Courses

NOTE: This site is an archive of 2012–2013 programs and policies at Boston University Metropolitan College. If you are looking for current information about Metropolitan College and its programs, please go to our official website: www.bu.edu/met.

• MET CJ 420: Directed Study
  Independent study in criminal justice under faculty guidance. Prior approval by program director required.
• MET CJ 510: Special Topics in Criminal Justice
  CJ510 is the designation for "Special Topics in Criminal Justice". The subject matter for CJ510 courses changes from semester to semester, and more than one CJ510 can be offered in a given semester. For course descriptions, please contact the Department or the Graduate Student Advisor, Professor Cronin, at swcronin@bu.edu.
• MET CJ 601: History of Criminal Justice
  Graduate Prerequisites: upper-level or graduate standing.
  This course examines the evolution of the criminal justice system in America, emphasizing the period from the 18th century to contemporary forms of social control. An appreciation of the historical antecedents of crime and justice will deepen students' understanding of the modern-day institutions of law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
• MET CJ 602: Criminology
  This course explores potential answers to complex and important questions about criminal behavior by drawing on the social science of criminology. Criminology is the interdisciplinary study of the development of law, criminal phenomena and societal responses to crime. The primary emphasis of this course will be discussing and evaluating major explanations or theories of crime. Because criminology is interdisciplinary, we will examine theories that are ground in a range of academic perspectives, including sociological, biological, political, psychological and economic explanations for crime. Course lectures and discussions focus on the historical development of the theories, their major assumptions and propositions, their relevance for public policy and practice. As we progress through each explanation for crime, we critically evaluate the validity of different explanations for crime as well as criminal justice policies and practices that they support.
• MET CJ 610: Special Topics in Criminal Justice: Cybercrime
  This course is designed to help students understand and apply the nature of computer crime in the criminal justice field. Several theories (both micro-level and macro-level) will be presented and will be analyzed in depth and applied to computer crime cases both past and present. Students will see how major theories have been re-developed to be applied to computer crime, and by using these theories, students will both develop and explore different strategies for future law enforcement. Students will be presented with common types of fraudulent schemes, as well as several laws that have been enacted and developed specifically for computer crime. In addition, causes, victimization, legal issues, control strategies, and societal costs regarding the "computer-crime" problem will be explored and evaluated.
• MET CJ 625: Victimology
  The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the discipline of victimology, an emerging area of specialization in the field of criminology. Emphasis will focus on crime victims and their plight, the relationships between crime victims and other social groups and institutions, such as the media, business, politicians, special interest groups, and social movements. The issues of Justice and Redress from the perspective of the victim as well as general society will be stressed. An overview of victim prevention programs and victim assistance programs will be presented. Topics such as the Restorative Justice Model, Victim Repayment, and Victim/Offender Mediation will be included in the course content. While the course follows an interdisciplinary approach and is designed for general interest and appeal, it has particular relevance for students drawn from disciplinary interests in the fields of criminal justice, psychology, sociology, education, health care administration, and political science.
• MET CJ 631: Youth Crime Problems
  Throughout this course, students will analyze the policy issues concerning juvenile justice and youth crime. Emphasis will be put on the scope and nature of youth crime and the young offender, as well as juvenile justice procedures, programs and institutional roles. Over the semester, students will also be asked to consider delinquency prevention programs, violent offenders, dispositional alternatives, and crimes against youth.
• MET CJ 632: White Collar Crime
  The purpose of this course is to examine the nature and extent of corporate and white-collar crime, including detection, deterrence, and criminal liability sanctions, as well as, the social and legal changes related to corporate illegality. Students will use case materials which address securities fraud, money "laundering", professional deviance, and political corruption, in addition to other topics. Students will also analyze policy responses including RICO and other laws, regulations and court processing.
• MET CJ 650: Terrorism
  This course will include a general introduction to the overt as well as underlying ideology, history, reasons and causes of terrorism. Both domestic and international terrorism will be discussed. Domestic hate groups will also receive particular attention. The roles of politics and the media will be discussed. Students will be exposed to the philosophies of terrorists and terrorism. Counter terrorism will also be discussed at length. Students are expected to participate actively in the course. There will be written assignments, a midterm, a class presentation, and a final paper.
