JD/MSCJS Dual Degree Archive 2020-2021

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. A sociological investigation of the relationship between crime and justice in contemporary American society. The possibilities and limits of traditional approaches to crime control are examined in the context of our search for harmony, justice and social change. Problems in evaluating the techniques, goals, and effectiveness of criminal justice agencies and organizations are considered as well as models for rethinking the scope and nature of our responses to crime.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. This course provides students with the fundamental tools for evaluating, designing and implementing basic and applied empirical research in criminal justice. The association between theories and research methods used in the study of criminal justice is explored through a variety of related data sources. Topics covered include: the principles of research design; issues in measurement; modes of observation; basic methods of data analysis; and ethical concerns. Students will obtain hands-on experience in project design through the development of their own research proposal.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Program. This course will examine the relationship among crime, criminal justice and the community as well as the impact of crime on local neighborhoods and community institutions. The role of the community in the criminal justice system and processes of social control are also examined. Topics covered include: local measurement of crime statistics; community policing; prevention and early intervention strategies; community corrections and intermediate sanctions. Strategies for empowering local communities to address the quality of life in the urban environment are also explored.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. This course introduces students to the foundations of statistical analysis. Topics include: measures of central tendency; dispersion; probability; sampling distributions; hypothesis testing; correlations; and regression. Using SPSS software, students will be required to apply statistical concepts to existing data resulting in a completed research project.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Program. This course will examine the relationship among crime, criminal justice and the community as well as the impact of crime on local neighborhoods and community institutions. The role of the community in the criminal justice system and processes of social control are also examined. Topics covered include: local measurement of crime statistics; community policing; prevention and early intervention strategies; community corrections and intermediate sanctions. Strategies for empowering local communities to address the quality of life in the urban environment are also explored.

3.00

This course will examine the major issues in the adult correctional system. Traditional incarceration as well as pretrial and post-conviction alternatives will be explored. Covered topics may include: prison and jail overcrowding; issues in classification; mental health and incarceration; substance abuse treatment within the prison setting; prison security and disturbances; vocational and educational programming within prisons; ethics and corrections.

3.00

This course examines the array of issues concerned with the administration and operation of the juvenile justice system. The historical, philosophical, and legal foundations of the juvenile justice system will be examined along with the legal and philosophical changes within the system in the contemporary period. Special attention will be given to Massachusetts' model of juvenile corrections and treatment.

3.00

This course examines the administration of justice in the community courts. Topics include the role of the judge; relationships between prosecutors, defense lawyers, and the courts; the relationship between the courts and the police; the pros and cons of plea bargaining the goals of sentencing; and the clash between victim's rights and defendant's rights. Difficult kinds of cases will be addressed, such as cases of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and crime relating to substance abuse. Questions concerning judicial accountability and the role of judges in the community will also be raised.

3.00

Restorative justice is a philosophical framework which poses an alternative to our current way of thinking about crime and justice. Through restorative justice, all the stakeholders to crime - victims, offenders, families, the wider community and the state - are active in response to crime. This course examines both the theoretical foundation of restorative justice rooted in a variety of legal and religious traditions; and the array of practices associated with restorative justice from around the world. Restorative justice philosophy and practice has impacted all areas of the criminal justice system including policing, probation, courts and the correctional programming for juvenile and adult offenders. Students will be afforded a hands-on experience through role-playing, guest speakers and field trips in the application of restorative values to contemporary justice system. Students will examine the meaning of justice in their own experiences, and be challenged to envision a community-based restorative response to crime and violence.

3.00

This seminar focuses on two interrelated types of violence, battering and sexual assault. Both of these crimes have been the subject of intense political organizing, cultural controversy, and criminal justice reform over the past 25 years. Together these issues currently account for a significant portion of the work of the police and courts. The research literature on these topics has increased dramatically in recent years. There are now many studies of women victimized by batterings and rape, and of men who commit these crimes. There is a growing body of research on institutional responses to such violence, particularly criminal justice responses. There is new literature on the racial and class dimensions of this violence, on trauma and recovery, and on battering in lesbian and gay relationships. This course examines these crimes from psychological, sociological, and criminal justice perspectives.

3.00

This course will focus on the policy implications of various sociological theories of crime and punishment. Focus will be on the analysis of various alternative policies within the criminal justice system both within the U.S. and in Europe. Attention will be given to the politics of crime control and to the role of the media, citizen groups and other interest groups in shaping criminal justice policy.

3.00

In recent years, public attention to victims of crime has grown enormously. The reasons for this are complex. They include the effects of political organizing by crime victims; increased media attention to crime (often driven by crime stories as entertainment and advertising vehicles); the exploitation of crime victims by politicians; and long-standing community frustrations with the criminal legal system. This course will examine the rise of public attention to crime, the variety of social movements addressing victims of crime, the response of the criminal justice system to victims, and the problems and possibilities regarding new developments concerning crime victims. The course takes the perspective of a critical victimology in that the course materials question official definitions of crime, popular definitions of victims and offenders, and traditional beliefs about justice. Rather than seeing victims and offenders as entirely separate categories, a number of the books address individuals who are both victims and offenders. New developments in 'restorative justice' will be presented as an emerging alternative to current problems that victims have reported with the criminal legal system.

