CJ 110 – Introduction to Criminal Justice
Description and analysis of agencies and processes involved in administration of justice in the United States.
CJ 210 – Introduction to Forensic Science
Techniques of crime scene search. Collection and preservation of physical evidence. Class and individual scientific tests. Rules of evidence governing admissibility of physical evidence. Expert testimony.
CJ 220 – Criminology
Introduction to the socio-legal foundation of crime. Crime typology and measurement procedures. Theory and public policy. Societal responses to crime and criminals.
CJ 235 – Investigation Procedure
Laws of evidence controlling investigative procedures. Crime scene concerns. Multiagency investigation.
CJ 275 – Criminal Procedure
Administration of criminal law. Investigation, prosecution, adjudication, and sentencing. Constitutional safeguards and legal controls on official action.
CJ 292 – Methods of Criminal Justice Research
Logic, design, analysis, and ethical principles in criminal justice research. Indicators of crime and its control.
CJ 294 – Leadership and Professional Development in Criminal Justice
Career planning and professional development. Leadership principles and theory, as related to the field of criminal justice.
CJ 335 – Policing
Roles, responsibilities, issues, and trends pertinent to contemporary law enforcement organizations in contemporary society.
CJ 355 – Juvenile Justice
The juvenile justice system and law. Theories of juvenile delinquency and deviance. Sociological, psychological, and anthropological perspectives.
CJ 365 – Corrections
Historical and contemporary views of offender management and treatment. Corrections system operation. Effects of institutionalization. Alternatives to incarceration.
CJ 385 – Private Security
Relationships of private protective services with public law enforcement. Individuals, businesses, and governments providing prevention, protection, investigation, and disaster recovery services. Protection of persons, property, and information.
CJ 422 – Comparative and Historical Criminal Justice
Comparative study of criminal justice systems. Theories, types, and effects of intervention.
CJ 424 – Crime, Mass Media, and Society (W)
Representation of crime and criminal justice in the media. Relationship between media and criminal justice organizations. Images of crime, criminal justice, and trafficking. Media effects on criminal justice policy.
CJ 425 – Women and Criminal Justice
Theories on women’s victimization and criminality. Women’s experiences as victims, offenders, and criminal justice employees. Laws and their effects on the rights of women in the criminal justice system.
CJ 426 – Violence Against Women (W)
Intimate partner violence, rape, and stalking. Theoretical causes of violence against women and factors commonly associated with it. Physical, mental and legal consequences; institutional responses; and prevention efforts.
CJ 427 – Criminology and Public Policy (W)
Advanced study of criminological theory. Examination of policies implied by different theories of crime. Evaluation of crime control policies.
CJ 430 – Advanced Seminar in Policing (W)
Advanced issues in policing. Police strategies and evaluation. Behavioral determinants of policing. Socialization and culture of police. Police coercion. Police deviance.
CJ 432 – Community Policing
Community policing philosophy, applications, issues, and contemporary research. Community policing models.
CJ 433 – Law Enforcement Intelligence Operations
Law enforcement intelligence as an analytic tool for case development and resource allocation. Historical, ethical, legal, and operational issues affecting current practice.
CJ 434 – Police Administration
Organizational theory, leadership, communications, and labor relations in police administration. Historical and legal perspectives.
CJ 439 – Homeland Security
Definition of terrorism and terrorist groups. Fundamental principles of emergency management and homeland security. Historical perspectives and modern threats. Public health and environmental protection. Private sector role and impacts. Security vs. civil liberties. Science, technology, and research issues.
CJ 445 – Cyber-Crime and Cyber-Security (W)
Internet crimes, problems, and procedures for cybersecurity.
CJ 455 – Delinquency and Treatment Approaches
Investigation and evaluation of delinquency. Prevention programs and treatment approaches. Implementation and assessments of correctional and community intervention strategies in agency settings.
CJ 465 – Critical issues in Corrections (W)
Advanced topics in corrections. Probation and parole. Community corrections. Recidivism and reentry. Evolution of punishment. Comparative systems of confinement.
CJ 466 – Corrections Organizations and Systems
Management of correctional organizations. Interactions between correctional organizations and their political and cultural environments.
CJ 471 – Law of Corrections
Constitutional limitations and the impact of law on correctional practice. Due process, prisoners’ rights, and parole and probation.
CJ 473 – Comparative Constitutional Law
Comparative constitutional law. Courts with constitutional jurisdiction. Allocation of constitutional powers. Relationship among levels of government. Individual constitutional rights.
CJ 474 – Law and Criminal Justice Policy
Impact of law on police practices, court processes, and correctional institutions and programs. Development, implementation, and evaluation of judicial policies.
CJ 485 – Critical Issues in Private Security
Advanced topics in private security. Planning and administering. Organizing and staffing. Human relations. Management styles. Media relations.
CJ 490 – Independent Study
Individual study in fields of criminal justice, under direct supervision of a faculty member.
