 or MAT 141 can fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning area of the General Education program depending on students mathematics placement.
Part One. Disciplinary Requirements
Required
| SOC 203 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOC 314 | Theories of Social Order | 3 |
| SOC 440 | Senior Seminar in Criminology | 3 |
| SSC 325 | Research Methods in Criminology and Sociology | 3 |
| STA 250 | Principles and Methods of Statistics | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 15
Part Two. Applications of Criminology
Select three (two courses must be at the 300-level or above)Total Credit Hours: 9
Part Three. Advanced Methods
Select one course
| SOC 324 | Advanced Social Statistics | 3 |
| SOC 327 | Advanced Sociological Methodology | 3 |
| SOC 328 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| SOC 329 | Evaluation Research | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 3
Part Four. Electives
A. Multi–Disciplinary Electives
Select one
| AFR 215 | Police and Urban Communities | 3 |
| AFR 317 | Environmental Racism | 3 |
| ANT 230 | Culture and Crime | 3 |
| ANT 330 | American Cultural Pluralism, Justice and the Law | 3 |
| ANT 340 | Anthropology and the Abnormal | 3 |
| ECO 315/PSC 315 | An Economic Analysis of Crime | 3 |
| LAW 310/PHI 310 | Ethics and Law | 3 |
| LIT 326 | Crime, Punishment and Justice in U.S. Literature | 3 |
| LIT 327 | Crime, Punishment and Justice in World Literature | 3 |
| LLS 325 | Latinx Experience of Criminal Justice | 3 |
| LLS 341 | Immigrant Rights in the Americas | 3 |
| PSC 216 | Crime Mapping | 3 |
| PSY 242 | Psychological Disorders and Distress (formerly Abnormal Psychology) | 3 |
| PSY 332 | Psychology of Adolescence | 3 |
| PSY 372 | Psychology of Criminal Behavior | 3 |
B. Sociology Electives
Select two
| SOC 201 | Urban Sociology: The Study of City Life | 3 |
| SOC 202 | Sociology of Families | 3 |
| SOC 206 | The Sociology of Conflict and Dispute Resolution | 3 |
| SOC 213 | Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOC 222 | Crime, Media and Public Opinion | 3 |
| SOC 240 | Social Deviance | 3 |
| SOC 251 | Sociology of Human Rights | 3 |
| SOC 386 | Selected Topics in Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 302 | Social Problems | 3 |
| SOC 305 | The Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOC 350 | Social Change | 3 |
| SOC 377 | Internships for Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 387 | Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Sociology | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 9
Total Credit Hours: 39-42