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American University Catalog 2019-2020
American University
   
    Mar 29, 2024  
American University Catalog 2019-2020 
    
American University Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Justice, Law and Criminology


Administration

Chair  Joseph Young
Graduate Academic Advising  Alex Clayton
Undergraduate Academic Advising  Nathan Williamson (Director of Undergraduate Advising), Monica Barrera, Jamie Jeune, Tyler Poling
Graduate Program Director  Kareem Jordan
Undergraduate Program Director  Bill Davies
Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security MS Director  Sasha O’Connell

Full-Time Faculty

Professor Emeritus  B. Forst, D.J. Saari, A.S. Trebach, R.I. Weiner
Professor  L. Addington, R.R. Bennett, D. Dreisbach, J. Gould, R. Johnson, J. Young
Associate Professor Emerita  D. Golash
Associate Professor  B. Davies, D. Fagelson, K. Jordan, D. Klusmeyer, T. Zeitzoff
Assistant Professor  T. Bacon, C. Barron, J. Iwama, L. Johnson, D. Malet, J. Waters
Professorial Lecturer  B. Bartholomew, S. Cubukcu, C. Griggs, J. Gumbrewicz, D. Mascarenhas, J. Palmer
Scholar in Residence  M. Engert
Postdoctoral Scholar for Academic Diversity  T. Carter
Research Professor  K. Ball
Executive in Residence  D. Kircher, S. O’Connell

Department Overview

Effective January 1, 2014, the Department of Justice, Law and Society (JLS) became the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology (JLC).

The department has one of the oldest programs in the field of justice in the United States. The full-time faculty in the department have educational backgrounds in law, criminology, criminal justice, philosophy, political science, sociology, psychology, and history. The department offers Data Sciences for Justice, Law and Criminology (BS) , Justice and Law (BA)  and Legal Studies (BA) ; Justice, Law and Criminology (MS) , Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy (MS) , and Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security (MS)  online; a dual Juris Doctor and Master of Science program with the Washington College of Law ; and Justice, Law and Criminology (PhD) .

Justice and Law (BA) , with concentrations in criminal justice, criminology, and terrorism and security studies, analyzes the foundations, functions, policies, and procedures of justice. Crime and deviance are serious public policy concerns in American society, and systems of justice are the main public policy responses for dealing with these problems. Cross-cultural and international perspectives are brought to bear when they shed light on the nature of crime and deviance in America or on the workings of American systems of justice. Legal Studies (BA) , with concentrations in the humanities or social sciences, is an interdisciplinary program that examines the role of law in relation to social, political, and economic institutions. The complex relation of law and justice, broadly conceived, is the central consideration in this program of study. Drawing on the social sciences and humanities, this curriculum offers an historical and international perspective on legal issues. Both undergraduate majors can be considered Prelaw  majors.

Justice, Law and Criminology (MS)  further elaborates on the central concerns of the undergraduate degrees offered in the department. The concentration in Justice and Public Policy offers theoretical and applied grounding in criminology and criminal justice issues, including all levels of policing and corrections. The Law and Society concentration is an interdisciplinary approach to the role of law in society including theoretical legal foundations and law as it relates to the social sciences and issues of social justice. The Jurisprudence and Social Thought concentration emphasizes both philosophical and comparative perspectives on law and analytical thought.

Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy (MS)  focuses on issues of national security from the perspectives of criminology and criminal justice. The program allows students to examine a variety of security issues and to develop strategic, policy-based solutions that federal, state and local governments can use to combat terrorism and prepare for future security threats.

Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security (MS)  online provides students with tools to analyze and assess homeland security problems and formulate, evaluate, and communicate policies and programs related to countering terrorism and other threats to national security. Students acquire knowledge grounded in criminology, social science, law, policy, terrorism studies, and intelligence analysis and gain analytic frameworks and methodological skills, including Master’s level research methods, criminology, intelligence principles, and law.

The department’s programs prepare students for law school and further graduate study, as well as for entry-level positions and professional careers in the justice and security fields. Washington, DC provides a source of internship placements, which often lead to challenging employment.

Programs

    Major Program (UG)Minor (UG)Certificate (UG)Master’s Program (GR)Doctoral Program (GR)