Last updated: February 14, 2023 @ 04:55PM

Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice

This program is offered through the Departments of Psychology, Child and Youth Studies, and Political Science.

Program Director

Voula Marinos

Program Coordinator

Katie Thompson

Program Descriptions for BA (Honours) and BA (with Major)

Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice (FPAC) approaches the study of criminal behavior and criminal justice from multiple theoretical perspectives. This transdisciplinary program will include the study of individual (psychological) factors, social and cultural factors, and factors relating to the criminal justice system and other relevant institutions. Students will take courses from the Psychology, Child and Youth Studies, and Political Science departments. Our program combines the approaches of these disciplines to the study of criminal and aggressive behaviour. Rather than assuming that a behaviour, or a system’s response to behaviour, stems from any one factor or perspective, FPAC is premised on the idea that factors across disciplines are required in order to provide more nuanced, critical, and complex understandings of behaviour and responses. Courses specific to the FPAC program include a transdisciplinary course at the 3rd year level that examines crime from multiple perspectives, a quantitative methods course (3rd year), and a qualitative methods course (3rd year).

Psychology

Students will learn about the study of human behaviour in relation to psychological theory. First- and second-year courses will provide the background knowledge needed for the third- and fourth-year courses that focus on various types of aggression, antisocial, and criminal behaviour.

Child and Youth Studies

The Child and Youth Studies contribution to FPAC is three-fold. First, the Child and Youth Studies department is, itself, transdisciplinary in nature. Students will get their first exposure to transdisciplinarity through the introductory courses that focus on multiple approaches to the study of children and youth. Child and Youth Studies courses address issues and topics that are rooted within psychology, sociology, and other theoretical perspectives. Upper-year courses in Child and Youth Studies that are included in the FPAC curriculum focus specifically on children and youth in relation to the criminal justice system. Importantly, issues are placed within broader social, economic and political contexts and the effects on marginalized social groups. These courses are taught from a critical sociocultural and criminological perspective.

Political Science

Finally, courses housed in Political Science will provide students with a background in how the criminal justice system operates. Through the required political science courses, students will also gain knowledge regarding policy and government, providing them with a backdrop for the more senior courses that focus on the criminal justice system. As in Child and Youth Studies, the Political Science department houses a wide variety of ontological, philosophical, and methodological approaches.

Program Notes
  1. Students must achieve a minimum 70 percent major average and a 60 percent non-major average to receive an Honours degree.
  2. To be eligible for FPAC 4F95 in Year 4, students must have completed 15 credits, achieve a minimum 80 percent major average and a minimum 75 percent achieved grade in FPAC 3P10 or FPAC 3P15.
  3. Students entering Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4 must receive academic advising to select courses. Some of the upper year courses have prerequisites that may need to be considered.
  4. It is recommended that students in Honours program take POLI 1P91 and POLI 1P98.
  5. Students intending to register in PSYC 3P32 or PSYC 4P27 need to choose CHYS 2P10 or PSYC 2P12 as one of their second-year electives. Students are encouraged to take POLI 2P13 or POLI 2P99 as one of their second-year electives.
  6. Students are encouraged to take POLI 3P97 or POLI 3Q95.
  7. Students in the Honours program who opt for the fourth-year course-based pathway can choose two additional half courses (1.0 credits) on related topics (special topics courses or relevant courses from other departments), numbered 3(alpha)90 or higher, to be determined in conjunction with an academic advisor.
  8. Students in the BA (with Major) program have the option to take a practicum (FPAC 4F92) as a fourth-year elective.
  9. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In this 20 credit BA with Major degree program a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least four and one-half credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least one and one-half credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.

    In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.


    In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.


