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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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: |
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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). |
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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: |
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COOP 1101 | Job Search Techniques | 1 credit | |
And all of: |
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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: |
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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
Criminology
Program Type:
- Undergraduate
Credential Granted:
- Baccalaureate Degree
Offered At:
- Langley
- Richmond
- Surrey
Start Date(s):
- September
- January
- May
Intake Type:
- Open intake
Format:
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Co-op
Minimum Credits Required:
- 120
Instructional Cycle:
- Semester-based
Curriculum Effective Date:
- 01-Sep-2015