Criminology Minor
Criminology is the sociological study of crime and the criminal justice system. At IWU, the Criminology minor provides a unique interdisciplinary framework, grounded
in the social sciences but also engaging the natural sciences and humanities. Our
Criminology students develop:
- knowledge about the workings of the criminal justice system;
- an understanding of inequality with regard to the law;
- the skills needed to study and analyze crime.
The Criminology minor complements the primary majors of students who are interested in a future working in criminal justice, advocacy, law, politics, or research.
Classes focus on a variety of topics including policing, eyewitness testimony, jury behavior, crime scene analysis, and inequality within the criminal justice system. Students study current, ongoing legal cases in the Bloomington-Normal area and speak with people involved in the criminal justice system.
Required Courses
Students pursuing a minor in Criminology will complete a total of six courses: four core courses taken by all students, and two electives that focus on students' specific area of interest.
The required courses for the Criminology minor include:
- SOC 328: Criminology (CSI)
- PSYC 359: Crime and the Justice System: A Social Psychology Perspective (W)
- CHEM 120: Forensic Chemistry (PSL)
- A methods class, selecting one from the following:
SOC 225: Methods of Social Research
PSYCH 227: Statistics
ENST 200: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (FR) - Two electives from the following list of courses:
BUS 349: Seminar in Management - Trial Class
PHIL 205: What is Law? (AV, W)
PHIL 305: Philosophy of Law (AV)
PSYCH 251: Abnormal Psychology (LSI)
PSCI 105: Civil Liberties and Social Justice (AV)
SOC 201: Social Problems (AV)
SOC 230: Race and Racism (CSI, U)
SOC 345: Intersectionality (IT, U)
SOC 270/370 (by permission of the chair): Special Topics