Bachelor of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice

In this foundational course, students explore the principles necessary for achieving personal and career success. GEN 101 serves as a road map, guiding students as they begin their academic journey. Through self-discovery, surveying available resources, connecting with UAGC groups, and engaging with Career Services, students learn the essential skills of planning and goal setting. Students apply their personal strengths, skills, and lifelong learning strategies to develop essential career competencies. By making these meaningful connections students gain a deeper understanding of how their education relates to their desired career path.  Congratulations on embarking on this college journey filled with growth, exploration, and endless possibilities! This course is not available for non-degree seeking students.

This course offers an overview of digital fluency as it applies to personal, academic, financial, and professional success. Students will analyze the impact of digital technology on personal, social, and diversity issues and will develop digital skills that will assist in achieving academic, personal, and career goals. An overview of digital media is introduced with practical strategies for application in personal and professional life.

ENG 121 is designed to introduce students to the standards of writing in both academic and professional settings. The class will operate by first introducing, and then allowing students to practice, several written communication skills. Throughout, we will work to understand writing as a process, one that is strengthened through critical thinking, deepened by research, and built on a foundation of professional standards. As part of this process, students will also consider how emerging technologies influence contemporary writing environments and the ways writers make informed, ethical choices about their use. Students will articulate a sense of their own skills and goals and engage in collaborative conversations with peers and their instructor so as to be able to express their ideas more effectively. During the course, students will use the writing process to scrutinize their own perspectives while challenging them to embrace a wider conversation.

Learn and use key, practical skills that are applicable at home, at work, and in all UAGC courses! As UAGC students progress in their academic journey, strategies for personal, professional, and academic success continue to develop. This introductory course takes a two-pronged approach to setting students on a path to success. It merges fundamental informational literacy concepts with essential resources and skills that prepare students for college and career. Students learn how to identify, locate, evaluate, apply, and acknowledge information obtained through UAGC Library databases and internet search engines. By applying the research process, students sharpen critical thinking skills and learn to use information ethically. The final project is a practical and relevant opportunity for students to apply their learning in personally, professionally, and academically meaningful ways.

In this course, students will develop and expand their research and writing skills to communicate ideas in informed, ethical, and persuasive written documents intended for a range of audiences across a range of situations and contexts. Students will receive instruction and practice in synthesis and analysis, bolstering their written communication skills with a thorough understanding of academic research while honing critical thinking skills and effective work habits. Through writing well-structured, logical, and effective academic essays, students will explore tools and develop topics in a way that is meaningful to academic and professional lives. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 121 or equivalent with a grade of “C-” or better.

This course is designed to aid students in understanding the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Verbal and nonverbal communication patterns among people in personal, social, academic, and professional settings will be examined, within and between cultures, including both face-to-face and technologically mediated channels.  The nature of these interactions will be evaluated using contemporary communication theory. The course will enable students to identify their interpersonal communication skills and behaviors and to more critically evaluate their own oral communication and that of others. The primary goals of the course are to improve the quality of students’ communication in their personal and professional relationships, to enhance students’ experience and. confidence with oral communication, and increase awareness of the importance of interpersonal communication that is inclusive and equitable.

This course is a study of correct and incorrect reasoning involved in everyday activities. The fundamentals of language and argument, deductive and inductive reasoning and other aspects of practical reasoning are examined. 

In this course, students will explore how human beings create meaning through story, symbol, identity, and culture. The humanities offer powerful ways of knowing that illuminate the complexities of personal and professional life. Through modular, interdisciplinary approaches, learners will engage with timeless questions—about self, community, power, justice, and the future—while connecting them directly to their own field of study. Each week, students will choose a learning pathway tailored to a chosen major (Business Leadership, Criminal Justice, Education, Healthcare, Information Technology, Liberal Arts, or Social and Behavioral Sciences). This flexible design ensures that the course both deepens one’s perspective and stacks meaningfully with the learner’s broader academic and career goals. By the end, students will have described, analyzed, applied, synthesized, and created work that demonstrates how humanistic approaches enrich professional knowledge and practice.

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of social sciences and some of the disciplines that comprise this field, including anthropology, psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and history. In this course, students will learn important social science concepts and theoretical approaches, along with the research methods that social scientists use to study human behavior. They will also learn how research and findings from the social sciences can be applied broadly throughout society. Throughout the course and through a summative assignment, students will examine how social factors shape social behavior and some of the consequences of current social problems.

This course serves as a general survey of U.S. government and political institutions within social, historical, and contemporary context. Students will discuss the basic principles of constitutional democracy within the United States with regard to founding documents, political institutions, the separation of powers, federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and political participation. Students will also evaluate how the history of the United States shapes contemporary U.S. society and political debates.

