This course is designed to provide new students a comprehensive orientation to facilities, programs, services, college policies and faculty at Ventura College. Students will experience a tour of the campus facilities, receive financial aid information, learn about graduation and transfer requirements, and acquaint themselves with the college assessment process and counseling and transfer services. Transfer credit: CSU; UC. Formerly: GW V02A.

Students with little or no prior knowledge of American Sign Language will be introduced to the natural language and culture of the American Deaf Community. This course provides basic vocabulary and preparation for visual/gestural communication. Emphasis will be on comprehension skills and the fundamentals of ASL grammatical structures. This course is equivalent to two years of high school American Sign Language. Field trips may be required. Transfer credit: CSU; UC.

This course stresses the fundamentals of criminal investigation. Topics include collection and preservation of evidence, scientific aids, modus operandi, sources of information, interviewing and interrogation techniques, follow-up and case preparation, criminal profiling, crime scene sketching, fingerprint analysis and D.N.A. A brief history of criminal investigation precedes the main course of instruction. Field trips may be required. Transfer credit: CSU.

This course offers an overview of the historical development, philosophy, and content of California and federal criminal law and constitutional provisions. The course reviews constitutional rights, definitions, classification of crimes, elements of criminal offenses, and their application to the criminal justice system. Legal research, methodology, and concepts of law as a social, religious and historical force will be examined. California statutes related to laws of arrest, crimes against persons, and crimes involving property are explored in detail. Case law and current media reports will be utilized to enhance the students' understanding of criminal law. Field trips may be required. Prerequisites: CJ V01. Recommended Prep: ENGL V01A. Transfer credit: CSU; UC.