Critical Criminology Certificate

The Critical Criminology certificate provides students with the fundamentals of theory and praxis that extend beyond mainstream criminological thought and that, instead, are grounded in a critical understanding of crime and delinquency that examines social harm broadly and state-sanctioned violence specifically. This program is designed to teach students how crime and delinquency are defined by those with power in society and shaped by social, political, and economic systems. The classes cover conflict perspectives at the micro- and macro-levels; this knowledge prepares the student to discern the role that the criminal legal system, system professionals, and the members of a democratized society have in creating and/or decreasing motivations for criminal engagement. This curriculum is applicable to all responsible thinkers who will eventually become decision-makers in the system.  This certificate program requires the completion of 15 credits.

Learning Outcomes:  

1. Students will move beyond traditional criminology and focus on social interactions and structures that expose injustice throughout the criminal legal system. 

2. Students will advance social justice and combat injustice using open-ended questions, discourse, and other inclusive/collective strategies.