Nova Southeastern University

Theories of crime causation ranging through biological, psychological, sociological and cultural and political theories, giving close attention to the problems inherent in approaching the study of crime from a "cause of crime" perspective. Emphasis around the key concepts used in theories of crime (e.g. responsibility, rationalization) and the multidisciplinary source of these concepts, how they are applied to criminological theory and their importance for understanding the present state of criminological theory.

A social psychological examination of current issues and problems in municipal law enforcement, including topics such as the informal exercise of police authority, police role conflict, the relative significance of law enforcement and social services and interactional dynamics of police subculture.

The criminal justice system is based upon substantive and procedural criminal law, criminal procedures and criminal rights with emphasis on constitutional theory and practice.

This course will introduce concepts, and methods in descriptive and inferential statistics. The course is designed to provide students with the statistical background required for doctoral level applied research. Application of statistics educational and human service research will be emphasized. Areas of study will include estimation, probability, variables, normal distribution, t-distribution, chi-square distribution, F-distribution, confidence intervals, hypotheses testing, and correlation. This course will provide the skills necessary to properly apply descriptive and inferential statistics by helping students understand the role of statistics in scientific research. Further, the assignments were designed to help students identify and implement the correct statistical procedure for a research question through data analysis, using a microcomputer (e.g., SPSS). Students will gain the requisite knowledge necessary to learn more complex statistical/research procedures and become more critical of various statistical presentations in academic journals and the mass media.

The goal of this course is to prepare students to use advanced statistics. The course provides an introduction to some of the statistical tools commonly used. While students taking this class will have already taken a course in statistics, this course will place a much stronger emphasis on conceptually understanding the statistical methods. Since the course is targeted to students already familiar with mathematical concepts, we will not shy away from using the mathematical tools needed to develop the conceptual understanding. But the emphasis of the course will be on the conceptual understanding and application of the tools rather than on the math or the mechanics behind the tools. So for example, when studying hypothesis testing, we will place a heavier emphasis on what the test is doing, when to use it and how to interpret its results, than on mechanical repetitions of the calculations involved in conducting the test. (prerequisite CJI 703)

This course will 1) to suggest the kinds of phenomena for which qualitative approaches are most apt to be useful and 2) to equip students with the skills necessary in order to successfully conduct rigorous and ethical studies. The epistemological bases for such approaches and the complimentary aspects of qualitative approaches will be explored in great detail. The emphasis, however, will be on a hands-on approach on how to do field research, case studies, interviews etc. In addition to a common core of readings, the students may choose from a wide menu of readings in terms of their particular research interests. Course assignments will be topics from the chapters of the textbooks. Feedback will be provided on the evolving research projects including the possible utility of the various approaches listed. Colleagues who are experts at doing field research, analysis, interviewing etc., will be asked to make their contributions at relevant places in the course. For the last five to ten years, there has been burgeoning literature on the value of qualitative research, and guidelines on how to do it well. Most of these earlier studies have drawn from other disciplines.

The overall purpose of this class is to familiarize the student with the language and major issues confronting criminal justice research and researchers. As such, students will learn the basic rudiments of social science inquiry with special focus on how one conceptualizes a problem, uses theory to structure research questions, designs a method to examine the problem and answer the questions of interest, and implements that research approach. This is the first of a required two course sequence. In addition to class exams, during this semester students will begin the design of one research project.

This course is an on-line, doctoral level core course within the Criminal Justice Institute at Nova Southeastern University. This course is the second part of the research methods requirement. Because a basic understanding of research methods has been addressed in the previous course, Research Methods II will provide detailed instruction on scientific methods and research designs, as applied to problems of criminal justice, as well as the superiority of scientific knowledge over other forms of human knowledge. It will cover topics such as problem conceptualization and formulation, experimental and quasi-experimental design, sampling, measurement, survey research, observation, unobtrusive measures, and methods of data management and analysis. The final product of this course can, and should, serve as a dissertation prospectus, grant proposal, or publishable article. (Prerequisite CJI 706).

This course will examine key concepts, methods, and approaches in the field of program evaluation research. Students will be exposed to the theoretical and methodological diversity inherent in current evaluation practices across a number of substantive areas. The comprehensive range of activities involved in designing, implementing, and assessing the utility of social programs will be a primary focus of the course.

This course is intended to provide students with an in-depth and comprehensive foundation in advanced program evaluation methods. Topics will include the development and use of logic models, as well as the use of quasi-experimental and randomized designs in evaluation research. A wide range of data-collection procedures, including conventional (e.g., systematic surveys) and unconventional (e.g., trained observer ratings) will be highlighted. The course will introduce a range of strategies for analysis of evaluation data that will facilitate the use of statistical procedures in evaluation research, address qualitative approaches to analysis of evaluation data, and provide guidance on the application of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit techniques in program evaluation. (Prerequisite CJI 708).

The purpose of this course is to provide you with a rudimentary understanding of data analysis and interpretation in order to help you read and understand research literature. No previous experience in statistics or data analysis is expected. The course is designed with a focus on you as a consumer of the research literature, not as the person doing the research (although you will get some suggestions about that as we go along). The course is designed to teach you concepts; it is not designed to teach you how to do statistics and thus it will not focus on statistical formulas or computation. Rather, this course will involve reading, writing, and, interpretation of basic research and statistical concepts and models.

This course provides the student with an opportunity to examine the dissertation process. The course focuses on structure and design of a concept for PhD dissertation research that includes peer/collegial review and scholarly discourse leading to a draft of Chapter one of the proposal development. (Prerequisites: CJI 700-CJI 710).

This course provides the student with a continuation of the dissertation process. The course focuses on structure and design of PhD dissertation research that includes chairperson review and scholarly discourse leading to proposal development. (Prerequisites: CJI 700-710 & CJI 9000).

This course provides the student with a continuation of the dissertation process. The course focuses on structure and design of PhD dissertation research that includes chairperson review and scholarly discourse leading to proposal development. (Prerequisites: CJI 700-CJI 710, CJI 9000 & CJI 9001).

Students enroll in this course after enrolling in Dissertation I-III and before they receive final dissertation approval from their dissertation committee.

Students will be required to enroll in this course after the completion of Dissertation I-IV, each term, until the completion of their final dissertation defense.