Education and Training

Serial Murder

This course covers the phenomenon of serial murder and the police investigative response. Theories, concepts, and law enforcement analytic methods are covered in detail. Emphasis is placed on understanding the reality versus the myth of serial murder, serial killers, and criminal profiling.

Criminal Justice Data Wrangling and Visualization

This course teaches students how to acquire, clean, structure, and transform raw data in preparation for data visualization and analysis. Topics covered include: data and data file types; database design; data construction and cleaning; dealing with missing values; aggregating, appending, and merging datasets; creating and recoding variables; descriptive statistics; and visual presentations of data.

Crime Analysis

This course focuses on the evaluation, synthesis and dissemination of crime data to multiple audiences. Topics include the identification of local crime trends, the development of usable crime maps, and the assessment of practical police responses.

Police Problem-Solving Practicum

This course applies contemporary police problem-solving tools and techniques (including SARA, COMPSTAT, crime mapping, intelligence led policing and computer enhanced problem solving) to real world problems with practicum problems derived from situations commonly facing police practitioners such as common law enforcement “problems” such as noise abatement, property offenses and traffic violations.

Cold Case Investigations

This course introduces students to the concepts and issues of cold cases and their investigation. The major causes of uncleared crimes will be examined. The nature of crime and criminality will be explored with an emphasis on serial sexual crime, stranger offenders, and victim risk. Solving cold cases, evidence structure, relevant forensic methodologies, and interviewing approaches are discussed. The issue of missing persons and its relationship to cold cases is examined. Methods of crime linkage analysis, behavioral profiling, and geographic profiling are outlined and explained. The course will use a number of case studies and in-class exercises.

Cold Case Investigations

This course introduces students to the concepts and issues of cold cases and their investigation. The major causes of uncleared crimes will be examined. The nature of crime and criminality will be explored with an emphasis on serial sexual crime, stranger offenders, and victim risk. Solving cold cases, evidence structure, relevant forensic methodologies, and interviewing approaches are discussed. The issue of missing persons and its relationship to cold cases is examined. Methods of crime linkage analysis, behavioral profiling, and geographic profiling are outlined and explained. The course will use a number of case studies and in-class exercises.

Criminal Justice Data Wrangling and Visualization

This course teaches students how to acquire, clean, structure, and transform raw data in preparation for data visualization and analysis. Topics covered include: data and data file types; database design; data construction and cleaning; dealing with missing values; aggregating, appending, and merging datasets; creating and recoding variables; descriptive statistics; and visual presentations of data.

Introduction to Geographic Information Techniques

The course will introduce the foundations of geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, cartography, data analysis, and other tools and methods used by geographic information scientists. Maps, data collection, using and creating Internet content, and data analysis and display will be topics in the course.

Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems

This course is an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for integrating and analyzing spatial data to visualize relationships, seek explanations and develop solutions to pressing problems. The foundations and theory of GIS will be emphasized.

GIS Consulting Practicum

This course requires students to work on a substantive GIS project in partnership with external clients in the GIS workforce. Through project-based teamwork, students develop GIS career skills and demonstrate competence in GIS techniques at the professional level (WI). Prerequisite: GEO 3426 with a grade of “C” or better.

Geographic Information Systems I

Course is concerned with the analysis and interpretation of maps stored in digital form. Students are introduced to concepts and practices involving computerized cartographic and geographic data input, storage and retrieval, data manipulation and analysis, graphic and tabular report generation, and cartographic modeling.

Geographic Information Systems II

This course aims to develop more advanced GIS concepts and application issues, further spatial data manipulation and analysis skills, and provide hands-on experience with GIS hardware and software programs. The emphasis will be on practical application of skills to real world issues. Prerequisite: GEO 5418 with a grade of "C" or better.

Geographic Information Systems

Course is concerned with the analysis and interpretation of maps stored in digital form. Students are introduced to concepts and practices involving computerized cartographic and geographic data input, storage and retrieval, data manipulation and analysis, graphic and tabular report generation, and cartographic modeling.

Technical Foundations and Methods in Geographic Information Science

This course develops advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) concepts and application issues, spatial data manipulation and analysis skills, and provides hands-on experience with GIS, programming, and spatial analytics hardware/software programs. Emphasis is placed on practical application of skills to real world issues using advanced GIS techniques and geoprogramming. Prerequisite: GEO 7417 or equivalent with a grade of "C" or better and instructor approval.

Advanced Techniques in Geographic Information Science

This course develops advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) concepts and application issues, spatial data manipulation and analysis skills, and provides hands-on experience with GIS, programming, and spatial analytics hardware/software programs. Emphasis is placed on practical application of skills to real world issues using advanced GIS techniques and geoprogramming. Prerequisite: GEO 7417 or equivalent with a grade of "C" or better and instructor approval.