Deviance Vs Criminology Essay

My choice of Psychology and Sociology of Law, Criminology and Deviance is aimed at the pursuit of a career in police analysis. In high school, I took an abnormal psychology class, which sparked a continuing interest in the ways that humans diverge from acceptable behaviors. A specific focus in criminal analysis serves to both feed my academic interests and give me an opportunity to aid others—from helping prove an accused person innocent, to saving potential victims from the guilty. Learning about the motivations of specific people, and of cultures is a fascinating topic, on which I hope to spend much time.

I have completed all of the CLA degree requirements and will have finished my language requirement by the end of this semester. I am now focused on completing my major requirements. I have also finished most of the core requirements and am focusing on the more elective style classes. This allows me to take more classes that pique my interest, such as Human Sexuality and Domestic Criminal Violence. Much of my selected classes show my interest in criminology and abnormal psychology. I am especially interested in how the definition of crime and deviance change over time, specifically in terms of social justice, and how these changes effect marginalized
communities. I also intend to take a class on social movements and another called Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, and Gender.

While I have no actual plans, the idea of spending at least some time abroad is thought provoking.
I would like to visit a country different from my own. Learning the cultural difference in everyday life, along with a look into another criminal justice system would be a fascinating and wonderful experience. I would likely want to travel to an English-speaking county, to try to avoid a language barrier. A specific program that I am interested in is a class called Understanding New Zealand: Culture, Society and Environment. As this in only a possibility during the May semester, it would push of my graduation date. However, it may be something that I am willing to do if it proves to be economically
feasible.

After this current semester (spring 2018) I will have fulfilled my second language requirement with American Sign Language. Part of the reason that I chose to pursue this language is that the development of a separate culture—as it seems to be more than a sub-culture—within the major American culture is fascinating. Another factor in my decision is the fact that there are very few ASL translators available, and many traumatized individual (especially children) have issues verbalizing their experiences. ASL has been a way that some can bypass that mental block to share their traumas. This could be helpful dealing with witnesses or victims of violent crimes.

Once I graduate, I plan to enroll in a Master's program, as it would open up more job opportunities in my given fields than a bachelor's degree would. Once I have finished my master's, I would potentially be interested in continuing in a Ph.D. depending on my financial situation and occupational satisfaction.