NCJ Number
186681
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2000 Pages: 211-223
Date Published
2000
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the results of a national survey conducted to determine the prevalence of university courses that address comparative criminal justice, along with the course content, structure, and the characteristics of faculty who teach them.
Abstract
A questionnaire was mailed to 381 heads of 4-year criminal justice programs in the United States. A total of 169 (44 percent) usable returns were received from 4-year institutions. Results show that 58 (34 percent) of the criminal justice programs provide some comparative/international courses. The majority of these courses (71 percent) comparatively examine criminal justice systems. A small number of schools offer programs of study abroad or courses that deal with comparative issues in more narrow subject areas, such as international crime or comparative policing. The average yearly enrollment for these courses was 36 students. Of the 111 schools that did not offer a specific comparative/international course, a significant proportion (26 percent) dealt with similar, related issues in more general courses. Fifty-two course syllabi were received from the respondents who reported inclusion of at least one comparative/international criminal justice course in their curriculum. These syllabi showed that 42 different textbooks were used in these courses; generally, more than one text was used in each course. Faculty actively involved in these courses were usually at the upper ranks and had primary interests in England and Japan. Most of the course content emphasized writing skills and critical thinking about comparative issues. There appears to be a developing consensus on certain core concepts involved in the teaching of such topics. 2 tables and 24 references