Honours Program

Year 1
·   PSYC 1F90
·   CHYS 1F90
·   one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 (see program note 4)
·   one Humanities context credit
·   one Sciences context credit

Year 2
·   PSYC 2F23 and 2P15
·   one-half credit from PSYC 2P25, 2P30, 2P35
·   CHYS 2P38 and CHYS 2P51
·   POLI 2P12
·   one and one-half elective credits (see program note 5)

Year 3
·   FPAC 3P01
·   PSYC 3P53
·   POLI 3P18
·   CHYS 3P39
·   FPAC 3P10 and 3P15
·   two elective credits
Year 4

Depending upon the major average and other departmental requirements, students may select one of three options:

Individual Thesis option:
·   FPAC 4F95
·   PSYC 4P72
·   one-half credit from PSYC 3P32, 4P27, 4P71
·   one-half credit from POLI 3P97, 3Q95, 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 6)
·   one-half credit from CHYS 3Q91, FPAC 3P91
·   two elective credits

Course-Based option:
·   PSYC 4P72
·   one-half credit from PSYC 3P32, 4P27, 4P71, POLI 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 5)
·   one credit from PSYC 3P32, 4P27, 4P71, POLI 3P97, 3Q95, 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 6), CHYS 3Q91, FPAC 3P91 (see program note 5)
·   one credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 7)
·   two elective credits

Practicum option:
·   FPAC 4F92
·   PSYC 4P72
·   one-half credit from PSYC 3P32, 4P27, 4P71, POLI 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 5)
·   one credit from PSYC 3P32, 4P27, 4P71, POLI 3P97, 3Q95, 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 6), CHYS 3Q91, FPAC 3P91 (see program note 5)
·   two elective credits

BA (with Major) in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice

Year 1
·   PSYC 1F90
·   CHYS 1F90
·   one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 (see program note 4)
·   one Humanities context credit
·   one Sciences context credit

Year 2
·   PSYC 2F23 and 2P15
·   one-half credit from PSYC 2P25, 2P30, 2P35
·   CHYS 2P38 and CHYS 2P51
·   POLI 2P12
·   one and one-half elective credits (see program note 5)

Year 3
·   FPAC 3P01
·   PSYC 3P53
·   POLI 3P18
·   CHYS 3P39
·   one-half credit from PSYC 3P26, 3P31, 3P32, 3P37
·   two and one-half elective credits

Year 4
·   PSYC 4P72
·   one-half credit from PSYC 4P27, 4P71
·   one-half credit from POLI 3P97, 3Q95, 4P01, 4P19, 4P34 (see program note 6)
·   one-half credit from CHYS 3Q91, FPAC 3P91
·   three elective credits (see program note 8)

Course Descriptions

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course
* Indicates a primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.
FPAC 3P01
Transdisciplinary Study of Aggression, and Crime
Multiple approaches to the study of crime and aggression. Emphasis on breadth and integration of theoretical approaches and methodologies.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week
Restriction: open to FPAC majors with a minimum 7.0 overall credits.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

FPAC 3P10
Qualitative Research Methods
Methodologies, procedures, and analytic techniques for the study of crime and aggression.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to FPAC majors with a minimum 7.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): CHYS 2P51
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

FPAC 3P15
Advanced Quantitative Statistics
Data screening and descriptive statistics, univariate procedures for correlation and group comparison, multiple regression, data assumptions and statistical software application, including data management and interpretation of results.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to FPAC majors with a minimum of 7.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 2F23
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

FPAC 3P91
Youth, Mental Health, and the Law
Law surrounding mental disorders in youth (including fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility and diversion) with attention to the role of mental illness and responses of the criminal justice system.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to FPAC majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 7.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): CHYS 2P38 or SOCI 2P38.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

FPAC 4F92
Practicum
Supervised practice in an appropriate community organization, which may include law enforcement, mental health, or other relevant agencies.
Practicum, 10 hours per week for 8 weeks; seminar, 3 hours per week for 2 weeks.
Restriction: open to FPAC majors with permission of the Program Director.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

FPAC 4F95
Honours Thesis
Individual study and research with a faculty supervisor and bi-weekly seminar.
Restriction: open to FPAC majors with a minimum 80 percent major average, and an achieved grade of 75 percent in FPAC 3P15 or FPAC 3P10. Students must have a topic approved by the Program Director and a faculty supervisor prior to registration.
Prerequisite(s): FPAC 3P15 (minimum 75 percent) or FPAC 3P10 (minimum 75 percent).
Note: topics may come from any field in the discipline and may involve library research, field work and empirical analysis. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.