Social and Behavioral Sciences

This course provides a historical and philosophical overview of the American criminal justice system, including the nature, extent, and impact of crime; criminal law; and justice agencies and processes.

This course is a study of the court system as it applies to the structures, procedures, practices and sources of law in American courts, using federal and Texas statutes and case law.

American crime problems in historical perspective, social and public policy factors affecting crime, impact and crime trends, social characteristics of specific crimes, and prevention of crime.

This course is the study of criminal law including application of definitions, statutory elements, defenses and penalties using Texas statutes, the Model Penal Code, and case law. The course also analyzes the philosophical and historical development of criminal law and criminal culpability.

This course is a survey of institutional and non-institutional corrections. Emphasis will be placed on the organization and operation of correctional systems; treatment and rehabilitation; populations served; Constitutional issues; and current and future issues.

Investigative theory; collection and preservation of evidence; sources of information; interview and interrogation; uses of forensic sciences; case and trial preparation.

This course examines the establishment, role and function of police in a democratic society. It will focus on types of police agencies and their organizational structure, police-community interaction, police ethics, and use of authority.

This course is an introduction to the world’s major regions seen through their defining physical, social, cultural, political, and economic features. These regions are examined in terms of their physical and human characteristics and their interactions. The course emphasizes relations among regions on issues such as trade, economic development, conflict, and the role of regions in the globalization process.

Introductory survey of the discipline of political science focusing on the scope, and methods of the field, and the substantive topics in the discipline including the theoretical foundations of politics, political interaction, political institutions and how political systems function.

Origin and development of the U. S. Constitution, structure and powers of the national government including the legislative, executive and judicial branches, federalism, political participation, the national election process, public policy, civil liberties and civil rights.

Origin and development of the Texas constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy and the political culture of Texas.

A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.

A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from the Civil War/Reconstruction era to the present. United States History II examines industrialization, immigration, world wars, the Great Depression, Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History II include: American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbanization, the expansion of the federal government and the study of U. S. foreign policy.

A survey of the political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual history of Texas from the pre-Columbian era to the present. Themes that may be addressed in Texas History include: Spanish colonization and Spanish Texas; Mexican Texas; the Republic of Texas; statehood and secession; oil, industrialization and urbanization; civil rights and modern Texas.

A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, religious and intellectual history of Europe and the Mediterranean world from human origins to the 17th century. Themes that should be addressed in Western Civilization I include the cultural legacies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Islamic civilizations and Europe through the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformations.

A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, religious, and intellectual history of Europe and the Mediterranean world from the 17th century to the modern era. Themes that should be addressed in Western Civilization II include absolutism and constitutionalism, growth of nation states, the Enlightenment, revolutions, classical liberalism, industrialization, imperialism, global conflict, the Cold War and globalism.

A study of major issues in philosophy and/or the work of major philosophical figures in philosophy. Topics in philosophy may include theories of reality, theories of knowledge, theories of value, and their practical applications.

General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

The scientific study of human society, including ways in which groups, social institutions, and individuals affect each other. Causes of social stability and social change are explored through the application of various theoretical perspectives, key concepts, and related research methods of sociology. Analysis of social issues in their institutional context may include topics such as social stratification, gender, race/ethnicity, and deviance.