CRIM 260 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice

PREREQUISITES: CRIM 101 - Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems and demonstrated competency through appropriate assessment or earning a grade of “C” or better in MATH 023 - Essentials of Algebra or MATH 080 - Mathematical Principles. Students must also have completed 40 credit hours or more OR receive program chair approval to register for CRIM 260.
PROGRAM: Criminal Justice
CREDIT HOURS MIN: 3
LECTURE HOURS MIN: 3
DATE OF LAST REVISION: Summer, 2020

The course will familiarize students with the basic concepts, techniques and problems associated with conducting research in criminal justice. The course will provide students with the analytical and critical thinking skills required to understand empirical research. Students will also acquire the necessary tools to conceptualize and conduct a research project. Students will examine the advantages and limitations of decisions that are made in the process of conducting research. Problems specific to research in criminal justice will be explored.

MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be expected to:

Identify the purposes of conducting scientific research.
Understand the fundamental concepts in social science research including reliability, validity, causation, sampling, data collection, and generalizability.
Understand key issues related to conceptualization and measurement.
Know the various forms of data collection and sampling techniques used in criminal justice research.
Examine issues in research design, including units of analysis, different types of research design, and stages in the research process.
Understand the ethical, political, and administrative constraints in criminal justice research.

COURSE CONTENT: Topical areas of study include -

Validity/reliability
Sampling
Generalizability
Variables
Research designs
Analysis
Evaluation
Ethics in social research
Causation
Conceptualization and measurement
Theory and design
Existing and secondary data
Experimentation
Analyzing data and drawing conclusions

Course Addendum - Syllabus (Click to expand)

Costs

Payments

CRIM 260 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice