The Criminology minor allows students to gain a foundation in criminological research and an introduction to evidence-based interpretations of contemporary issues regarding crime.

Course Requirements

The Department of Sociology requires six courses for the minor:

  • SOC 107: Introduction to Criminal Justice*
  • SOC 202: Research Methods (or equivalent, PSY 350 Research Methods in Psychology, or SSS 340 and 341 Social Work Research and Statistics I and II).
  • SOC 317: Criminological Theory
  • Three additional electives from the list below

The above requirements apply only to non-Sociology majors. Students majoring in sociology need to take four interdisciplinary electives from outside the department.

All minors must complete the above core required curriculum with a grade of "C-".

*Students who took SOC 205 prior to the Fall 2024 semester may count SOC 205 towards the SOC 107 requirement.

 

Elective Courses

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology OR SOC 102 Global Social Problems
  • SOC 204: Transnational Crime
  • SOC 208: Sociology of Delinquency
  • SOC 220: Social Interaction
  • SOC 226: Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
  • SOC 230: Families and Incarceration
  • SOC 270: Human Rights in a Global Society
  • SOC 300: Sociology Research Practicum
  • SOC 303: Public Safety Leadership
  • SOC 309: Sociology of Law
  • SOC 310: Police, Law and Society
  • SOC 311: Victimology
  • SOC 313: Criminal Investigations
  • SOC 315: Crime in Urban America
  • SOC 318: Domestic Terrorism Investigations: An FBI Perspective
  • SOC 319: Modern Islamic Terrorism
  • SOC 320: Terrorism and Counter Terrorism
  • SOC 322: Military and Society
  • SOC 324: Race and Ethnic Relations
  • SOC 329: White Collar Crime
  • SOC 331: Globalization and Social Movements
  • SOC 332: Popular Culture and Crime
  • SOC 335: Surveillance
  • SOC 337: Crime and Corruption in Chinese Society
  • SOC 339: Punishment
  • SOC 341: Border Security
  • SOC 354: Social Psychology of Crime
  • SOC 355: National Security in American Film, Television, and Popular Culture Post- 9/11
  • SOC 357: National Security and Civil Liberties
  • SOC 365: Controlling America's Borders: Issues and Problems
  • SOC 371: Deviance and Control
  • SOC 404: Criminal Courts
  • SOC 407: Pillaging, Murder, and Mayhem: A Survey of Violent Crime
  • SOC 408: Religion and Terrorism
  • SOC 415: Criminal Behavior in America
  • SOC 424: Conflict and Conflict Resolution
  • SOC 468: The FBI and Counterintelligence
  • SOC 493: Independent Research
  • SOC 494: Independent Study in Sociology
  • SOC 495: Sociology Internship

Interdisciplinary Electives

  • ANTH 204: Forensic Anthropology
  • ANTH 206: Artifact Studies in Archaeology
  • CHEM 202: Science Under Oath
  • CSC 581 or EE 581: Cryptography and Stenography
  • LSC 324: Actionable Intelligence
  • MATH 114: Probability and Statistics (non-Sociology majors only) or MATH 314 Statistics II
  • MDIA 308: Mafia, Politics, and Italian Society in Cinema
  • MDIA 322: Media and Crime
  • POL 260: Intro to American Intelligence
  • POL 412A: Homeland Security
  • POL 437: Countering Terrorists and Radicals 
  • POL 462: Moral Foundations of Intelligence 
  • POL 468: US Counterintelligence: Operations and Controversies
  • POL 471: Issues in Contemporary U.S. Intelligence
  • PSY 302: Forensic Psychology
  • PSY 350: Research Methods in Psychology (for non-Sociology majors only; substitute for SOC 202)