• MET CJ 656: Forensic Criminal Investigation
  Forensic Criminal Investigation is an examination of the strategies, techniques, and procedures implicated in the process of conducting forensic criminal investigations, i.e. cases that will seek adjudication in the criminal court. Students will examine cold cases, concluded successful investigations, ongoing investigations as well as the perspective and worldview of the perpetrators and victims of violent crimes in an effort to deconstruct and disassemble crimes, crime scenes and the criminal mind.
• MET CJ 660: Gender and Justice
  This course examines the role of gender in both criminal behavior and the societal response to crime. Gender affects criminal behavior, structures our responses to crime, and presents unique challenges for the criminal justice system. While the course examines the role of gender in these ways for both men and women, the course focuses on the limitations of research, policy and practice that has focused traditionally on male offenders. The course also examines the role of gender in criminal justice organizations and processes.
• MET CJ 701: Crime and Punishment
  Graduate Prerequisites: upper-level or graduate standing.
  Police officers, corrections officers, probation and parole officers, youth service officers, federal law enforcement agents, and court professionals are all called upon on a daily basis to make critical decisions that significantly affect the lives of those entrusted to them. Students in this course will consider applications of ethical actions as they pertain to issues of social justice. Toward that end, we will forge a strong notion of our definition of just what constitutes social justice.
• MET CJ 702: Analytical Methods
  This course introduces students to the use of quantitative data in analyzing the criminal justice system. It serves as an introduction to the statistical methods used in applied social science research and furthers students' understanding of the role statistical analysis plays in planning and policy development.
• MET CJ 703: Research Methods
  This course introduces students to the practice, theory, and philosophy of social science research, with a special focus on criminal justice. It not only broadens students' knowledge of the ethical issues associated with research, but also introduces them to a variety of research techniques such as surveys, field research, and experimental designs. Research Methods will lay the foundation for students to become informed "consumers" of research, as well as "producers" of it.
• MET CJ 725: Forensic Behavior Analysis
  This course will examine the fascinating world of forensic psychology. It will examine the way in which the law and mental health intersect and forensic psychologists help the court in addressing a variety of cases and issues. The course will explore how expert opinions are formed and provided on a variety of issues including; not guilty by reason of mental illness pleas, competency to stand trial, prediction of future violence, sexual predators; psychopaths, the forcible medication of mentally ill patients, and civil commitment. The difference between sound and "junk" science will be discussed.
• MET CJ 750: Police in the Multicultural Society
  Explores the ways in which issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality inform the perspective(s) of the criminal justice, social, legal, or medical services practitioner in his/her delivery of services. The standpoint and worldview of the recipient(s) of the myriad police imprint, in most situations the subaltern: the underclass, the working poor, ethnic others, immigrant adults, and children, asylum seekers, people of color, women, and non-heterosexuals, will be examined and deconstructed. Students will be brought to an understanding as to the position of cultural ideology, (that of the practitioner and the client class), in affecting the spectrum of the criminal justice, social service, medical and legal service delivery apparatus.
• MET CJ 775: Seminar in the Law and Criminal Procedure
  This course examines the origins and evolution of contemporary criminal procedure. Case law governing criminal justice functions such as stops, interrogations, arrests, warrants, identification practices, the use of informants, and searches and seizures will be explored through the prism of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
• MET CJ 801: Special Project in Criminal Justice
  Graduate Prerequisites: approval of program director prior to registration.
  Individual faculty supervision of an independent student project demonstrating application of previous program coursework to a selected topic, issue, or theme in criminal justice.
• MET CJ 831: Criminal Justice Administration
  The challenge of administering, managing, and leading today's criminal justice organizations is becoming increasingly complicated due to many factors, ranging from terrorism and cyber crime to politicization and privatization. This course provides students with not only a conceptual and theoretical basis on which to manage these complex entities, but also practical approaches to organizational effectiveness, integrity, and innovation.
• MET CM 702: Advertising and Society
  Analyzes the impact of advertising on individuals and society and evaluates the ethical, moral, and legal questions relating to the advertising industry. The history of advertising and the rise of consumerism will be studied to create a paradigm for understanding the social effects of advertising. Students will study the issues of advertising in cyberspace and questions of privacy and protection from intrusive communication messages.