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Homeland Security Minor

Homeland Security


IN THIS SECTION
  • Criminal Justice
    • Criminal Justice Major
    • Criminal Justice Minor
  • Forensics
    • Forensics Minor
  • Homeland Security
    • Homeland Security Minor

Prepare for a career in security, defense, or emergency management.

The Homeland Security Minor will give you an introduction to criminal justice, security issues, and emergency management. You will understand the workings of the Department of Homeland Security and learn how criminal justice is conceived and practiced in other parts of the world which will prepare you to effectively interact with counterparts. You will learn about major terrorist groups and their strategies, tactics, and targets as well as counter-terrorist operations and other threats to security, such as gangs and cybercrime, and assess the effectiveness of law enforcement, courts, and corrections in promoting public safety and ensuring justice. You will also learn how to respond to emergencies and natural and human-made hazards. As you develop your knowledge, you will also develop your own ideas for change in the fields of policing, courts, or corrections and consider the resistances that would likely arise as changes are introduced and how they should be dealt with. Along the way, you will consider ethical questions related to the practices. With three electives, this minor allows you to focus on your particular area of interest.

Explore sample courses in this program.

CJ-212 Homeland Security

The course introduces students to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), examining interdepartmental workings, legal restrictions placed on DHS mandates, how the DHS interacts with both domestic and international agencies, and how effective the DHS has been since its inception.
3 credits

CJ-218 Emergency Management

This course covers topics such as risk identification and assessment of natural and human-made hazards and the development of crisis and disaster incident management programs. Students take the Federal Emergency Management Agency online course, with optional certificate.
3 credits

CJ-216 Cybercrime

The course introduces students to the technical, social, and legal aspects of cybercrime while exposing them to theories, tools, and approaches to preventing and investigating cybercrime.
3 credits

CJ-307 Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement

An intensive analysis of selected problems in American law enforcement and police-community relations. A major research paper is required.
3 credits

CJ-322 Gangs

This course offers an in-depth study of gangs in the US, examining theories of gang formation, group dynamics, individual factors associated with gang membership, the different types of gangs that exist, and prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing gang behavior.
3 credits

CJ-333 Terrorism

This course explores the development of terrorism as a form of crime. Topics include major terrorist groups and their strategies, tactics, and targets; jurisdictional issues; anti- and counter-terrorist operations; federal law enforcement; and future trends in terrorism.
3 credits

CJ-337 Criminal Justice Ethics

Issues related to policing, criminal prosecution, and corrections are studied. Students are encouraged to induce general moral precepts and rules from the examination of particular situations and problems.
3 credits

CJ-352 Principles of Investigation

Techniques and protocols for investigation in private and public sectors, including collection of physical evidence, interpretation and preservation of data, rules of evidence, and techniques of documentation, along with interview and interrogation approaches.
1 to 3 credits

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