The Administration of Justice Program (AOJ) is designed to provide professional courses in AOJ fields for the pre-service student, and for the criminal justice employee preparing for promotional exams or to upgrade or maintain skills and knowledge. At Shasta College, you will receive occupational training for both the entrance and promotional levels of AOJ agencies and allied services. With additional general education courses, you will also be able to fulfill the requirements to transfer to a four-year college with junior standing. A variety of agencies exist at the federal, state and local levels of government; and also through private industry.
This degree is approved through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Upon satisfactory completion of all degree requirements and filing an application for graduation with Admissions and Records, the student’s transcript will reflect completion of this degree.
Choose your path
Map your education by viewing the program map for the degree or certificate you’re interested in earning below. Meet with a counselor to create your official comprehensive education plan.
A program map shows all the required and recommended courses you need to graduate and a suggested order in which you should take them. The suggested sequence of courses is based on enrollment and includes all major and general education courses required for the degree.
Fall Semester, First Year
14Units Total
ENGL C1000
GE
General Education
4
4 Units
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1000
Units4
Note: For students who would benefit from further instruction and individual support while taking their first college-transfer level English course, ENGL C1000E is a recommended alternative to ENGL C1000.
In this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research. An argumentative research essay is required for the successful completion of the course. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course is an introduction to statistical thinking and processes, including methods and concepts for discovery and decision-making using data. Topics include descriptive statistics; probability and sampling distributions; statistical inference; correlation and linear regression; analysis of variance, chi-squared, and t-tests; and application of technology for statistical analysis including the interpretation of the relevance of the statistical findings. Students apply methods and processes to applications using data from a broad range of disciplines. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course presents a critical exploration of historical and contemporary issues in Administration of Justice. This includes the studyand analysis of the core principles and components of the American criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections), theevolution of Administration of Justice, criminal behavior theory, crime categories, policing models, challenges in policing, and careeropportunities. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course covers the origin, development, and philosophy of evidence; kinds and degrees of evidence and rules governing admissibility; and judicial decisions interpreting individual rights, search and seizure, the case study approach, privileged communication, and witness competency. This course is required for Administration of Justice majors. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
In this course, students learn and apply foundational rhetorical theories and techniques of public speaking in a multicultural democratic society. Students discover, develop, and critically analyze ideas in public discourse through research, reasoning, organization, composition, delivery to a live audience and evaluation of various types of speeches, including informative and persuasive speeches. This course may be taught in a distance education format.
Advisory: Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course, or English Placement Level 6 or higher
This course is a comparative survey of the major ancient world civilizations which developed between 3500 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E. It examines political institutions, religious ideologies, the rise and fall of empires, and the major cultural innovations of each of the major world civilizations. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course offers an analysis of the doctrines of criminal liability in the United States and the classification of crimes against persons, property, morals, and public welfare. Special emphasis is placed on the classification of crime, the general elements of crime, the definitions of common and statutory law, and the nature of acceptable evidence. This course utilizes case law and case studies to introduce students to criminal law. The completion of this course offers a foundation upon which upper-division criminal justice courses will build. The course will also include some limited discussion of prosecution and defense decision making, criminal culpability, and defenses to crimes. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course examines the complex, dynamic relationships between communities and the justice system in addressing crime andconflict with emphasis on the challenges and prospects of administering justice within a diverse, multicultural population and the rolesplayed by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, social class, culture, and justice professionals in shapingrelationships within the justice system. Special topics include crime prevention, restorative justice, conflict resolution, and pure justice.This course is required for Administration of Justice majors. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course is designed to acquaint students with current employment techniques and standards in multiple areas of the Administration of Justice field. Students will be exposed to multi-agency recruiting, testing and hiring practices. Students will learn to identify personal challenges regarding these practices and will be instructed as to how to seek out and obtain possible solutions to these problems. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Advisory: Students who wish to add a lab component to this class should co-enroll in AGNR 61.
This course is an introduction to the conservation or wise use of natural resources and incorporates discussions about the complex relationships of man to the environment. Students will learn about the diverse agencies that manage our resources along with their history and philosophies. The course will cover each of the major natural resources - such as water, air, energy, forests, wildlife, agriculture, and soils - as well as environmental policy and laws that govern the use of these resources. An emphasis is placed on the practical components of Environmental Science as it relates to social and economic aspects of conservation. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course includes a study of California and Federal court systems; detailed analysis of all aspects of the criminal justice system, especially identifying functions and relationships between the various sub-systems procedures from incident to final disposition; and the function of constitutional, federal, state, and civil law as it applies to and affects criminal justice. This course is required for Administration of Justice majors. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course addresses the evolution of investigation, techniques, procedures, and ethical issues in the investigation of crime, including organization of the investigative process, crime scene searches, interviewing and interrogating, surveillance, source of information, utility of evidence, scientific analysis of evidence, and the role of the investigator in the trial process. This course is required for Administration of Justice majors. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course will explore the Administration of Justice system and the development of drug policy and drug problems. This will include drug identification, drug user recognition, drug effects, narcotic enforcement, drug prosecution, drug treatment, rehabilitation, and education. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Advisory: Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course.
This course is an introduction to psychology, which is the study of the mind and behavior. Students focus on theories and concepts of biological, cognitive, developmental, environmental, social, and cultural influences, their applications, and their research foundations. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Advisory: Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course
This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States. It examines social justice movements in relation to ethnic and racial groups in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political conditions among key social groups including, but not limited to, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans. This course examines the systemic nature of racial/ethnic oppression through an examination of key concepts including racialization and ethnocentrism, with a specific focus on the persistence of white supremacy. Using an anti-racist framework, the course will examine historical and contemporary social movements dedicated to the decolonization of social institutions, resistance, and social justice. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course provides practical instruction and experience in the proper techniques of report writing and presentation of courtroomevidence. Major emphasis will include the correct writing process, spelling, main elements of a report, report content, as well asimportant aspects of courtroom testimony. This course is required for Administration of Justice majors. This course may be offered in adistance education format.
This course covers the organization, function, and jurisdiction of juvenile agencies; the processing and detention of juveniles; juvenile case disposition; and juvenile status and court procedures. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Please see a counselor to discuss options for meeting general education requirements for transfer to California State Universities (CSU) and/or University of California (UC) campuses, as well as any specific additional courses that may be required by your chosen institution of transfer.
*Alternative Courses: Please see a Shasta College counselor for alternative course options. You can also view the following to find other courses to meet degree/certificate requirements: