CJUS 500 Criminal Justice Integration

This course focuses on the interdependency of organizations and agencies in the criminal justice system. Specifically, the course will examine the competing roles of law enforcement, courts, prosecution, defense counsel, etc., in the pursuit of justice.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


This course provides a graduate-level introduction to the criminal justice context for the student who is not familiar with it—corrections, courts, and the police force. It also requires the student to work on further peer-reviewed research of each area and to apply biblical concepts to a synthesis of ideas while demonstrating a basic competency in reasoning, writing, and research skills.


Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 500 words, include at least 2 peer-reviewed sources cited in current APA format, and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words, include at least 1 peer-reviewed source published within the last 5-10 years, and be cited in current APA format.

Read & Interact Textbook Assignments (8)

Within this course, the student will be required to read and interact with the textbook within the third party platform, SmartBook. The student must complete each reading and item in the textbook in order to earn the points associated with the assigned reading. 

Article Critique Assignments (3)

For each Article Critique, the student must select 2 peer-reviewed articles published within the last 5-10 years. Using concepts presented in the weekly Learn items, the student must write a 4-7-page (double-spaced) critique of each of these articles in current APA format. The title page, abstract, and reference pages are excluded from the page deliverable length.

Synthesis Paper Assignment

The student must write an 8-page, double-spaced research-based paper in current APA format that focuses on a recent, relevant criminal justice issue in the area of either police, courts, or corrections. The required 8 pages for this paper excludes the title, abstract, or reference pages. The paper must propose a solution to the assigned issue and include how this solution fits into the worldview of Liberty University, which seeks to train criminal justice leaders to influence criminal justice policy within a Christian worldview. The paper must include at least 8 peer-reviewed sources published within the last 5-10 years.

Quizzes (4)

The student will complete quizzes within the third party platform, Connect Plus. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes and the grade will transfer to Canvas.


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