Henry N. Pontell, Department Chair
Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree
The Department of Criminology, Law and Society focuses, first, on the manifestations of criminal behavior and the methods for controlling that behavior, and second, on the relationships and interactions between social processes and legal systems. Basic courses present overviews of American legal systems with particular emphasis on criminal and juvenile justice, the forms of criminal behavior, the role of law in understanding social and psychological phenomena, and the applications of sociological theory in understanding law and legal systems. Subsequent course work provides understanding of the theoretical structures used to explain criminal behavior, the effects of crimes from the perspectives of victims, the operations of systems of justice and their underlying institutions, the goals of governmental regulation and the methods used to achieve those goals, and more advanced issues in the interactions of law and such fields as psychology, sociology, and planning. In addition, substantive areas of law, such as criminal, environmental, and family law, are introduced. The undergraduate program leads to a B.A. degree in Criminology, Law and Society.
Students are provided with opportunities to become acquainted with the varieties of behavior that society chooses to control or regulate, the methods and institutions used to achieve that control or regulation, and the approaches aimed specifically at altering unacceptable behavior. In addition, there is provision for students to use their increasing knowledge of the law, its procedures, and institutions to enhance their understanding of the social sciences.
The course of study provides excellent preparation for law school and for graduate study in sociology, criminology, and criminal justice. Careers for students who terminate their University education at the baccalaureate level may be developed through placements in criminal justice and regulatory agencies, in organizations determining public policy, and in programs that deliver services to people who have difficulties with some aspect of the legal system.
Students are strongly encouraged to select electives in a variety of departments. Courses in areas such as Psychology, Sociology, Economics, and Political Science can provide a further context for the understanding of crime, law, and criminal justice, while courses in areas such as art history, theater, and music can enhance the quality of the student's entire life.
Field study placements are available in police departments, public defenders' offices, probation and parole agencies, the Orange County District Attorney's Office, the State juvenile detention system, the Orange County Victim/Witness Assistance Program, juvenile shelters, legislative offices, and in private legal firms.
University Requirements: See pages 54-59.
School Requirements: See page 319.
Departmental Requirements
Ten courses (40 units) as specified below:
A. Three upper-division required courses (12 units); students must select one course from each of the following three groups: Criminology, Law and Society (1) J101, J102, J103; (2) J104, J105, J106; and (3) J107, J108, J109.
B. Seven upper-division elective courses (28 units) numbered J101-J185, selected in any combination from the four areas of study within the major: Law and Society, Law and Legal Procedure, Crime and Delinquency, and Legal Institutions of Social Control. (Courses taken to satisfy requirement A may not also be used to satisfy requirement B.)
Criminology, Law and Society Minor Requirements
Nine courses (36 units): Criminology, Law and Society J7, Environmental Analysis and Design E8, Psychology and Social Behavior P9, and six upper-division Criminology, Law and Society courses selected from J100-J193.
NOTE: Students pursuing a major in the School of Social Ecology may not use upper-division course work for both school, major, or minor requirements. No overlap is permitted. Social Ecology 198 and 199 may not be applied toward the minor.
J7 Introduction to Criminology, Law and Society (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines the major biological, sociological, and psychological explanations for crime and links them historically with prevailing systems of punishment. From classical criminology to positivism, investigates the evolution of criminological theories, their cultural and historical contexts, and their strengths and weaknesses. (III)
J100 Special Topics in Criminology, Law and Society (4). Lecture, three hours. Special topics courses are offered from time to time. Course content varies with interest of the instructor. Prerequisites: Criminology, Law and Society J7 and, in some cases, consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
J101 Civil Legal System (4). Lecture, three hours. Provides an overview of the American civil legal system and of certain fundamental legal concepts as well as an introduction to legal research. Reading, briefing and debating judicial opinions, legal research, and writing an appellate legal brief. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J102 Constitutional Law (4). Lecture, three hours. Addresses the areas of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to privacy, and discrimination. Specific issues include racial and gender bias, abortion, symbolic speech, freedom of the media, defamation, advocacy of violence, and obscenity. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7. Criminology, Law and Society J102 and Political Science 171D may not both be taken for credit.
J103 American Socio-Legal Theory (4). Lecture, three hours. Evolution of American legal theory from nineteenth century to present in historical context of other human sciences; emphasizes shifting relation between legitimacy of legal decisions and legal system's relative autonomy; social science research use within legal system.
J104 Sociology of Law (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines law creation and law enforcement in their social and political context. Discusses the major theories of law and the modern state, and presents case studies in order to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these theoretical perspectives.
J105 Psychology and the Law (4). Lecture, three hours. Psychological assumptions of American legal system and mental health aspects of provision of criminal justice services. Civil commitment, insanity defense, competence to stand trial, jury selection, eye-witness identification. Use of police, courts, correctional institutions in prevention of behavior disorder. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7 or J101. Same as Psychology and Social Behavior P164S.
