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Community Criminal Justice: Bachelor of Arts (also: Honours)

Description

The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice is currently under review; not all courses may be available in 2016/17. Intakes have been suspended pending completion of the review. Please check with an Arts Degree Advisor to discuss your academic plan.

The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice program is designed to enable students to critically examine and explore the concepts and practices of justice, equality, and fairness that underpin our social and legal institutions. In so doing, students embark on community engagement and on an active and sustained engagement with institutions of civil society that can be productively harnessed to bring about social justice.

By combining theory and practice, students investigate issues of class, race, gender, and socio-economic conditions and examine how they shape our society. This program integrates opportunities to engage in undergraduate research, service learning, and practicum placements that provide students with highly transferable and marketable knowledge and skills.

The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice program provides students with the following benefits:

  • A broad understanding of crime and social justice issues within community, national, and international contexts.
  • Courses unique in Canada that unite practical and professional skills with community building and social justice.
  • An understanding of social and legal responses to crime and justice and the inter-relationship of these responses on societal attitudes.
  • A solid understanding of, and familiarity with, the research techniques that allow us to accurately document crime, victimization, attitudes, and social and legal change.
  • Ability to think critically and respond innovatively to emerging trends in community-based justice and related agencies.
  • Opportunities to work in direct partnership with local agencies and faculty on projects or engage in research, working closely with academic supervisors.
  • An understanding of, and ability to use, various means to promote social justice, including conflict resolution, restorative justice, community advocacy in a human rights framework, and an ability to deal with the many regulatory regimes that affect people in the justice system.

This unique program ensures that graduates have covered a range of theoretical, scientific, legal, and practical courses. Specific upper-division courses build knowledge and skills in:

  • Understanding historical and contemporary perspectives of social justice and injustice
  • Developing individual skills and leadership abilities to work effectively with community-based agencies and organizations that promote social justice goals
  • Understanding crime in communities and its prevention
  • Empirical data collection, analysis, and presentation
  • Conflict resolution and mediation
  • Restorative justice
  • Professional communication skills
  • Project planning, management, and evaluation
  • Advocacy, human rights, and decision making in regulatory agencies
  • Professional ethics

Students who are interested in applying to graduate school or prefer more extensive research experience are encouraged to undertake a structured program leading to an Honours degree. Students may obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree by completing a further 12 credits of coursework centred on developing, researching, and writing an Honours Thesis.

Note: See the Bachelor of Arts Honours, Major, and Minor in Criminology for information on an alternate program.

Career Opportunities

The limited success of traditional responses to crime, violence, poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and other social issues has increased calls for different approaches and strategies. New awareness of the burdens and social costs associated with these issues requires communities to rethink and refocus their efforts. KPU's Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice features a unique focus on community-based solutions to crime and social justice issues. Our innovative program prepares students for career opportunities in community-based work, social service delivery, legal advocacy, public safety, human rights, and the non-profit sector. The conceptual, critical, and applied skills that students acquire in this program will be attractive to employers in a wide range of settings, including community-based agencies and traditional organizations concerned with the justice field, such as law enforcement, courts, corrections, and customs and border security.

Admission Requirements

The Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, apply to this program.

Declaration Requirements

Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

  • In good academic standing with the University
  • Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
    • 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
    • 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area

Curricular Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.

Community Criminal Justice Degree

The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice requires that students complete 120 credits of post-secondary studies (132 credit hours for the Honours degree option).

1000 Level

Required courses:
  CRIM 1100 Introduction to Criminology 3 credits
  CRIM 1101 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System 3 credits
  CRIM 1107 Canadian Legal Systems 3 credits
  CRIM 1207 Introduction to Criminal Law 3 credits
  CRIM 1208 Methods of Research in Criminology 3 credits
  CRIM 1215 Interpersonal and Professional Development in Criminology 3 credits
  PSYC 1100 Introduction to Psychology: Basic Processes 3 credits
  SOCI 1125 Introduction to Society: Processes and Structures 3 credits
Plus one of:
  PHIL 1100 Introduction to Philosophy 3 credits
  PHIL 1110 Confronting Moral Issues: Introduction to Ethics 3 credits
  PHIL 1145 Critical Thinking 3 credits
  PHIL 1150 Introduction to Formal Logic 3 credits

2000 Level

Required courses:
  CRIM 2103 Quantitative Data Analysis I 3 credits
  CRIM 2330 Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour 3 credits
  CRIM 2331 Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour 3 credits
  CRIM 2341 Canadian Criminal Justice Administration 3 credits
Plus one of:
  CRIM 2204 Criminal Justice and Psychology 3 credits
  CRIM 2205 Crime, Criminal Justice, and the Media 3 credits
  CRIM 2211 Introduction to Policing 3 credits
  CRIM 2214 Corrections: Theory and Practice 3 credits
  CRIM 2249 Youth Justice 3 credits

