CCJS632

Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); Master of Professional Studies in Public Safety Leadership and Administration (MPLA); Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Administration (Z130); or permission from BSOS-Criminology & Criminal Justice department. This course will teach students how to better understand research that relies on statistics and to then apply this understanding to common criminal justice problems. The course will introduce basic statistical concepts that are necessary for analyzing crime and evaluating criminal justice programs and policies. Students will learn to interpret and assess the quality of reports that present crime trends, descriptive statistics, correlations, data mining efforts, geo-spatial and social media analytics, risk analysis for repeat offenders, hot spots of crime, and experimental research. By the end of the semester, students will learn to assess critically the quality of published research and evaluate its implications for criminal justice policy.