Curriculum & Courses

Please check the Arts & Science course calendar for full CRI undergraduate course offerings, and the timetable for current course offerings.

Overview

In the introductory courses (CRI205H1 Introduction to Criminology, CRI210H1 Criminal Justice, CRI215H1 Introduction to Sociolegal Studies, and CRI225H1 Criminal Law) students will learn how to think critically about the material and set the tone for advanced courses in the program.

In third-year courses, students are encouraged to think critically about the assumptions behind the various views of crime and the criminal justice system that are part of our everyday discussions. The focus is on going beyond simple views about crime and the justice system toward a more critical - and evidence-based - understanding of the general phenomena that relate to crime.

In fourth-year courses, students have an opportunity to study a number of specialized topics in a seminar setting. These courses examine in depth topics that were covered in lower level courses. The seminar courses are often connected to the instructors' research interests. Students in 400-level courses will be required to complete extensive readings, research and writing assignments in addition to actively participating in seminar discussion.

Please Note:

  • CRI205H1, CRI210H1, CRI215H1, CRI225H1, CRI350H1 must be completed on the St. George Campus.
  • Course descriptions are not final and may be changed at or before the first class.
  • For enrolment instructions, students should consult the 2024-2025 Fall/Winter Timetable.
  • Prerequisites are not checked at the time of course enrolment; however, students without course prerequisites may be removed at any time during the enrolment period in September and January. For information on prerequisites, co-requisites and exclusions of courses, refer to the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions about Undergraduate Courses and Curriculum

Course Planning: Before enrolling in courses, check Faculty of Arts and Science's important academic dates, and check your enrolment start time on ACORN. To help plan for course enrolment, you can use the resources on Course Plannig page to understand some of the U of T terminology, what delivery modes mean, and the steps you can expect to take to be prepared for course enrolment.

To ensure that you can complete your CrimSL program requirements in order to graduate in June 2025, we need you to log onto Course Match and rank your course preferences if you would like us to pre-enrol you in 400-level course(s).

Between June 3 and June 16, 2024, please go to https://app.cognomos.com/rank/toronto-CRIM-24 and rank your course preference. Login will be based on your UTORid. The site will be open and available until Sunday June 16, 2024, where you can modify your course preferences/ranking anytime between these dates.

A Guide to Using Course Match

PDF iconClick here to View the Course Match Guide

Students must ensure they received a confirmation email with their rankings. Students who do not receive a confirmation email must contact crimsl.undergrad@utoronto.ca immediately.

Students will be notified of the results via e-mail.  

Course descriptions and instructors’ information are available in the 2024–2025 Fall & Winter Session Timetable.

400-Level CRI Topics Course Descriptions

Click here to view the course descriptions

Important Notes:

  • Students are responsible for enrolling as soon as the Course Match opens. Failure to do so may impact your ability to enrol in your preferred courses.
  • Note: Students who have completed the required number of 400-level courses needed for CrimSL programs completion will not have access to the website to rank course preference.
  • To maximize your chances of securing a place in a course (Majors need 0.5; Specialists need 1.0) from your list of preferences, you are strongly advised by the Program Office to select the maximum number of course preferences (2.0 credits).
  • All students must ensure they have the required prerequisites for the courses they have ranked in their preferences by the end of August 2024. Do not assume that being able to register in a 400-level course means that you have satisfied the prerequisite requirements. Students enrolled in courses for which they do not have the published prerequisites in the Faculty of Arts and Science Course Calendar may have their registration in those courses canceled.
  • Students without course prerequisites may be removed at any time during the course enrolment period in September and January. For information on prerequisites, corequisites and exclusions of courses, refer to the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Calendar.
  • There are no guarantees students will receive their preferred course(s). The system will attempt to match up students’ preferences most optimally with the available slots, however there are many students to accommodate.
  • Students will be enrolled into their assigned course(s) on ACORN immediately before registration begins on July 8, 2024.

Starting July 8, 2024, students may request to enroll (space-permitting) or waitlist additional courses on ACORN.

Students who are still unable to secure the minimum required CRI 400-level courses (0.5 for the major, 1.0 for the specialist) must contact Beatrix Doma, Undergraduate Administrator for assistance at crimsl.undergrad@utoronto.ca. This must be done in a timely manner, not days or weeks later! Please include your student number and a brief message outlining the issue.