3000 and 4000 Level

Students must complete all of the following courses:
  CMNS 3100 Technical Report Writing 3 credits
  CRIM 3000 Justice/Injustice 3 credits
  CRIM 3104 Qualitative Research Methods 3 credits
  CRIM 3800 Service Learning in Criminology and Justice 6 credits
  CRIM 4301 Community Advocacy and Human Rights 3 credits
  CRIM 4400 Ethics and Professional Development 3 credits
Students must complete at least 6 credits from the following courses in the Justice group:
  CRIM 3213 Community Corrections 3 credits
  CRIM 3307 Issues in Conflict Resolution 3 credits
  CRIM 4240 Aboriginal Peoples and Justice 3 credits
Students must complete at least 6 credits from two or more of the following groups:
  Group A: Methods
  CRIM 3103 Quantitative Data Analysis II 3 credits
  CRIM 3115 Crime Mapping 3 credits
  CRIM 4410 Policy and Program Evaluation 3 credits
  Group B: Theory
  CRIM 3100 Advanced Theories of Crime and Community 3 credits
  CRIM 3111 Contemporary Sociological Criminology 3 credits
  CRIM 3113 Critical Criminology 3 credits
  CRIM 4112 Contemporary Psychological Criminology 3 credits
  Group C: Criminal Justice
  CRIM 3118 White-Collar and Corporate Crime 3 credits
  CRIM 3217 Women, Crime, and Justice 3 credits
  CRIM 3249 Issues in Youth Justice 3 credits
  CRIM 4201 Community Safety and Crime Prevention 3 credits
  CRIM 4235 Minorities and the Criminal Justice System 3 credits
  Group D: Law
  CRIM 3302 Procedure and Evidence 3 credits
  CRIM 3305 Law and Society 3 credits
  CRIM 3351 Philosophy of Law 3 credits
  CRIM 3512 Mental Disorder and Canadian Law 3 credits
  CRIM 4300 Administrative and Regulatory Law 3 credits
Students must complete at least 6 credits from the following courses in the Applied category:
  CRIM 4154 Community Criminal Justice Project I 3 credits
  CRIM 4155 Community Criminal Justice Project II 6 credits
  CRIM 4800 Practicum in Criminology and Justice 12 credits
Students also must complete an additional 9 credits of criminology electives and 12 credits selected from outside criminology in arts, science, or other areas (breadth requirements).
Students must complete at least 45 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level. Depending on course selection at the CRIM 4000 level, students might require additional upper-level courses as either CRIM electives or any other electives.

Honours

In addition to the 120 credits required for the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree must complete the following additional 12 credits of course-work:

  CRIM 5000 Honours Thesis I 3 credits
  CRIM 5010 Honours Seminar 3 credits
  CRIM 5020 Honours Thesis II 6 credits

Enrolment in Criminology Honours courses requires the permission of the Criminology Honours committee. In order to be considered for Honours courses, students normally must:

  • have completed 90 credits or more at the time of application;
  • achieve a CGPA of 3.5;
  • and have completed CRIM 3104 and CRIM 4410.

Please see kpu.ca/arts/criminology for further information regarding application deadlines and selection criteria.

Students may receive either the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice degree or the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree, but not both.

Co-operative Education

The BA in Community Criminology Justice is offered with a Co-operative Education option. Co-operative Education gives a student the opportunity to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters. Degree students in the Co-op option are expected to complete a minimum of three work terms while completing their degree. Work terms generally occur full-time in separate 4 month work semesters but may also be available part-time over an 8 month continuous (parallel) placement. Work semesters alternate with academic study.

Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op Option must meet the following requirements:

Declaration/Entrance Requirements:

  • Declaration into the BA in Community Criminal Justice
  • Minimum GPA of 2.7

Program Continuance Requirements:

  • Completion of COOP 1101 prior to 75 programs credits
  • Minimum program GPA of 2.7
  • Instructor permission

Co-op Requirements

The Co-operative Education designation requires successful completion of the following courses:

Required:
  COOP 1101 Job Search Techniques 1 credit
And all of:
  COOP 1150* Co-op Work Semester 1 9 credits
  COOP 2150* Co-op Work Semester 2 9 credits
  COOP 3150* Co-op Work Semester 3 9 credits
Optional:
  COOP 4150* Co-op Work Semester 4 9 credits

* Part-time (parallel) work terms may be taken over two semesters as COOP 1150A/1150B, COOP 2150A/2150B, COOP 3150A/3150B, or COOP 4150A/4150B respectively.

Additional requirements:

In addition to the requirements stated above, all Co-op students must satisfy the General Co-operative Education Requirements.

Credential Awarded

Upon successful completion of the Honours program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice (Honours).

Upon successful completion of the degree program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice.

Upon successful completion of the Co-operative Education Option in the degree program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice (Co-operative Education Option).

At a Glance

Faculty of Arts

kpu.ca/arts

Criminology

kpu.ca/arts/criminology

Program Type:

  • Undergraduate

Credential Granted:

  • Baccalaureate Degree

Offered At:

  • KPU Langley  Langley
  • KPU Richmond  Richmond
  • KPU Surrey  Surrey

Start Date(s):

  • Fall Intake (September)  September
  • Spring Intake (January)  January
  • Summer Intake (May)  May

Intake Type:

  • Open Intake  Open intake

Format:

  • Full-time  Full-time
  • Part-time  Part-time
  • Co-op  Co-op

Minimum Credits Required:

  • 120

Instructional Cycle:

  • Semester-based

Curriculum Effective Date:

  • 01-Sep-2015

How to Declare:

Applying to KPU:

Last Updated: 14-Jun-2016

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