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:

1. SOC 328: Criminology (CSI)
2. PSYC 359: Crime and the Justice System: A Social Psychology Perspective (W)
3. CHEM 120: Forensic Chemistry (PSL)
4. 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)
5. 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 

Faculty