Criminal Justice (CJ)
Subject-area course lists indicate courses currently active for offering at the University of Louisville. Not all courses are scheduled in any given academic term. For class offerings in a specific semester, refer to the Schedule of Classes.
500-level courses generally are included in both the undergraduate- and graduate-level course listings; however, specific course/section offerings may vary between semesters. Students are responsible for ensuring that they enroll in courses that are applicable to their particular academic programs.
Course Fees
Some courses may carry fees beyond the standard tuition costs to cover additional support or materials. Program-, subject- and course-specific fee information can be found on the Office of the Bursar website.
CJ 500. Crime and Criminal Justice in Film3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.
Description: Examines media representations of the criminal justice system within a historical context and global perspective, highlighting the congruence and disparities between popular film and reality.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 505. International Terrorism3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Description: Explores international terrorism and terrorist organizations, including their causes, operations, funding, and future threats. Covers biological, chemical, nuclear, and cyber terrorism, as well as the media's influence on terrorism and counter-terrorism efforts.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 507. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design3 Units
Description: Introduces Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Emphasizes opportunity theories of crime and their application, and explores strategies for preventing crime by modifying the built environment.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 509. Crime Analysis3 Units
Description: Covers introductory techniques of crime analysis and mapping, focusing on applying theoretical concepts to crime data.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 510. Managing Conflict, Change, and Justice3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Description: Explores the interpersonal and social aspects of conflict and essential practices for conflict resolution. Analyzes human dynamics in conflicts, emphasizing the significance of conflict management in building relationships and promoting equity, fairness, and peace.
Note: Cross-listed with SCHG 510.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 516. Seminar in Juvenile Justice Issues3 Units
Description: An interdisciplinary seminar examining conflicting perspectives within the juvenile justice system and related issues. Topics include an overview of the juvenile justice system, treatment and prevention programs, unique laws affecting juveniles, and other pertinent themes.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 517. Gangs in the United States3 Units
Description: Examines gangs, including their history, definitions, and the criminal justice system's response. Covers theories of gang involvement, current trends, and prevention and intervention strategies, offering an overview of the complexities of gang activity and its impact on communities and criminal justice policy.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 519. Domestic and Family Violence3 Units
Description: Explores the dynamics of family violence, focusing on intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and abuse of older adults across diverse family structures and life stages.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 520. Capital Punishment - WR3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or consent of instructor.
Description: Explores issues related to the death penalty, including constitutional questions, the impact of death row incarceration, and public attitudes, with a special focus on research findings from Kentucky.
Note: Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 521. Corporate and Financial Crime - WR3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Prerequisite(s): CJ 200 and CJ 305, or consent of instructor.
Description: Explores corporate and financial crime, focusing on key concepts, theoretical explanations, and the extent and nature of these offenses across various sectors, including both public and private organizations.
Note: Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 522. Serial and Mass Murder3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or consent of instructor.
Description: Examines serial and mass murder in the United States, focusing on the relationship between these crimes and factors such as race, gender, media portrayal, and behavioral analysis. Explores the impact of mass murder on communities, including political and religious ideologies, affected institutions, and the responses from law enforcement, community members, and policymakers.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 523. Race and Gender in Criminal Justice - WR3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or consent of faculty.
Description: Examines the dynamics of racial discrimination and disparity in the United States and their impact on the criminal justice system.
Note: Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 530. Introduction to Homeland Security3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Description: Outlines the philosophy, purpose, and rationale for a dedicated government agency focused on domestic security. Explores issues related to international and domestic terrorism and their effects on homeland security trends.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 576. Managing Organizational Performance3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of department chair.
Description: Examination of factors affecting the management of organizational performance. Designed to help participants develop conceptual diagnostic and problem solving skills required of strategic managers in contemporary law enforcement organizations.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 577. Trauma Informed Policing3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Restricted to students enrolled in the Southern Police Institute's Administrative Officers Course.
Description: Trauma informed policing focuses on how law enforcement can improve police community interactions, service to the public, and internal operations through adopting a trauma informed approach. This course will discuss evidence-based methods to recognize, understand, and appropriately respond to trauma experienced by victims, offenders, and police officers.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 578. Criminal Justice Leadership - WR3 Units
Description: Through the use of lectures and case studies (films), participants will be provided with a cognitive understanding of leadership that emphasizes the study of leadership models and theories. Study and evaluation of various leadership styles and processes.
Note: Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 580. International Service Learning: Criminal Justice Seminar3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Approval of program director.
Description: Study of criminology and criminal justice with a cross cultural perspective. Comparative criminal justice research regarding particular problems and issues in the host country will be conducted and examined.
