Program Overview

Program Brochure 2023-24
Criminology
Application deadline

March 1 for Fall Semester

Minimum admission requirements

Quebec Secondary School Diploma or a level of education that is deemed equivalent by the College.

Prerequisites

High School Diploma

About the program

The Criminology profile of the Social Science program is intended to give students a background that permits them to apply to many fields of study at university. This multi- disciplinary option is ideal for students wanting to explore studies in anthropology, criminology, psychology or sociology. Criminology students may pursue studies in law. This is not intended to be a pre-law program.

Career opportunities for Criminology students include: corrections, probation, law enforcement, private policing, law reform or rehabilitation programs – but only after university studies. Students may also pursue possibilities in journalism, administrative and research positions within the criminal justice system, or work in policy setting and application in social and judicial agencies.

Program Grid

*This grid comes into effect as of Fall 2023

French Block A

Humanities (Knowledge)

English

Introduction to Social Science

Description: What is research? What is science? How do the disciplines of Anthropology, Economics, Geography,
History, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology contribute to our understanding of human life? To answer these
questions, students explore the process of scientific research and communication in the social sciences. Specifically,
they learn to carry out a literature search, evaluate the relevance and reliability of varied information sources, summarize these sources using scientific conventions and communicate their ideas clearly, both orally and in written form.
Throughout, students also learn about, and experience, the role of teamwork and feedback in the research process.

Introduction to Psychology

Description: How do people learn? What is memory and why do we forget? How does the brain work? You get to
answer these and many more questions in Introduction to Psychology. The topics discussed help you understand
how various factors can influence your behaviour and brain processes in different situations and give you a new
perspective on some of your own experiences. Strategies to help with your memory, study habits, and learning
methods are discussed, which will help you apply course topics to your own life.

Introduction to Anthropology (Criminology Specific)

Description: This version of the course is geared specifically to students in the Criminology Profile of Social
Science. Have you ever considered what truly makes us human? Have you ever wondered why humans think and act
in such varied ways across the world? Tracing our human origins and development, explore our past and present as
cultural and biological beings and learn about the unique anthropological approach to the study of humanity. Learn
about the practical use of the different fields of anthropology (archaeology, biological, linguistic and cultural) by using
case studies and experiential activities that may include fossil and artifact analysis, field observations and museum
visits.

Introduction to Sociology (Criminology Specific)

Description: This version of the course is geared specifically to students in the Criminology Profile of Social Science. Explore the inner workings of human behaviour by understanding the social world around us through the
discipline of Sociology. Dive into the infinite universe of your sociological imagination and master, in depth, how
people are socialized as they navigate the flowing waters of culture and society that surround them. Jump off the
deep end and discover how a perfect storm of social forces causes issues such as prejudice, discrimination, social
inequality and among others, shape our identity as individuals.

English (Effective Communication for College Studies)

Physical Education

Qualitative Methods

Description: How do we distinguish between scientific and non-scientific knowledge? What are the ethical guidelines that direct research in the social sciences? What are the theories and techniques used by social scientists to
obtain and analyze qualitative data? Investigate the social world using qualitative research methods such as interviews, participant observation and thematic analysis. Apply your critical thinking skills to contextualize research
results and produce scientific research papers.

Introduction to World History

Description: What connects humans throughout history? Discover fascinating people and events that changed
the world and tie it together. After setting the scene with premodern global history, dive into the state of the
world in the 1500s, including colonialism, imperialism, slavery, and cultural assimilation. In the Modern Era,
juxtapose Enlightenment ideals and global revolutions with the slow and difficult application of human rights
and creeping industrialization. Conclude your journey with the past century, its conflicts, authoritarianism,
nationalism, decolonization, technological revolutions, globalization, and fights for the environment and civil
rights. Along the way, add to your historical, research, and writing skills.

Introduction to Economics

Description: Learn the principles and tools of macroeconomic analysis and apply them to understand real world
economic events and policies. Topics include: economics systems, economic incentives, macroeconomic indicators (such as inflation, unemployment, and gross domestic product), business cycles, economic growth, fiscal and
monetary policies, and the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model.

Crime, Law, Justice and Society

Description: Be your own judge and jury! Dive into gripping cases of homicide and organized crime among others.
Broaden your knowledge of crime by capturing the key agents of the Canadian criminal justice system through
sociological and criminological perspectives. Take the law into your own hands and discover the true definition of
crime, how the wheels of justice turn in our criminal justice system, and the implications on society. Explore the
entire court structure and discover the interaction between law and social change. Rub shoulders with guest speakers in the field of crime and justice and discuss current trends in the legal world with these professionals. Turn
yourself in to the world of crime.

Psychological Development of Criminal Behaviour

Description: Are criminals born or made? You get to answer this question and many more in Psychological Development of Criminal Behaviour. The interaction of several environmental and biological factors throughout the
lifespan can lead to criminal behaviour. Such risk factors can be classified as developmental, social, and learning. Drugs and mental disorders also have possible impacts on such behaviour. The topics covered allow you to
identify and explain such risk factors and their immediate impacts. You also get to discover various strategies to
prevent criminal behaviour from occurring or worsening. Ultimately, you apply your knowledge of these topics by
analyzing real-life criminal cases.

English

Physical Education

Humanities (World Views)

Complementary

Complementary (105-C41-LA “Introduction to
Forensic Science” is suggested)

Quantitative Methods

Description: How do we collect and quantify data? How does the data we gather help us understand the social
world? In Quantitative Methods, we learn descriptive and inferential statistical operations, and how to analyse
statistics in popular media and scholarly texts. Summarizing, interpreting and critically evaluating quantitative information, we become familiar with the fundamental concepts and basic techniques of the quantitative methods
in the Social Sciences.

Forensic Anthropology: Crime Scene Investigation

Description: Forensic anthropology is concerned with the identification of human remains for legal purposes.
Forensic anthropologists assist medical examiners, coroners and law enforcement agencies in the recovery,
interpretation and identification of human skeletons resulting from unexplained deaths. Using bone replicas,
students determine the cause and manner of death as well as the age, skeletal sex, and physical characteristics of
an individual. Students further investigate and recover human bones through their participation in a simulated
outdoor crime scene investigation

Elective

One of the following (Student Choice):
350-S08-LA Forensic Psychopathology
387-S03-LA Gender, Race, and Justice

Elective

One of the following (Student Choice):
101-SHB-LA Human Biology
385-S01-LA Introduction to Political Science

Physical Education 103

Humanities for Social Science Programs

English

French Block B

Complementary

Final Integrative Research Project

Description: Scholarly conventions of the social sciences dictate how we plan, carry out and evaluate academic
work, including following ethical guidelines and expressing ideas clearly. The final integrative research project
is a guided multidisciplinary comprehensive assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired through the social
science program. It offers a broadened understanding of the social world and the chance to evaluate one’s own
learning journey in the Social Sciences.

History of Crime and Punishment

Description: Have you ever wondered how individuals found guilty of breaking the law were punished by public
authorities over the course of time? You can explore this rich subject through this study of the criminal justice
systems of different societal settings from Neolithic to modern times. Lecture topics include Ancient and Medieval notions of crime and religious punishment, the European witchcraft craze, Enlightenment theories of penal
reform, the development of the penitentiary system, law enforcement, and modern rehabilitation policies. The
concepts of social class, race, and gender will be used to facilitate the analysis and research of these topics.

Elective

One of the following (Student Choice):
360-QM2-LA Quantitative Methods 2
Level 2 Concentration Course (Student choice)

Ready to apply?

Click here to find all the information you need to complete your online application.

How to apply