Annual Course Calendar & Course Descriptions

CCJ Online Annual Course Calendar

Most CCJ Online courses are offered once per year.

CCJO offers courses year-round, meaning we do not break for Summer. Depending on a student's individual program, it may be recommended or possibly required that a student take Summer courses.

Unlike typical PSU courses, most (but not all) CCJO courses are offered in a 5.5 week format, either in the first half or second half of each "regular" 11-week PSU term.   

Click here for the current CCJ Online Annual Course Calendar. 

Please note that the courses are subject to change. 

The below fully online courses are only open to CCJ Online students. CCJ Online courses cannot be found by searching in the regular PSU Class Schedule or the Schedule Planner. Registration for CCJ Online courses takes place through a separate customized process. All admitted CCJO students receive a CCJO Registration Guide via their PSU email each term. The only place where you can find these CCJO courses is in the CCJO Registration Guides! You will find them nowhere else!

CCJ 300 – Criminology and Criminal Justice (4 credits)

An introduction and overview of the criminology and criminal justice major designed to provide students with an understanding of law, crime, and the criminal justice system in America. Examines the law's proactive function in teaching people how to live peacefully within their communities and the law's reactive function in sanctioning criminal behavior. Includes an introduction to various theories of crime causation and an overview of the criminal justice system and its response in processing those who transgress the law.

CCJ 301 – Policing in America (4 credits)

An introduction to the study of policing in the United States. Policing is studied from three perspectives: the police officer-citizen interaction, the agency-community relationship, and the legal and ethical questions of policing in a democratic society. The course considers the history and future of policing, the police task, police strategies, and police relationships with the community and criminal justice system.

CCJ 302 – Forensics in Practice (4 credits)

Students will study the use of forensic evidence at different stages of the criminal justice process (from crime scene to courtroom) and learn about common types of forensic evidence.  A central theme entails exploring the debate over contemporary standards regarding reliability and certainty of evidence.  Students will also learn from practitioners about how they utilize forensic evidence in their jobs and the challenges they face.

Formerly titled CCJ 410 Forensics. Cannot take both.

CCJ 303 – Punishment and Corrections (4 credits)

Examination of historical and contemporary approaches to the punishment of adult and juvenile offenders in institutional and community settings. Includes discussion of theories of punishment as they relate to today's correctional policies and practices. Controversial topics like prisoner rights, the death penalty, and mandatory sentencing are covered.

CCJ 304 – Crime and the Media (4 credits)

Explores the complex relationship between crime and news media, examining how the media shapes public perceptions of crime and justice. Students will analyze media coverage of criminal activities and its influence on criminal justice policies and societal views of criminals, victims, and law enforcement. 

CCJ 305 – Juvenile Justice Reform (4 credits)

Focuses on the modern approaches to juvenile delinquency prevention and the reform of juvenile justice systems. Topics include disproportionate minority contact, poverty, mental health, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Students will critique past policies and explore contemporary, equitable solutions for juvenile offenders.

CCJ 308 – Careers in Criminal Justice (4 credits)

Provides an overview of criminology and criminal justice career opportunities, including policing and regulatory enforcement, courts and law, probation and parole, institutional corrections, crime prevention and crime analysis, offender counseling, victim assistance, and social services. Weekly guest speakers will help students explore CCJ career opportunities and understand the academic, volunteer, internship, and/or professional experiences to gain entry into the field. Students will examine their strengths, formulate goals, create professional documents, and connect with career advisors to prepare for employment in criminology and criminal justice.

CCJ 310 – American Courts (4 credits)

Covers the structure and function of the American court system, with an emphasis on criminal trials. Students will explore the roles of judges, attorneys, and juries in the courtroom, as well as appellate processes and court reform efforts.

CCJ 311 – Defense, Prosecution and Justice (4 credits)

From the initial decision to arrest, all the way to a jury verdict, legal actors’ decisions shape the course of a criminal case. We focus on timely issues facing the American Courts system (e.g., bail reform and pretrial release), paying careful attention to how the adversarial system has dictated the role and actions of the defense attorney and prosecuting attorney in relation to these topics. All the while, asking questions about what is fair and just. 