CJ 491 – Topics in Criminal Justice
Special issues in criminal justice.
CJ 494 – Criminal Justice Practicum
Observation, participation, and study in selected criminal justice agencies.
CJ 801 – Crime Causation, Prevention, and Control
Theories of crime causation. Translation of theory to policy.
CJ 802 – Proseminar in Law Enforcement Intelligence Operations
Law enforcement intelligence as an analytic tool for case development and resource allocation. Historical, ethical, legal, and operational issues affecting current practice.
CJ 803 – Foundations in Homeland Security
Definition of terrorism and terrorist groups. Fundamental principles of emergency management and homeland security. Historical perspectives and modern threats. Public health and environmental protections. Private sector role and impacts. Security vs. civil liberties. Science, technology, and research issues.
CJ 805 – Survey in Forensic Science
Scientific analysis of physical evidence. Four major aspects of physical evidence using real criminal and civil cases: generation of physical evidence by criminal activity; collection and preservation of physical evidence; analysis of physical evidence by forensic science laboratory; presentation of scientific expert testimony in court. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 809 – Issues in Criminal Justice
Special issues in criminal justice research and management.
CJ 810 – Proseminar in Criminal Justice
Survey of classical and recent literature in criminal justice. Trends and issues that transcend the components of the criminal justice system.
CJ 811 – Design and Analysis in Criminal Justice Research
Scientific methods in criminal justice research. Design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of findings, and ethical concerns. Computer use in data analysis.
This course has specific sections geared toward CJ, LEIA, and/or JA masters students.
CJ 812 – Criminal Justice Management Seminar
Organization theory and behavior for the criminal justice agency. Organization and policy planning, budgeting, forecasting, human resource management, and project implementation.
This course has specific sections geared toward CJ and JA masters students.
CJ 817 – Law and Forensic Science
Legal aspects of forensic science. Adjudicative process, admissibility of scientific evidence, laboratory reports, hearsay, relevant case materials, and expert testimony. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 819 – Forensic Analysis of Drugs and Alcohol
Techniques and processes in analysis of physical evidence including spectroscopy, chromatography, and microscopy. Emphasis on controlled substances. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 820 – Forensic Chemistry and Microscopic Evidence
Continuation of CJ 819. Analysis of trace evidence including hairs and fibers, paints and coatings, explosives and fire residues, glass, and soil. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 822 – Comparative Criminal Justice
Globalization, crime causation, measurement, and control in comparative and cross-national contexts. Nature of policing, courts, and corrections in select countries.
CJ 823 – Globalization of Crime
International crimes and organized crime. Trafficking in women, children, and body parts. Related problems that transcend national boundaries, such as firearm violence, money laundering, and corruption.
CJ 824 – Forensic Serology
Identification of body fluids of forensic interest, including blood, semen, and saliva. Sources of false positive and negative results. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 825 – DNA Profiling
DNA profiling. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analysis of blood, semen, hair, saliva, and other tissues of forensic interest. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CJ 829 – National and Global Trends in Court Planning
Emerging judicial trends. Stakeholder expectations. Impact on judicial branch planning. Regional, national, and global trends that frame strategic issues, planning, actions, and leadership.
This course focuses on the role of emerging trends and the changing expectations of key stakeholders in the strategic planning process. The basic premise of the course is that planning is not a linear process whereby today’s realities can be used as an accurate and dependable marker for making prudent decisions regarding the future. The goal is to help those working in the justice system, and those preparing for such careers, to learn how to analyze the “discontinuous” world in which they live and must function, so they can identify the strategic issues which will frame a meaningful planning process for their organization. Students will analyze and write from the context of their respective organizations, but with an understanding of regional, national, and global issues that influence their organizations. Each student will interact with the instructor through written assignments and through group discussions with the instructor and with the other members of the class.
CJ 830 – Foundations of Police Studies
Police practice. The police role, socialization, discretion, strategies, deviance.
CJ 836 – Assessment of Police Policies and Operations
Recent policy-related research and its application to the deployment of human resources.
CJ 837 – Counterterrorism and Intelligence
Meanings and concepts of terrorism. Nature of both domestic and international terrorist threats. Integration of intelligence and terrorism to understand counterterrorism concepts.
CJ 838 – Terrorism
Origins, history, and mutable definitions of terrorism. Ideologies, organizational features, and state responses. Influential contemporary and historical terrorist movements. Force multipliers and media.
CJ 839 – Analytic Thinking and Intelligence
Analytic processes, tools, applications, and contemporary issues as used in law enforcement intelligence processes.
***This course is taught over a one-week period in East Lansing.***
CJ 845 – Environmental Risk Perception and Decision-Making
Theoretical underpinnings of individual decision-making and risk perception processes. Case studies of the interplay of risk perception and decision-making in an environmental and/or criminological context.
CJ 846 – Corporate Environmental Crime and Risk
Theoretical accounts and multiple interventions relevant to corporate environmental crime and risk. Use of “Smart Regulation” principles in designing interventions to match specific problems.
