Public Justice

Margaret Ryniker, Chair
446 Mahar Hall
315-312-4121
www.oswego.edu/publicjustice

Associate Professors: Margaret Ryniker, Karel Kurst-Swanger, Celia Sgroi, Rosalie Young

Assistant Professor: Ernest Nickels

The Public Justice major at Oswego is an interdisciplinary bachelor of arts program based in the liberal arts with special emphasis in the social and behavioral sciences. Its areas of study include, but are not limited to: administration of justice, corrections, courts and judicial administration, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, probation, parole, community-based rehabilitation programs, private security, and pre-law.

The title, public justice, indicates that the program is concerned with a range of matters beyond the strict confines of the criminal justice system. The department’s purpose is to provide students with an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective in the fields encompassed by civil and criminal law. Our students examine concepts, policies, systems and processes of justice, as well as problems involving the provision of human, legal and social services to the public by professionals in law, corrections, social and community services, and law enforcement. Public Justice majors combine a broadly based liberal arts education with research and study in areas of special interest and a supervised fieldwork experience. To aid in achieving these goals, students are taught by Public Justice core faculty, faculty from supporting departments, and adjunct faculty with specialized knowledge and experience.

Working with the Division of Extended Learning, the Public Justice major is entirely available online.

First year students may be admitted to the College as Public Justice majors. Other students who wish to declare a major in Public Justice should pursue a liberal course of study during their first two semesters at Oswego. They may then apply for admission to the Public Justice major after the completion of thirty credit hours. Admission to the program will be based upon the applicant’s cumulative grade point average.

Since public justice is an interdisciplinary program, freshman and sophomore students may begin to work on their major requirements by enrolling in the appropriate introductory level courses in the social and behavioral sciences.