Formerly titled CCJ 410 Defense, Prosecution & Justice and CCJ 410 Courts, Prosecution & Justice. Can only take one version.

CCJ 312 – Criminal Behavior (4 credits)

Examination of psychosocial theories of crime and identification of the individual-level factors associated with the onset, continuity, and desistance of criminal behavior in juveniles and adults. Special topics covered include the relationship between mental illness and violence, psychopathy, sexual deviancy, substance abuse, human aggression, and the rehabilitation of offenders.

Formerly titled CCJ 410 Correlates of Criminal Behavior & CCJ 250 Criminal Behavior. Can only take one version.

CCJ 317 – Race, Crime and Criminal Justice (4 credits)

Racial disparity is a major focus of the field of criminology and criminal justice. This course provides an understanding of the tools used to describe, theoretically explain and empirically examine the complex relationship between race, crime and victimization in the United States.  The course focuses on all major racial and ethnic groups who are disproportionately justice-impacted--including both victims and offenders. The influence of race at all stages of the criminal justice system is examined.

CCJ 320U – Theories of Crime & Justice (4 credits)

Introduces students to a range of historical, sociological, biological, psychological, economic, and Marxist theories of crime causation. Particular attention is paid to critically analyzing each theory for internal consistency and logic as well as its fit with data on crime, criminals, and victims. Policy implications stemming from these theories will be discussed. 

CCJ 330U – Crime Prevention and Control (4 credits)

Examines various strategies used to prevent and control crime in American society within and outside of the justice system. Students will be introduced to evidence-based and critical perspectives, analyze the numerous and often conflicting goals of the criminal justice system, and compare the effectiveness of different approaches employed in recent history across policing, courts/sentencing, corrections, and developmental, situational, and community crime prevention.

Formerly titled CCJ 330U Crime Control Strategies. Cannot take both.

CCJ 335 – Understanding Crime Hotspots (4 credits)

Criminal events are not uniformly distributed across space; nor are such events randomly patterned. Rather, crime and disorder patterns tend to concentrate in specific places and at specific times. In addition, crime is a relatively rare event, meaning that most locations experience little to no occurrences. By exploring where and when crime concentrates, we can learn more about why crime occurs at these locations, and importantly, we can learn how to prevent future occurrences. Understanding Crime Hotspots brings the geographic concepts of space and place into the context of criminology. 

Formerly numbered CCJ 410 Geographic Criminology. Cannot take both.

CCJ 336 – Applied Crime Mapping (4 credits)

Introduces students to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in crime analysis. Students will develop technical skills in creating and interpreting crime maps, as well as analyzing spatial patterns of criminal activity to inform crime prevention efforts. 

Formerly numbered CCJ 410 Applied Crime Mapping. Cannot take both. 

NOTE: Registration for CCJ 336 Applied Crime Mapping first requires successful installation of the free QGIS software package on your Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac computer. Chromebook machines are not acceptable. QGIS is available to interested students each Winter term in advance of the Spring class. Click here to begin the process: QGIS Installation Module.

To complete this class, you will need specific hardware and software. View the system requirements for CCJ Online Degree and Certificate programs.

CCJ 340 – Crime Analysis (4 credits)

Covers the fundamentals of analyzing crime data from various criminal justice agencies. Students will learn methods for temporal and spatial analysis, descriptive statistics, and identifying crime trends. Emphasis on hands-on experience with real-world crime data. 

MS Excel version 2007 or higher is required (see https://www.pdx.edu/oit/microsoft-office for free access).

Junior or Senior standing is recommended.

CCJ 365U Crime and Social Justice (4 credits)

Explores the intersection of crime and social justice, focusing on how criminal law and justice policies disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Students will investigate how racism, politics, and economic forces shape the definition of crime and its enforcement. 