In 2024-2025, most Arts & Science courses will be offered in person or will have an in-person component which requires you to be on campus at a scheduled time.

There are five types of delivery modes for Fall/Winter 2024-2025:

  •     In Person: This meeting section is in person. You will be required to attend this meeting section at a specific time and location.
  •     Online Synchronous: This meeting section is online and requires online participation at a specific time for class activities. There are no in-person activities or assessments (e.g., exams).
  •     Online Synchronous (with in-person assessments): This meeting section is online with mandatory in-person components (e.g., exams, other assessments). Online activities are scheduled at a specific time.
  •     Online Asynchronous: This meeting section is online and does not require attendance at a specific time for class activities. There are no in-person activities or assessments (e.g., exams).
  •     Online Asynchronous (with in-person assessments): This meeting section is online with mandatory in-person components (e.g., exams, other assessments). Online activities are not scheduled at a specific time.

You can find the delivery modes for each course section in Timetable Builder and in your course syllabus. Make sure to check the delivery information in Timetable Builder for specific details about how that course will be offered. It is important to note that you cannot change sections after the final date to enrol in courses for that term.

The following applies to students who have not taken the required intro courses:

Required: Fall 2024: CRI205H1, CRI215H1 Required: Winter 2025: CRI210H1, CRI225H1

Additional Courses you may take: Fall 2024: CRI300H1, CRI335H1 and CRI383H1 (if you have previously completed prerquisites)

Winter 2025 (required prerequisites are met; prerequisites will be checked at the end of December) CRI322H1/ CRI350H1/ CRI385H1/ CRI386H1/ CRI390H1

If you completed any of the introductory courses in the Summer, you may be eligible to enrol in additional courses. Please review the course details before enrolling. Prerequisites are enforced.

Frequently asked question: Which program requirements do I need to follow? The current calendar doesn't match what is listed in Degree Explorer (DEX).

Answer: The current calendar lists the program requirements that apply for students who will be admitted to the program in the subsequent spring admission cycle. The program requirements that apply to you are those listed on DEX (based on the year you were admitted to the program).

Can I double count courses?

Answer: Always use Degree Explorer (DEX) to track your program (and degree!) requirements - DEX will also use courses that can count towards 2 programs based on the limitations listed in section 'b' under HBA/HBSc Requirements* in the Calendar. A student doing 2 majors must include at least 12.0 different credits in the two majors. This means that if "Major A" is comprised of 8.0 credits and "Major B" is comprised of 7.0 credits, the allowable overlap is 3.0 credits (8.0+7.0=15.0. 15.0 - 12.0= 3.0).

If you have questions about your degree or double-counting courses please contact your Registrar. Questions about CrimSL can be emailed to us.

Question: Why is DEX not picking up my credits?

Answer: Credits are not always picked up by DEX because the course code may not correspond to an existing course. This is normally the case for transfer credits or if a topics course (with the same course but different topic) has been taken more than once. In these cases, you must email the appropriate academic unit to have the credit added manually to your academic record. 

View the Recommended Technology Requirements for Remote/Online Learning identified by the University of Toronto.

If you have any questions about your program and /or degree the first place to check your status is Degree Explorer. Degree Explorer is the University of Toronto's degree planning tool where you can review your academic history, degree requirements or use the planner to determine how future course choices might meet your requirements. Do not use the current calendar to figure out your program requirements as it lists the requirements for students who will be admitted to the program next year. Degree Explorer is coded with the requirements that belong to you (based on your year of admission to the program). Access Degree Explorer on Acorn

Your College Registrar’s office can provide advice and guidance if you encounter academic integrity issues. They are there to help you in a more holistic manner, whether it be to understand how other life factors fit in, or to navigate the issues in conjunction with your other courses and degree completion.

If you require help with the CrimSL program and/or CRI course registration you must contact the Program Office at crimsl.undergrad@utoronto.ca for assistance. Make sure to include your student id number in your email. 

The Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies does not allow auditing in CRI undergraduate courses. No exceptions will be made.

Students admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Science as a non-degree do not have access to restricted CRI courses.

Visiting Students who are studying Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at their home university may request enrolment in 300-level CRI courses provided they have completed similar courses that fulfill course prerequisites and there is space available in the course. Requests for 400-level CRI courses will be approved provided there is space in the course and the student meets comparable course prerequisites. Course requests must be forwarded to us in a timely manner and must include a copy of the approved letter of permission and an up-to-date transcript.