This course examines both private and public institutions as systems whose effectiveness depends on how an organization adapts to opportunities, threats, and demands (external and internal). Students explore the design and leadership of ethical and socially responsible organizations. In course examples and exercises, students will apply this knowledge to their respective research interests (e.g., cybersecurity, analytics, criminal justice, public health, etc.).

This course introduces the learner to the field of criminology by reviewing the historical underpinnings of the modern-day study of crime and criminals, examining the theoretical causes of crime and criminality, and evaluating society's responses to crime. Learners are introduced to the sociological, biological, and psychological schools of criminological thought. Topics include crime statistics and social and legal mechanisms used to address criminal activity and the individual criminal.

Introduction to Critical Inquiry provides the foundation for an informed and meaningful college experience through the cultivation of intellectual curiosity. Through the study of media and popular culture and the completion of short writing assignments, students learn how to develop and scale a personally-motivated research question, refine their topic, determine effective search strategies for finding credible and appropriate information, and learning to recognize bias and logical fallacies. Important aspects of the research process are learning how to analyze different types of argument and to evaluate information sources from a variety of venues. Critical Inquiry fosters the self-awareness and intellectual perspective that are the hallmarks of well-educated persons and lifelong, engaged students in the twenty-first century.

What is the link between an academic degree and one's career or professional development? In this course, students explore trends in their field of study and connect them to their academic and professional context. Students synthesize and present their research findings though a variety of formal and informal written communication formats. This course reinforces critical analysis and strategic thinking skills for students developing their course of study, seeking professional advancement, or preparing for future graduate study. Students with a regionally-accredited associate degree do not have to take either ENG 420 or CRIT 501 as prerequisites for CRIT 602.