History, Political Science, and Criminal Justice

Department Chair: Dr. John Barrett

Subject Matter Experts
History/Political Science - Dr. John Barrett
Criminal Justice - Mark Moland

Associate Professor: Mark Moland
Assistant Professor: Dr. John Barrett, Thomas Whittaker

History, Political Science, and Criminal Justice offers the following degrees:

Criminal Justice, A.S. (ACJ):Non-Traditional
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (CJBS)
History-Political Science, B.A. (HIPL)
Bachelor of Arts in History Education & Social Studies (in partnership with the College of Education)
Bachelor of Science in:
Minors: Criminal Justice Minor (CRMJ) , History-Political Science Minor (HIPL) , Legal Studies Minor (LEGL) and Political Science Minor (POLS) .

Course descriptions and requirements for all programs are linked below. For details about the people and programs of History and Political Science, please consult LeTourneau’s web site.

History and Political Science also provides guidance for pre-professional programs in law.

Pre Law

The American Bar Association does not recommend a particular major, but encourages future law students to study in disciplines which will help them develop the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in this field. At LeTourneau, students who are interested in a legal career should visit with the pre-law advisor who will work with each student individually to find an appropriate major and elective courses.

If you major in History-Political Science, then the courses taken in your major will prepare you for law school. If you have room for elective courses, BUSI 3103 - Business Law and MGMT 4313 - Conflict Resolution are excellent choices. Your B.A. degree requires an 18 hour minor. Your choice of a minor is important and should be chosen to give you added intellectual breadth and knowledge. For example, a minor in literature will help build one’s writing skills; or if you want to go into international law, consider a Spanish minor; or if you wish to have some background in business or accounting, then minor in one of those fields.

If you major in an academic discipline other than History-Political Science, then take as many courses as possible in your major and in your general education electives which will reinforce the following: 1) writing proficiency; 2) critical thinking skills; 3) analytical skills; 4) communication aptitude; 5) knowledge of the American tradition; and 6) research skills. Law school admission deans like to see applications that include challenging courses in history, literature, and philosophy. Foreign languages and advanced math courses are also good to take. At the very least, try to take as many of the following courses as you can.

MGMT 4313 Conflict Resolution

BUSI 3103 - Business Law

POLS 3951-3953 Pre-law Practicum . This is an introduction to the legal field that is offered on demand and should be taken in the freshman or sophomore year of college. The purpose of the course is to help a student decide if a legal career is an appropriate career choice.

POLS 4103 - American Constitutional Law . This course involves “briefing” selected Supreme Court cases. It is writing intensive and tries to replicate law school expectations.

Admittance to law school is rigorous. Therefore, a student needs to be committed to his or her studies and also show evidence of campus and community involvement. During the junior or senior year of college a student pursuing a legal career must take the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) and make application to law school. Admittance into law school is usually based on the student’s test score and college grades.

A pre-law student should plan on spending a semester in Washington D.C. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, but most easily through the American Studies Program in which LeTourneau participates.

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Professional Training

Course credit for completion of Law Enforcement Academy Students who have graduated from a state accredited law enforcement academy and passed their state peace officer licensing exam will be granted transfer credit for the following Criminal Justice courses:

CRIJ 1303 Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRIJ 2313 Criminal Law
CRIJ 3263 Constitutional Criminal Procedures

Academic Credit for Service with LeTourneau UPD Campus Security. In consultation with UPD Chief Schultz, we propose that students who serve with the UPD force receive internship credit after two semesters of service and the option of an additional 3 credit hours of credit in Campus Security once they complete two additional semesters and a project supervised by Chief Schultz. This proposal does not create any new courses but applies existing courses to support UPD.

CRIJ 4903: Criminal Justice Internship (3 credit hours): Students are required to complete two semesters of satisfactory service with UPD. During the second semester of service, with Chief’s approval, the student can enroll in CRIJ 4903 with the Chief as supervisor. The Internship will address the following learning objectives:

Demonstrate knowledge of law enforcement principles and techniques.
Demonstrate basic knowledge of applied criminal law, procedures, and radio code communication for law enforcement.
Demonstrate knowledge of professionalism, diversity, and ethics for law enforcement.
Demonstrate knowledge of UPD patrol techniques and traffic enforcement for law enforcement.
Conduct a basic criminal investigation and evaluate a crime scene, collect evidence, and document incidents.

CRIJ 4993: Special Topics in Criminal Justice- Campus safety (3 credit hours): For students to enroll in this special topics course, they must be in their fourth semester of service with UPD and in a leadership position as designated by UPD Chief. To receive credit, students must serve satisfactorily in a leadership position and complete a project in support advancing the UPD’s policy, training, management, planning, or risk assessments. The Special Topics course will address the following learning objectives:

Demonstrate the ability to think and act critically, logically, and strategically about campus safety.
Advance campus safety knowledge, methodology, and practice to improve the security of the University’s infrastructure and citizenry.
Identify and assess potential threats to the University’s safety.
Demonstrate proficiency in identifying and utilizing information sources for critical issues in campus safety.

Majors

Associate of Science

An Associate of Science degree may be granted in the following areas:

Criminal Justice, A.S. (ACJ):Non-Traditional

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts degree may be granted in the following areas:

History-Political Science, B.A. (HIPL)

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science degree may be granted in the following areas:

Bachelor

A Bachelor Degree may also be granted in the following areas:

Minor

A Minor may be selected from the following areas:

Other Majors