Note: Travel outside the United States is required.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 596. Seminar in Criminal Justice3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Description: Explores selected topics in Criminal Justice.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 597. Ethics in Criminal Justice - WR3 Units
Term Typically Offered: Occasionally Offered
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or consent of instructor.
Description: Studies ethics and ethical decision-making in the criminal justice system.
Note: Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 602. Criminal Justice History3 Units
Description: A study of the historical development of criminal justice agencies in the United States. The origin and influence of various European concepts of criminal justice and how they relate to past and present ideas in the United States.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 605. Police and Society3 Units
Description: An examination of the police function as a component of the political system in the United States. The manner in which police give substance to the political system and are formed by it in turn. The interaction of the police with other governmental institutions in the political system.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 606. Personnel Management in the Criminal Justice System3 Units
Description: Focus is on contemporary personnel management problems confronting agencies in the criminal justice system. Both the historical and the theoretical developments of personnel management are analyzed. Alternatives to current management procedures and systems are presented.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 607. Seminar in Law and Justice3 Units
Description: Study of the premises, theories and research in the study of the relationship between law, society and justice. Emphasis is on the classics as well as selected modern and contemporary research.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 609. Economic Analysis of Crime3 Units
Description: A study of the economic scope of crime. The role of illegal gambling, loan sharking, labor racketeering, and legitimate business infiltration. The cost of crimes against property. The economic characteristic of high crime jurisdictions. Preventive programs and their costs.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 610. Theoretical Foundation of Corrections3 Units
Description: A study of the psychological, sociological, political, and economic factors which contributed to the concept of corrections. The evolution of correctional thought and its role in contemporary and future reforms.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 611. Critical Issues in Corrections3 Units
Description: In-depth examination of contemporary issues in sentencing and corrections in our society. Particular emphasis will be given to best practices: recent policies and programs that have been developed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of sentencing and corrections within our society.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 612. Criminal Justice Administration: Police3 Units
Description: An examination of the functions of police in society; principles of law enforcement organizations, administration, policy formulation, and management of personnel; statutory limitations on authority and jurisdiction.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 613. Advanced Comparative Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: In-depth examination of international legal systems and their related criminal justice systems including analysis of patterns of international crime and global criminal justice issues.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 614. Seminar in Policing3 Units
Description: In-depth examination of contemporary issues facing police in our society. Particular emphasis will be given to police innovation: recent policies and programs that have been developed to enhance the police function of crime prevention (societal protection) and community relations (service).
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 621. The Criminal Justice System3 Units
Description: A study of the criminal justice system in the United States. A systems approach to the study of criminal justice and the interrelationships of the various components of the system. Social and political issues related to the criminal justice system are examined in depth.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 625. Legal Aspects of Criminal Justice Management3 Units
Description: Examination of the legal issues within criminal justice management, the effects of constitutional provisions, statutes, ordinances, and judicial decisions on justice administration. A discussion of the legal aspects of selection, promotion, assignment, and termination of justice employees.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 626. Emergency Management3 Units
Description: This course is an overview of emergency management in the United States and will focus on the four phases of the emergency management process: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 627. Computer and Cyber Crime3 Units
Description: This course examines advanced legal, policy and technical issues of computer, digital and electronic crime, including issues with digital & computational forensics, information security and privacy. Class participation, writing and oral presentations will be integral components of the course.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 630. Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience3 Units
Description: This course will address U.S. key infrastructures and assets, potential threats to these, their major vulnerabilities, methods used to assess these vulnerabilities and current U.S. policy pertaining to infrastructure and asset protection.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 643. Theories of Crime and Delinquency3 Units
Description: A study of the psychological and sociological factors involved in criminal and delinquent behavior. The relationship of theory to the prevention and control of crime, treatment of offenders and administration of respective criminal justice agencies.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 644. Seminar in Juvenile Justice3 Units
Description: Theoretical and empirical study of the etiology, distribution and extent of delinquency; problems involved in measuring delinquency; role of the police, courts and legal statutes; critical examination of treatment and prevention programs.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 649. Applied Statistics in Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: Focuses on the use of statistical techniques in criminal justice. Emphasis on the application and interpretation of the statistics. Utilization of statistical application computer systems.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 650. Research Methods3 Units
Description: The application of quantitative and qualitative analyses in criminal justice research. The concepts of validity, hypothesis, reliability, measurement, sampling, quasi-experimental construction, errors in reasoning, and statistics and approaches to the problems of the conduct of stringent and useful research.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 652. Constitutional Issues in Criminal Justice3 Units
Prerequisite(s): CJ 625 or instructor consent.