Formerly titled CCJ 365U Criminology & Social Justice Theory. Cannot take both.

CCJ 370U – Women, Crime and Justice (4 credits)

Examines the roles of women as offenders, victims, and professionals in the criminal justice system. Topics include gendered pathways to crime, victimization, and the challenges faced by women working in law enforcement, courts, and corrections.

CCJ 380 – Evidence-Based Justice (4 credits)

Introduction to social science evidence, focusing on research design, data gathering, crime data analysis, and evidence-based research applications. Students will learn to evaluate crime studies, design good data-collecting tools, and apply evidence to inform criminal justice policy and practices. 

Formerly titled CCJ 380 Criminal Justice Research. Cannot take both.

CCJ 404 – Internship (4 - 8 credits)

A field internship is not required, but can be done for elective credit. If possible, we highly recommend that students do an actual field internship with a CCJ agency, especially if you don't already have any work experience in the CCJ field or wish to change careers. Students apply their learning and skills in practical settings with criminal justice agencies where they learn from professionals in the field. This is a very valuable opportunity to gain work experience and recommendations. The number one difficulty that students face after graduation when trying to find employment in CCJ is lack of experience. The purpose of a field internship is to help address this need.

Freshmen not permitted to register.

Field internships cannot be done through CCJ Online. They can be done through our on-campus program (does not require coming to campus).

The process to set up and approve a field internship needs to begin two terms in advance.

If you are interested in pursuing a CCJ 404 Field Internship, you MUST contact the CCJO Academic Advisor in advance for more information and a referral. You cannot proceed without this referral.

Angela Barrett - CCJO Academic Advisor

abarrett@pdx.edu; 503-725-5131

Click here to schedule an advising appointment

• Students who present evidence of completion of either police academy training, corrections academy training or military law enforcement training may be approved to receive an additional 8 credits in electives. Please submit the CCJO Credit for Training Request Form if you’d like to request this.

CCJ 420 – Criminal Law (4 credits)

Covers the foundational concepts of criminal law, including the development of legal principles, elements of a crime, defenses, and mitigation. Students will explore how legal reasoning is applied to criminal cases, with an emphasis on understanding criminal liability and justice.

Freshmen not permitted to register.

Formerly titled CCJ 420 Criminal Law & Legal Reasoning. Cannot take both.

Healthy People/Healthy Places Upper Division Cluster Courses

USP 313U Urban Environmental Issues (4 credits)

Environmental issues and problems are evaluated in the urban context. The course addresses both the origins of urban environmental problems and their economic and social implications. Finding solutions that attempt to achieve balance between social, economic, and ecological factors is addressed in the context of urban environmental policy, planning and community activism.

INTL 372U Post-Colonial Studies of Africa (4 credits)

Study of the social, political and economic dimensions of imperialism in twentieth century Africa from the perspective of post-colonial studies.

USP 324U Healthy Communities (4 credits)

Addresses major issues at the intersection of urban policy and planning and individual and community health. Relationships between the ways in which land is used, the transportation choices available, and the health of both urban places and city residents is explored in light of growing concern about increased rates of various health problems. Health consequences of political, economic, and social aspects of metropolitan life are also examined. Movements and programs to create and maintain healthy communities around the world are analyzed.

Senior Capstone

UNST 421: Senior Capstone (6 credits)

The purpose of a Senior Capstone at PSU is to use the skills and knowledge that you've attained on a project that will benefit the wider community.  In CCJO, you will complete the following Senior Capstone course:  Exploring Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice:  Engaging Theory and Practice in Criminal Justice Settings.  

This fully online senior capstone course represents the culminating experience for CCJO students.  Students will explore contemporary issues in criminal justice while addressing the relevant and timely criminal justice related issues in their communities by drafting and submitting letters to the editor and editorial opinion pieces to their local news outlets. 

All work for the class is done completely online. No preparation in advance is needed. Junior or Senior status is recommended. Freshmen not permitted to register.

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