3.00

Fall 2020 - Crime and Justice as Seen through "The Wire" Thematic investigations of problems and topics in criminal justice. Special topics include but are not limited to the areas of domestic violence and sexual assault; children and crime; crime; justice and popular culture; restorative justice; community policing; drugs and the law, drug policy, crime mapping, counterterrorism policy, female offenders and criminalistics.

3.00

There are many different ways that communities have responded to violence against women. Both in the United States and around the world, the most common methods have involved either punishment for offenders, efforts to create safety for victims, or attempts to reform offenders. A new set of antiviolence approaches are being developed that go beyond the goals of punishment, safety, and reform. These new approaches, which are loosely grouped together as 'community-based responses,' seek to mobilizing specific communities against violence; organize women across communities of color; and challenge the theories, practices, and politics of existing antiviolence efforts. These new approaches are the focus of this course.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. A sociological investigation of the relationship between crime and justice in contemporary American society. The possibilities and limits of traditional approaches to crime control are examined in the context of our search for harmony, justice and social change. Problems in evaluating the techniques, goals, and effectiveness of criminal justice agencies and organizations are considered as well as models for rethinking the scope and nature of our responses to crime.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. This course provides students with the fundamental tools for evaluating, designing and implementing basic and applied empirical research in criminal justice. The association between theories and research methods used in the study of criminal justice is explored through a variety of related data sources. Topics covered include: the principles of research design; issues in measurement; modes of observation; basic methods of data analysis; and ethical concerns. Students will obtain hands-on experience in project design through the development of their own research proposal.

3.00

This course examines two subjects throughout the semester: substantive criminal law (e.g. what is money laundering, the insanity defense, conspiracy?); and criminal procedure: 4th Amendment (search and seizure), 5th Amendment (due process, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, etc.), 6th Amendment (right to a lawyer, public trial, etc..), 8th Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment), 14th Amendment (due process, equal protection of law), 1st Amendment (interaction of criminal law with free expression and with religious rights), and 2nd Amendment (firearms). Unlike other similar undergraduate and graduate courses, this one emphasizes principles and case summaries, de-emphasizes actual cases and case names, and does not entail teaching how to brief (summarize) cases.

3.00

This course examines crime and justice in the context of the social inequalities of race, class, and gender. Surprisingly, this is a recent focus within criminology. And yet, without attention to the intersections of race, class, and gender, it is difficult to make sense of victimization, crime, or punishment in the United States today. The course readings include some of the most recent theoretical and empirical studies of these issues. The goals of the course are to develop an understanding of what a race, class, and gender analysis is, and why this is important for individuals working in criminal justice, mental health, and related fields.

3.00

Core required course for Master of Science in Crime and Justice Studies. This course introduces students to the foundations of statistical analysis. Topics include: measures of central tendency; dispersion; probability; sampling distributions; hypothesis testing; correlations; and regression. Using SPSS software, students will be required to apply statistical concepts to existing data resulting in a completed research project.

3.00

This class explores the images of the traditional "bad" girl in films. The course examines the idea of moving beyond merely the delinquent, many images in film suggest that girls and women who break with the socially condoned role of femininity are somehow bad. Girls and women who have power or challenge authority are often portrayed in films as deviant and therefore "bad." Girls and women who are "frigid" are just as "bad" as their sexually promiscuous silver-screen opposites. This course further focuses on the impact of these images on real life social roles for girls and women as well as the symbiotic relationship between fact and fiction.

3.00

This course provides an overview of the best practices in positive youth development and juvenile programming for delinquency prevention; intervention and treatment. This seminar will explore the cutting edge of programming for youth in a wide range of community-based and institutional settings including schools, social services, and juvenile corrections.

3.00

This course provides an overview of youth gangs and their sociological underpinnings, which are rooted in poverty and racism. Theories of gang formation and individual gang membership will be examined closely. Study topics include the history of gangs, gangs and criminal behavior, socio-cultural importance of gangs, and strategies to control gang behavior as well as community responses more generally. The course will utilize current gang issues in the US generally and in Massachusetts in particular as a basis to better understand the nuances of youth gangs.

Instructor permission required.

3.00

The internship course allows students to integrate academic knowledge gained from the classroom with work experience in a career field of their choice. Students have the opportunity to explore opportunities in their profession, develop practical skills in a real-world context, and build a formal network of professionals in their field.

3.00

Students pursue an in-depth research project under the direction of a qualified member of the graduate faculty.