This course explores the complex relationship between human societies and natural systems. Students will learn about ecology, natural resources, climate change, energy, sustainable technologies, and environmental justice while investigating sustainable challenges and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens.  Students will research and propose solutions to environmental challenges at both a local and global scale with a focus on applications across multiple economic sectors, careers, and geographic regions.

In this course, students will explore a wide range of Algebra topics. Topics will include study of linear equations, linear relationships, slope, polynomials, and functions, including graphing relations and solving systems of equations. Emphasis will be placed on developing an awareness of historical and current uses of algebra in real life settings, in various careers, and in solving important societal problems.

This course examines and evaluates theories and arguments concerning ethics and moral reasoning from a philosophical perspective. By engaging with historical and contemporary sources, students will analyze theories about the meaning, nature, and justification of ethical concepts; determine and assess how different forms of moral reasoning apply to contemporary moral issues; become more reflective and informed about their own moral beliefs; and develop their capacity for critical practical reasoning.

This course introduces students to constitutional rights and issues as they apply to law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. Areas of study include federal court interpretations of constitutional provisions and amendments that apply to justice system processes. The course provides a focus on the Bill of Rights, particularly the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and 14th Amendments. This course includes a study of the roles of legal professionals and constitutional provisions that apply to law enforcement, social justice, juvenile justice, and homeland security issues. This course also includes analysis of federal case decisions related to cultural issues, juvenile justice, criminal justice, and civil law.

This course considers processes for law enforcement, the judiciary, corrections and juvenile justice. In addition, this course considers criminal justice issues, applications for criminology, and critical perspectives in the study of criminal justice.

This course considers the basic sociological theories and research findings concerning crime. The punishment and corrections process, organized crime, corporate crime, the police, the courts and the impact of crime on the victim are examined.

This course examines quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and associated data interpretation within the context of research, policy and practice within the social sciences. This course also examines the relationship between research, policy and/or theory. Students will examine types of data, measurement scales, hypotheses, sampling, probability, and varied research designs for research in the social sciences and related disciplines.

Introduction to the Psychology of Criminal Behavior provides an overview of the intersection of psychology and the criminal justice system. The biopsychosocial factors that may influence criminal behavior are examined such as aggression, psychopathy, mental health disorders, and brain dysfunction. Finally, appropriate psychological interventions are evaluated to determine the best course of action for predicting and treating criminal behavior in both juveniles and adults.

This course explores strategies of crime prevention including programs designed to reduce opportunities to commit crime, programs to alleviate demoralizing community social and economic conditions that foster criminal behavior, programs to improve police/community cooperation, and programs to educate young people as to likely consequences of criminal behavior.

This course examines the juvenile justice system from a historical and philosophical perspective. This examination includes an exploration of the prevalent patterns of juvenile delinquency, relates these patterns to theories of child and adolescent development, and examines various theories pertaining to the causes of delinquent behavior among juveniles. In addition, this course surveys the roles of a variety of stakeholders in the juvenile justice system as well as the role of police, courts, and delinquency intervention programs in the administration of juvenile justice. Emphasis will be given to strategies of prevention and early intervention.

A survey of constitutional rights, police compliance to constitutional rights, and constitutional amendments that specifically apply to the individual. The course examines the application of these rights in the enforcement, investigation, and adjudication of specific crimes.

Forensic science applies scientific methodology to crime scene investigation and crime solving. This course analyzes techniques of crime scene investigation and the lawful gathering of evidence. Emphasis is placed upon the Federal Rules of Evidence, including the admissibility of physical evidence at trial, as well as the role of forensic science in the criminal justice system and the identification, collection, and preservation of physical evidence (chain of custody issues).

This course is an analysis of correctional procedures and institutions, especially jails, prisons, parole and probation. Other topics include subcultures, social justice, alternative sentencing, and rehabilitation.

Students will review all learning objectives achieved throughout previous coursework and develop a comprehensive, focused study of a modern criminal justice issue while applying solutions and predictions for future trends in criminal and social justice. Successful students will focus on the pragmatic application of principles and theories that guide criminal justice practice in the United States. 

Elective requirements vary by program. Review the Program Requirements section for details about elective credits and degree completion requirements. Elective courses may also provide opportunities to pursue an Emphasis that complements your major and supports your academic or career goals.

Elective requirements vary by program. Review the Program Requirements section for details about elective credits and degree completion requirements. Elective courses may also provide opportunities to pursue an Emphasis that complements your major and supports your academic or career goals.