The interdisciplinary minor in Forensics and Criminality was designed for students interested in the study of law, deviant behavior, or careers in the criminal justice system.  In this program, students study psychological and/or ethical issues related to criminal behavior, consider criminality in the context of social class analysis, and learn about the American system of criminal justice.  Twenty units are required, four at the lowerdivision and sixteen at the upper-division level.      

Students should choose a curriculum for their minor based on their academic interests. Those students interested in white collar crime, for example, might choose POSC 130g, Law, Politics, and Public Policy at the lower division level; REL 375, Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business; SOCI 350, Deviant Behavior; PHIL 430, Philosophy of Law; and PPD 342, Crime and Public Policy.   

Those who are interested in the criminal justice system might choose LAW 200x, Law and Society; REL 341, Ethics in a Technological Society; SOCI 351, Sociology of Juvenile Delinquency and the Juvenile Justice System; POSC 340, Constitutional Law; and POSC 432, The Politics of Local Criminal Justice. 

Those interested in individual and social determinants of deviancy might take PSYC 100, Introduction to Psychology; PSYC 360, Abnormal Psychology, or 463, Criminal Behavior, or 465, Introduction to Forensic Psychology;  SOCI 360m, Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power; LAW 402, Psychology and Law; and SOCI 353, Sociology of Crime and of the Criminal Justice System. 

For additional information and advisement, contact the Stachelle Overland at 213.740.8851 or overland@usc.edu.

Lower-division requirement (4 units)

Choose one course from List A below.
AMST 101gm, Race and Class in Los Angeles 
LAW 200x, Law and Society 
PHIL 140g, Contemporary Moral and Social Issues 
POSC 130g, Law, Politics, and Public Policy 
PSYC 100, Introduction to Psychology 
PSYC 155g, Psychological Perspectives on Social Issues 
PSYC 165Lg, Drugs, Behavior, and Society 
SOCI 142gm, Diversity and Racial Conflict 
SOCI 150gm, Social Problems 
SOCI 200m, Introduction to Sociology

Upper-division requirements (16 units) 

The Individual in Society
Choose one course from List B below. 
 PSYC 355  Social Psychology* or SOCI 320 Social Psychology 
 PSYC 360 Abnormal Psychology* 
 PSYC 463 Criminal Behavior *
 PSYC 465 Introduction to Forensic Psychology * 
 REL 341 Ethics in a Technological Society 
 REL 375 Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business 

  *Indicates pre-requisite, PSYC 100 or department approval. 

Social Class and Criminality
Choose one course from List C below. 
 SOCI 350 Deviant Behavior 
 SOCI 351 Sociology of Juvenile Delinquency and the Juvenile Justice System 
 SOCI 360m Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power

The System of Criminal Justice
Choose one course from List D below. 
 LAW 402  Psychology and Law 
 LAW 403 Mental Health Law  
 PHIL 430 Philosophy of Law 
 PHIL 437 Social and Political Philosophy 
 POSC 340 Constitutional Law  
 POSC 426 The United States Supreme Court  (recommended prep., 130g) 
 POSC 444 Civil and Political Rights and Liberties (recommended preparation, 340 or 440) 
 PPD 340 The American System of Justice 

Crime and Punishment
Choose one course from List E below. 
POSC 432 The Politics of Local Criminal Justice 
PPD 342 Crime and Public Policy 
SOCI 353 Sociology of Crime and of the Criminal Justice System 

Total requirements:  Five courses (twenty units)