Description: An in depth study of the US Constitution and US Supreme Court including history, structure and application of Constitutional rights and privileges.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 653. Communities and Crime3 Units
Description: This course explores community-level theory and research within criminology. We will trace the development of community-level criminological theory and research from the work of Shaw and McKay to the work of contemporary scholars. Our tracing of this development will involve exploration of theoretical and methodological issues such as: the conceptualization and measurement of social disorganization, structural versus cultural effects in community models, social versus physical environmental effects, the role of community disorder in community crime models, the role of fear in community crime models, macro-level interactions within community-level models of crime, and use of theoretical integration and multi-level models in community crime research.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 655. International Perspectives on Violence3 Units
Description: The course will discuss violence as a global phenomenon and will attempt to determine what is universal and what varies when cross-cultural comparisons of violent criminal behavior are made. In addition, the course will focus on the effects of globalization on the criminal justice field and will discuss important issues related to international crime, international law, and international law enforcement.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 656. Crime Mapping3 Units
Description: This course will investigate theories, concepts, principles, and tools involved in better understanding crime incidents and crime patterns. Included will be weekly lab work following step-by-step tutorials that will provide students with a working knowledge of mapping software. Analyzing and interpreting a high-frequency Louisville crime problem and identifying police-based crime prevention techniques from the literature will be the subject of a final research project.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 665. Special Topics in Justice and Criminology3 Units
Description: Study of contemporary issues concerning the philosophy, management, and operations of criminal justice agencies.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 670. Directed Studies/Readings3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of chair and instructor.
Description: Independent study or research project under the direction of a member of the faculty.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 690. Practicum1-6 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of chair.
Description: To practice and to conduct research in a criminal justice or supporting agency under both professional and academic supervisors.
Course Attribute(s): CBL - This course includes Community-Based Learning (CBL). Students will engage in a community experience or project with an external partner in order to enhance understanding and application of academic content.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 698. Professional Paper - WR3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of chair.
Description: The professional paper should reflect substantial research (of secondary sources) that analyzes a policy or problem in the criminal justice system. The paper must review existing literature (journal articles and reports) and demonstrate a thorough subject analysis. The paper will be reviewed by the assigned faculty member, revised by the student, and reflect graduate-level analysis.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 699. Thesis1-6 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of chair.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 703. Criminal Justice System Planning3 Units
Description: Overview of planning theory, techniques and strategies within the criminal justice system.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 740. Seminar in Crime Prevention and Social Control3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.
Description: Study of the history, theory and practice of crime prevention and social control.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 745. Advanced Criminal Behavior3 Units
Description: Advanced study of various theoretical perspectives in the study of crime, criminal behavior and criminal justice.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 748. Seminar in Criminal Justice Program Planning & Evaluation3 Units
Prerequisite(s): Restricted to doctoral students.
Description: This course features: an introduction to the theory and practice of criminal justice planning, their strengths and weaknesses, the application of social scientific research methods to determine the effectiveness of criminal justice programs, analysis of reports of evaluative research and the preparation and analysis of evaluation research reports.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 749. Advanced Statistical Analysis in Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: In-depth analysis of logic and uses of advanced research methods. Emphasis will be given to the use of quantitative research techniques, fundamentals, and perspectives of modern statistical techniques used in criminal justice research.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 750. Field Research in Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: Development of expertise in understanding, planning, conducting and evaluating qualitative research methodologies. Special attention will be given to applying data collection and analysis techniques to social science investigations of crime and criminal justice processes.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 751. Advanced Statistical Computer Applications for Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: The study of advanced statistical computer applications for research within criminal justice.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 752. Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice3 Units
Description: Research methods used in the analysis of criminal justice research. Quantitative and qualitative techniques, experimental and quasi-experimental design, data sources in the public sector, the use of data bases in the development and implementation of criminal justice evaluation.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 795. Criminal Justice Qualifying Project 3-6 Units
Prerequisite(s): Completion of CJ PhD core curriculum; doctoral students only.
Description: Analysis of qualitative or quantitative data set and production of a manuscript suitable for publication.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 798. Mentored Research in Criminal Justice1-3 Units
Description: Independent research project conducted under the guidance of and in collaboration with a member of the Justice Administration research faculty.
Note: May be repeated for a maximum of six hours.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
CJ 799. Dissertation Research in Criminal Justice1-12 Units
Description: Dissertation research project under the direction of faculty committee.
For class offerings for a specific term, refer to the Schedule of Classes