J106 Introduction to the Comparative Study of Legal Culture (4). Lecture, three hours. Traces the anthropological and comparative cultural study of law from the nineteenth century to the present; briefly surveys the diversity of recorded legal cultures and critically examines key concepts which have been used to describe and classify them.
J107 Deviance (4). Lecture, three hours. Perspectives on deviance and criminality in behavior, institution, community, and myth. The suitability of contemporary theories of deviant behavior. Same as Sociology 156 and Psychology 178D.
J108 Criminological Theory (4). Lecture, three hours. Explores the question of crime causation from a number of theoretical perspectives in the social sciences. Schools of thought examined include utilitarianism, positivism, human ecology, social structural approaches, social process (learning) theories, labeling, and radical-critical (political) perspectives. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J109 Legal Sanctions and Social Control (4). Lecture, three hours. Examination of criminal sanctions as mechanisms of social control. Includes the nature, function, and organization of courts as sanction generating institutions, and problems associated with punishing white-collar and corporate illegalities.
J111 Latinos and the Law (4). Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Examines a range of theoretical, empirical and policy approaches to legal issues affecting the Latino population, with emphasis on California. Discusses topics concerning the purpose of law, the creation of law, and the enforcement of law.
J112 Science and Law (4). Lecture, three hours. The use of "forensic science" to resolve issues arising in criminal cases and the role of scientific evidence in civil actions. Crime scene analysis, fingerprints, trace evidence comparisons, DNA typing, and technologies related to toxic torts.
J113 Homicide and Suicide (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines similarities and differences among homicide and suicide, two major causes of death.
J114 Organized Crime and American Society (4). Lecture, three hours. Examination of the phenomenon of American organized crime from a sociological perspective. Explanation of methods by which organized crime is tolerated at various levels of society. Emphasis on ways in which "underworld" interests interact with legitimate economic and political institutions.
J115 Federal Law Enforcement (4). Lecture, three hours. The peculiar legal, organizational concerns of the federal system of law enforcement and some of the crimes it is uniquely designed to address--white-collar crime, drug trafficking, racketeering, public corruption. Roles, responsibilities of the FBI, DEA, Customs, other policing agencies. Prerequisites: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J116 Gender and Social Control (4). Lecture, three hours. Investigates how gender and social control interface such that each determines and reflects the other. Examines how the social world is organized around sex, sexuality, masculinities, femininities. Processes that regulate and channel social life, desire, conduct, differential allocation of social status.
J120 Law and Inequality (4). Lecture, three hours. Various aspects of the law as related to three specific areas of inequality: immigration and immigrants, race, and gender. The role of law as a tool of social reform and limitations of the legal system historically in resolving inequality issues.
J123 Family Law (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines legal issues surrounding marriage, cohabitation, divorce, child custody and support, adoption, and the rights of parents and children in the family context. The findings of social science research are used to illuminate the legal issues. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7 or J101. Same as Psychology and Social Behavior P169P.
J124 Social Ecology of Child Abuse and Neglect (4). Lecture, three hours. Emphasizes integration of psychological, social, and cultural factors for understanding the etiology of child maltreatment. Prediction, treatment, prevention, and policy issues also are covered. Same as Psychology and Social Behavior P172P.
J125 Crime and Public Policy (4). Lecture, three hours. Increase students' understanding of crime, violence, and the criminal justice system; assess students' state of knowledge on current key policy issues, examine/discuss policy-making and the use of empirical information in current U.S. policy debates. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J126 Drugs, Crime, and Social Control (4). Lecture, three hours. Drug abuse in the U.S.; the psychopharmacology of various drugs; biological, psychological, and sociological explanations for drug abuse. Policy issues are discussed; students will develop and defend a set of strategies for limiting harm done by drugs and drug laws.
J127 Hate Crimes (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines the causes, manifestations, and consequences of hate crimes and the larger social context within which they occur. The politics and dynamics of intergroup violence born of bigotry and manifested as discrimination; social policy designed to control bias-motivated violence.
J128 Environmental Law (4). Lecture, three hours. Environmental law as combination of traditional legal principles and newly created statutes, rules, and decisions applied to environmental protection. Investigates roles of courts, legislature, executive branch and administrative agencies, and private citizens attempting to regulate environmental quality. Federal and state laws utilized. Prerequisite: Environmental Analysis and Design E8. Same as Environmental Analysis and Design E105U.
J129 International Environmental Management (4). Lecture, three hours. Network of intergovernmental organizations (the United Nations, in particular) and international nongovernmental organizations in the field of environmental management. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7. Same as Environmental Analysis and Design E127U.
J132 Juvenile Delinquency (4). Lecture, three hours. Patterns of delinquent behavior, theories that explain behavior, current research aimed at enhancing exploratory power. Attempts to prevent and control delinquency are put in historical perspective. Development of the current juvenile justice system and evolution of modern juvenile law. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J134 Victimless Crimes (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines major theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented research related to the design, implementation, and analysis of government intervention, through the criminal sanction, in the spheres of vice and morality.
