Justice Studies BAA Courses

Below is a sample of a few of the courses taken in the Justice Studies BAA program. For a complete list, including all prerequisites and restrictions, visit the Undergraduate Calendar.

Ethics and the Justice System

Study primary sources that set out the major schools of ethical thought and moral reasoning. Use these various models to critically analyze Canadian criminal cases and social issues such as euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment and animal rights. In addition, you reflect upon your own ethical reasoning and consider alternative approaches.

Police and Society

You examine the role of police in society, including theories of policing and the history of policing, and issues, such as police-citizen interaction, relations with visible minorities, methods for controlling police behaviour and police effectiveness in carrying out policy directives. While fully understanding the history of policing, you consider new visions for policing in society using government studies and reports, supplemental readings, special lectures and group discussions.

Trends in Gender Issues

This interdisciplinary course explores contemporary issues and theoretical approaches concerning women and gender. Examine pop-cultural, literary and academic sources to acquaint with the current trends in women’s studies. Analyze the philosophical tensions expressed in debates about gender equality and difference, social justice and diversity and rights-based feminism. Using these debates as context, consider specific issues, such as prostitution and sex tourism, violence against women and reproductive rights.

Advanced Criminological Theory

Gain an in-depth understanding of criminology as a scientific method of studying crime and criminals. You study all aspects of the discipline: the definition of crime and criminals, theories related to types of criminal activities, the origin and role of law, the distribution of crime, the causation of crime and societal reactions to crime.

Research Methods for Social Science

Get an to the contemporary research methods employed in the social sciences. Emphasis is placed on understanding the process of social research and how it relates to theory development and problem investigation. You compare qualitative and quantitative techniques and applications and explore other key concepts: ethics and politics of social research, the nature of causation, conceptualization, operationalization, development of hypotheses, and sampling techniques. Lectures and seminars draw on actual research examples.