Criminology, Sociology, and Justice Studies

Department Chair - Boser-Kane

Associate Professors - Poteet, Stough-Hunter

Assistant Professors - Klainot-Hess

The department of Criminology, Sociology, and Justice Studies offers majors in Criminology and Sociology and offers minors related to all three fields. Major and minor requirements are found in the “Criminology, Sociology, and Justice Studies” section of this Bulletin.

Sociology is the systematic study of society, social institutions, social organization, and social behavior, focusing primarily on the influence of social relationships upon people’s attitudes and behaviors and on how societies are established and changed. Sociology has an extremely broad scope, encompassing, for example, the study of social inequality, including gender, ethnicity, race, and social class. A major goal of sociology is to identify underlying and recurring patterns that shape and influence social existence and behavior across a wide range of dimensions and social relations.

Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behavior, including the causes of crime, the definition of criminality, and the societal reaction to criminal activity. Related areas of inquiry may include juvenile justice, victimology (the study of crime victims), the criminal justice system, and white-collar crime. The criminology major requires students to complete course work in criminology and sociology.

Mission Statement for Sociology, Criminology, and Justice Studies

Through high impact practices like collaborative coursework, research, internships, and community-based work, undergraduate students in the Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Justice Studies develop the skills that allow them to lead and engage people, policies, and places by training them to think critically about social problems and evaluate solutions. Every student is prepared to pursue endeavors in a wide range of professions and fields, including graduate school, law, social services, nonprofits, and corrections. The program emphasizes a sustained commitment to social and civic responsibility, lifelong learning, and an appreciation of diverse perspectives that draw from many liberal arts disciplines.

Sociology, Criminology, and Justice Studies Learning Outcomes

Identify, describe, and analyze the significance and complexity of the diversity of society (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, age, etc.)
Assess the role of theory in shaping sociological and criminological knowledge.
Demonstrate, examine, and critically analyze how social and structural factors influence human behaviors and the development of social existence.
Communicate sociological and/or criminological ideas clearly and coherently in a variety of formats and to diverse audiences.
Apply critical thinking skills to social phenomena.
Illustrate the importance of civic and ethical engagement and how applying the sociological perspective can reduce social problems in communities, society, and the world.
Recognize and ethically apply basic social science research methods, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
Author a culminating artifact that integrates curricular and co-curricular learning.

Curriculum

Integrated with Capital University’s liberal arts core educational goals, our majors and minors prepare students with a curriculum that reflects a commitment to human understanding of social diversity and ethical practice in the pursuit of knowledge, professional careers, and graduate study. In the advancement of knowledge, students throughout the curriculum are assigned classical and contemporary scholarly works, journal articles, and research material.

As a community of learners, thinkers, and scholars, students may have opportunities to participate in faculty supervised internships in local, state, and federal agencies, as well as businesses, and community-based organizations. Students with high academic achievement majoring in Sociology or Criminology may qualify to be nominated to honor societies: Alpha Kappa Delta for sociology majors and Alpha Phi Sigma for criminology majors.

Under the direction and/or supervision of the faculty, students have the option to complete research on specialized topics, and pursue additional majors and minors in, e.g., sociology, criminology, psychology, social justice, cultural studies, business, environmental science, international studies, and computational science.

A strong liberal arts curriculum is an integral element of an undergraduate major in any of the social sciences and a vital component of professional practice and lifelong learning. In addition to major requirements, students fulfill the undergraduate Signature Learning outcomes and develop an individual degree plan of study.