A Course Guide to Maximizing Your Undergrad Degree for Forensics - Page 2


© Michael Decaire
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Behavior & Drugs - criminals often are found to be drug abusers. Drugs, whether they are recreational or medicinal, can drastically effect our behavior. Knowledge regarding the behavioral effects of drugs can be of extreme importance when painting a particular criminal profile or while dealing with convicted offenders in a correctional-psychiatric institution. Psychotherapy - psychology staff in correctional institutions will often have to provide psychotherapy to their clients. Abnormal psychology courses will provide an introduction to such courses but a more specific class (such as a 4th year psychotherapy course) would be a strong asset.

Motivation - the study of why we do the things we do. Understanding the motivational processes behind our behavior has key implications towards forensics. This class would be particularly relevant to corrections and profiling.

One should however not let their forensics education end with psychology courses. Many schools have numerous other departments that offer related courses that may be extremely relevant.

Political Science Department - Introduction to Criminal Law: Anyone who is working in the criminal justice system can benefit greatly from a thorough introduction to the criminal law system within which they will be working.

Sociology Department - Criminology: criminology is a very diverse field that can be of particular interest to the forensic psychology major. Here you can find discussions on criminal patterns, as well as a comprehensive look at the theories regarding criminal behavior and violence.

Anthropology Department - Forensic Anthropology (may be listed under special topics in medical anthropology or Human Skeletal and Dental Biology): Of particular interest to prospective criminal profilers, forensic anthropology is particularly relevant to crime scene analysis. No profiler should ever be without a background in this field.

One of the most important suggestions I can make is that if students are able to take a psychology-science degree instead of an arts one, do it! Your first-year marks may not be as high (there are not as many science "BIRD" courses you can take) but nothing prepares you more for future research and work in a mental health discipline then a strong scientific background. Psychology needs more scientists. Arrogance regarding the need for scientific rigor is what allows "Pop psychology" and ineffective "new age" disciplines to flourish and take psychology a step back towards the dark ages.

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