Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice

An introduction to computer applications including basic computer concepts and terminology. Students gain hands-on experience in using the operating system and word processing, spreadsheet, presentation management, and database management software. All students are required to take this course if they cannot demonstrate proficiency by passing the Computer Skills Exam or by having taken a suitable substitute at another regionally accredited higher education institution. Course fee may apply.

An introductory overview of the U.S. criminal justice system examines crime and victimization trends, crime prevention programs, law enforcement, prosecution, defense, adjudication, sentencing, corrections, and criminal justice policy making.

This class is designed to help students understand the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It provides a comprehensive overview of the department's history, mission, organization, and programs designed to reduce America's vulnerability to attack and quickly recover from disaster.

This course covers the fundamental components of investigating criminal offenses for the purpose of apprehending suspects and preparing cases for adjudication. Special attention is paid to the scientific aspects of gathering and analyzing evidence, and the overall management of major cases is stressed. The course objective will be to provide the student with an in-depth examination of the science and art of criminal investigations. Class presentations and crime scene simulations will focus on the use of physical evidence, investigative techniques, due process considerations, and the role of the physical, biological, and social sciences in case development.

This course covers the various methods associated with investigating a crime scene. Special emphasis is placed on sequential processing of the crime scene to avoid the loss and/or the contamination of evidence. Students successfully completing this course will be aware of the critical concerns of crime scene processing and the methods that are employed to eliminate those concerns, proper crime scene search patterns, and the appropriate methods to plot the location of evidence when it is discovered.

This course covers the creation and application of substantive criminal law. Topics covered include the nature and origins of criminal law, substantive due process, elements of criminal liability, the doctrine of complicity, uncompleted crimes, defenses to criminal liability, and the elements of crimes against persons, habitation, property, the public order, and morals.

This course concerns the laws governing procedural due process for criminal defendants. Case analyses and the interpretation of appellate court opinions are used to learn the fundamental relationships among the U.S. Constitution, courts, and criminal procedure. Topics covered include remedies for state law-breaking, initial police-citizen contacts, seizures of persons, search and seizure of property, interrogations and confessions, identification procedures, decisions to charge and the first appearance, pretrial proceedings, conviction by trial and by guilty plea, and post-sentencing considerations.

This course is designed to be a comprehensive overview of ethics in the field of criminal justice. This course will address ethical issues that may arise in the criminal justice profession. Through lecture, class discussion, and exercises, the student will develop a better understanding of the moral and ethical dilemmas confronting criminal justice practitioners and how these dilemmas may be successfully resolved.

The techniques of effective writing, logical thinking, and intelligent reading, with special emphasis on expository writing. To ensure competence in oral communications, a speech component is included. Offered every semester.

A continuation of ENG 121. Expository writing based on analytical study of literary genres and an introduction to the research process. To ensure competence in oral communications, a speech component is included. Offered every semester.

An interdisciplinary course that introduces students to visual, written, and musical works of art designed to increase the student's understanding and aesthetic pleasure as well as to develop acquaintance with techniques and terminology in the arts. Regular classroom lectures/discussions will be complemented by live performances and exhibits.

Topics include number theory, numeration systems, geometry, counting methods, probability, and statistics. Offered every semester.

Designed for students to develop an increased understanding and appreciation of the significance of physical fitness and wellness, to assess their present status, and to formulate positive attitudes and actions toward maintaining and/or improving their current level of fitness and health.

The course examines human beings as present to themselves, as having a narrative self understanding, and as being on a quest for meaning and orientation in life. Some of the topics are the mystery of existence; thinking and prejudice; the good, conscience, and the power of choice; the state and the dignity of the person; the problem of materialism and scientism; and the place of imagination in articulating life's meaning.

This course is an introductory survey of the history, structures, and processes of the U.S. legal system. It is designed to be taken as a first University-level course in law and should precede more specialized courses such as criminal, business, or constitutional law. Covered are basic legal concepts such as due process, the structure of the U.S. court system, and the major subdivisions of law such as civil procedure, criminal procedure, and the law of torts. Understanding the role of law in society, the analysis of judicial reasoning, and the application of legal concepts to factual situations is stressed. Offered annually.

This course involves an introduction to the field of theology as an academic discipline with a body of writing, methods, and interpretations. It is concerned with how to successfully study theology, including basic library research methodology and critical thinking. Students will build a basic understanding of the whole of theology through an introduction of its parts: Old Testament and New Testament literature, Who Is Jesus?, What Is the Church?, Grace and the Sacraments, Christian Morality, Social Justice, Judaism and the Church, the Islamic religion and the Church, and Catholic theology in a global context.

This course is designed to provide integrated knowledge and basic understanding of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings of the physical sciences, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, and earth sciences. Major integrated themes include the nature and history of the universe, the solar system, and the Earth; the four forces; the ultimate structure and development of matter; types and nature of chemical bonding; plate tectonics; the rock cycle; biogeochemical cycles; oceanic and atmospheric circulation; global climate change; the unified nature of the laws and forces of the universe; the scientific world view; the scientific method; and the major differences between the scientific way of knowing and other ways of knowing. Emphasis is placed on oral and written scientific literacy through effective interpretation and communication of written, quantitative, graphic, and tabular scientific information.

This course is designed to provide integrated knowledge and basic understanding of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings of the life sciences, including biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, environmental science, molecular biology, biochemistry, ecology, cytology, genetics, and embryology. Major integrated themes include ecosystem dynamics, contemporary environmental issues, DNA and protein synthesis, cell anatomy and physiology, the processes of evolution and genetics, the diversity of life, the unified nature of life, the scientific world view, the scientific method, and the major differences between the scientific way of knowing and other ways of knowing. Emphasis is placed on oral and written scientific literacy through effective interpretation and communication of written, quantitative, graphic, and tabular scientific information.

An interdisciplinary course designed to provide students with the opportunity to consider the many ways in which human beings function as individuals, as members of larger groups and demographic segments, and as members of a particular culture. This course explores the disciplines of sociology, psychology, and anthropology within the framework of the scientific method, social constructivism, ethics, and values. Value systems, including the core values of Saint Leo University, and the ways in which they affect social structure are also explored.

A survey of various global issues arising in the world since World War II. The course combines the disciplines of history, political science, and economics. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction of the superpowers during the Cold War, the post-colonial emergence of the Third World, the ascendancy of regional and international economic and political institutions, the ambiguous blessing of technological innovation, and the reshaping of contemporary Europe.