J137 Criminal Procedure (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines the law governing arrests (with and without a warrant); police detention; search and seizure; interrogation; use of informers, eavesdropping, wiretapping; examination and identification of suspects. Pretrial motions such as speedy trial and discovery of evidence may be covered. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J138 Victims of Crime (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines the impact of crime upon a variety of victims, e.g., victims of child and spousal abuse, burglary, arson, robbery, and rape. Considers such topics as victim compensation, victim-offender relationships, and the secondary victimization process.
J139 Police and Change (4). Lecture, three hours. Organizational efforts to modify police conduct are addressed by focusing on the history of policing in the United States including training, education, and the contributions of women.
J140 Prisons, Punishment, and Corrections (4). Lecture, three hours. A review of how the U.S. punishes and rehabilitates convicted law violators. The conflicts among the major purposes of sentencing--rehabilitation, deterrence, incapacitation--are discussed, as well as the effects of different sanctions on public safety, offender rehabilitation, and justice system costs.
J141 Seminar in Criminal Justice (4). Seminar, three hours. Selected topics in the field of criminal justice. Issues vary with the interests of the instructor and students, and include such topics as violent crime, political crimes, police discretion, and civil rights of prison inmates.
J142 White-Collar Crime (4) W. Lecture, three hours. Examines criminal activity in business and corporate enterprise, organizations, and the professions. Theories regarding the causes and control of white-collar and corporate crime are covered as well as the numerous definitions of these terms.
J143 Theories of Punishment (4). Lecture, three hours. Survey of the various schools of thought regarding formal punishment theory. The purposes of legal sanctions are examined, including those of deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, and incapacitation. Considers problems in realizing formal goals of punishment in practice.
J144 Criminal Law (4). Lecture, three hours. The substantive nature of criminal law as opposed to criminal procedure which is concerned with how law is enforced. Considers offenses against: the person; habitation and occupancy; property. Includes laws of: homicide, assault, battery; burglary, arson; larceny, robbery, forgery, counterfeiting.
J145 Government Crime (4). Lecture, three hours. Examines the legal, organizational, and political issues involved in the generation and control of government lawlessness. Readings present historical and theoretical perspectives in the abuse of government authority and the ability of the legal system to control such behavior.
J146 Social Control of Violence (4). Lecture, three hours. Studies the police as controllers of violence, as users of violence, and as victims of violence. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J147 Law and Social Change (4). Lecture, three hours. Explores the relationship of law to its social setting by considering both law as a product of social change and law as a source or medium of change.
J150 The Legal Profession (4). Lecture, three hours. Role of the legal profession in modern society, the diverse professional roles lawyers play, the American legal profession compared with that of other societies. "Litigation explosion," ethical problems, interactions between lawyers and other professionals, training and socialization of new lawyers.
J151 Miscarriages of Justice (4). Lecture, three hours. Systematically describes, explains, and analyzes the causes and consequences of the wrongful accusation, prosecution, incarceration, and sometimes even execution, of the innocent in the American criminal justice system.
J152 Interrogation, Confession, and the Law (4). Lecture, three hours. In-depth examination of the social psychology of police interrogation in America, the evolution of American interrogation practices from the nineteenth century to the present, impact of law on police behavior and ideology, causes and consequences of false confessions, possibilities of reform. Same as Psychology and Social Behavior P156S.
J164 Social Control of Delinquency (4). Lecture, three hours. Assumes familiarity with theories of juvenile delinquency, the juvenile justice system, the elements of juvenile law. Using that knowledge, students explore current research in primary and secondary prevention of delinquency, and relevant case law. Requires an original research project. Prerequisites: Social Ecology 10 and Criminology, Law and Society J132.
J181 Contemporary Legal Issues (4). Lecture, three hours. An in-depth analysis of current legal issues viewed from their political and constitutional perspectives. Issues studied are determined by instructor and student interest. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
J185 Criminal Justice System Capacity (4). Lecture, three hours. Examination of "system capacity" in criminological and criminal justice related research and how it can be used to explain and describe current problems and practices in the American legal system. Limitations of sanctioning criminals due to political, physical space, and resource constraints. Prerequisite: Criminology, Law and Society J7.
J191 Law and Modernity (4). The rise and spread of Enlightenment legal traditions, social contract theory, individual rights, ideologies of "liberty, equality, fraternity"; contradictions of liberal law, its understandings of "primitive" and "civilized"; pervasive myths of property, difference, race, and rights. Reading- and writing-intensive. Same as Anthropology 127A. (VII-B)
J196 Research Seminar in Criminology, Law and Society (4). Seminar, three hours. Special topics research seminar. Content varies with interest of instructor. Capstone research opportunity with Criminology, Law and Society faculty members. Prerequisites: upper-division standing and consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
