Overview

Key Features

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies serves a broad service area within the North Bay region, but also draws students from counties throughout the state. As one of the nine academic departments housed within the School of Social Sciences, its mission and values align closely with the school’s goals of preparing its graduates “to live richly rewarding personal, professional, and social lives while understanding and appreciating human complexity in a global society.”  Its core values also align with Sonoma State University’s themes of diversity, social justice, sustainability, and community engagement.  These core values form an integral part of its curriculum and are reflected in the CCJS faculty research projects and service commitments.    

The curriculum of the Criminology and Criminal Justice program at Sonoma State University examines the changing nature and content of law, the shifting public expectations of criminal and civil justice agencies, the implications of diversity along the lines of race, gender and class, and the reactions of agencies to social perceptions and political pressures. It trains students to use an interdisciplinary and multi-methodological academic approach in understanding the mechanisms of social control, resolutions of criminal justice problems, and accepted procedures and alternatives.  This general but all-important background serves as a base for the areas of emphasis that are of interest to the individual student.