Diversity in Criminal Justice Curriculum: How Much Emphasis Do Universities Place on Including Topics of Diversity, Social Justice, Inequality, Ethics, and Race/racism?
Location
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (CBSS)
Session Format
Poster Presentation
Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors
Dr. Akiv Dawson, Faculty Advisor
Abstract
Recent episodes of racialized police violence have resulted in global protests and situated calls for criminal justice reform at the forefront of political debate. However, reform efforts driven by academia are largely absent in discourse about possible solutions. The current study examined the course offerings of two hundred and twenty three (n=223) Criminal Justice or Criminology programs across the United States to examine the extent to which courses related to diversity, social justice, inequality, ethics, and race/racism were prioritized in Criminal Justice curricula. We found that 96% of the programs offered courses related to these critical areas. However, only 55% of the departments that offered the courses required their completion. The incongruity between course offerings and requirements indicates a critical issue facing criminal justice and criminology programs. While several departments have courses about these important topical issues, not requiring them may suggest that they are not important and do little to prepare students to go into fields that are largely defined by these important concepts. The implications of requiring courses about topics such as inequality, race, and social justice are far reaching and may increase students’ awareness of racism, intersectionality, and the roots of oppression.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Bean, Beatrice, "Diversity in Criminal Justice Curriculum: How Much Emphasis Do Universities Place on Including Topics of Diversity, Social Justice, Inequality, Ethics, and Race/racism?" (2021). GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium. 94.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2021/2021/94
Diversity in Criminal Justice Curriculum: How Much Emphasis Do Universities Place on Including Topics of Diversity, Social Justice, Inequality, Ethics, and Race/racism?
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (CBSS)
Recent episodes of racialized police violence have resulted in global protests and situated calls for criminal justice reform at the forefront of political debate. However, reform efforts driven by academia are largely absent in discourse about possible solutions. The current study examined the course offerings of two hundred and twenty three (n=223) Criminal Justice or Criminology programs across the United States to examine the extent to which courses related to diversity, social justice, inequality, ethics, and race/racism were prioritized in Criminal Justice curricula. We found that 96% of the programs offered courses related to these critical areas. However, only 55% of the departments that offered the courses required their completion. The incongruity between course offerings and requirements indicates a critical issue facing criminal justice and criminology programs. While several departments have courses about these important topical issues, not requiring them may suggest that they are not important and do little to prepare students to go into fields that are largely defined by these important concepts. The implications of requiring courses about topics such as inequality, race, and social justice are far reaching and may increase students’ awareness of racism, intersectionality, and the roots of oppression.