CJ 847 – Global Risks, Conservation, and Criminology
Theories, actors, characteristics, and legal instruments associated with risk, conservation, and criminology related to globalization. Current case studies in criminological conservation.
CJ 855 – Delinquency Prevention and Control
Historical overview. Theories and methodologies. Models and organization of delinquency prevention and control programs. Law and public policy. Program evaluation.
CJ 856 – Advanced Topics in Policing
Special topics in policing such as crime analysis; problem solving; police recruitment, retention and development; police behavior; and ethics.
CJ 860 – Historical Foundations/Contemporary Frameworks of Judicial Administration
Foundations in the legal and historical evolution of courts. Contemporary methods, practices, and theories of court administration, including purposes and responsibilities of courts, rule of law, caseflow management, and court governance and leadership models.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with knowledge about the historical foundations of the judicial branch and the formation of judicial administration. This provides the context for the role and responsibilities of the courts in contemporary society, as well as the rule of law globally. The historical foundations will address the questions of why courts exist, how they continue to evolve, and how courts are guided from legal mandates to public perceptions. Tracing the historical foundations will expose students to the development of a new profession: court management.
The role of the court manager will be analyzed in the context of judicial branch mores, ethical codes, and culture. The business of the courts—caseflow management—will be explored and analyzed. The course will also investigate the court culture and how it affects governance and leadership. Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis of case data.
CJ 861 – Budget Planning and Resource Allocation for Court Performance
This course focuses on financial resources for courts and court systems, including resource acquisition and allocation strategies, output and outcome measurement for expenditure assessment, efficient and effective resource management, techniques of budget presentation in the public-sector context, alternative budget planning and justification formats, audit formats, and revenue enhancement sources and strategies. Trial Court Performance Standards provide a context for assessing outputs and outcomes from resource allocations and expenditures.
CJ 862 – Workforce Planning and Management in the Courts
The purpose of this course is to address the issues of workforce planning and management in the judicial branch, which involve the complexity of different types of selections and forms of employment, including elected and appointed judges and other judicial officers, at-will employees, civil servants, and contractual labor and services. The interplay among the different forms of employment methods results in different standards for selection, hiring, managing, appraising, and correcting employee behaviors.
This course will also pursue the effective and efficient operations of courts, which rest on the job performance, roles, and responsibilities of this collection of employees, as well as workers who are detailed to the courts for a variety of court services but are not court employees. Succession planning will be explored as a viable methodology for the development of employees for increasingly more responsible leadership positions in the courts, through coaching, mentoring, and continuing education.
CJ 863 – Courthouse Planning: Space, Technology, Security, and Disaster Recovery
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the necessary knowledge about federal and state courthouse and courtroom requirements, as well as specifications for new buildings or remodeling. It will address the required or suggested specifications for judicial chambers, law libraries, and administrative operations space. Space planning will include courthouse and courtroom technology planning and acquisition for integrated systems; optimal workflow; and electronic courts that are connected to legal practitioners, other courts, and self-represented litigant clinics.
Additional issues central to courthouse planning will be incorporated, such as security, lock-ups and prisoner movement, disaster planning and recovery, environmental standards, and selecting and assessing contractors. Students will be engaged in the subject matter through a variety of means and methods including readings, group discussions, case studies, assessment and analysis of construction issues, and contracting.
CJ 864 – Elements of Essential Court Operations
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to study the essential management infrastructure of court operations; to analyze the intersections of court operations and constitutional mandates related to issues of judicial independence, interdependence, transparency, and accountability; to explore methods for measuring court inputs, outputs, and outcomes; and to situate the role of the courts within the communities they serve.
Students will be exposed to contemporary issues in judicial systems including: challenges to separation of powers, due process, and privacy rights; societal changes and demands that impact court operations and the concept of justice, such as problem-solving courts, self-represented litigants, courts as collection agencies, alternative dispute resolution, restorative justice, and the establishment of specialty courts; systems analysis for electronic courts and records management; and project management applied to operating diverse court services with competing priorities. Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis.
CJ 865 – Adult Corrections
Traditional and contemporary adult correctional practices. Social, political, economic, and organizational factors affecting correctional policies.
CJ 866 – Adult and Juvenile Corrections Programs
Adult and juvenile crime prevention and correctional programs. Application of research findings to management issues.
CJ 885 – Security Management
Organization and management of security operations in business, industry, and government.
CJ 873 – Legal Issues in Criminal Justice
Law as an instrument of social control. Legal basis of criminal law and criminal justice policies. Legal limitations on criminal justice institutions and policies.
CJ 886 – Security Administration
Administrative and quantitative techniques for security operations. Statistical analyses. Analysis of financial statements. Operations research and computer techniques.
CJ 887 – Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice Research
Descriptive and inferential statistics and computer use in criminal justice research.
This course has specific sections geared toward CJ and LEIA masters students.
CJ 890 – Independent Study
Individual research and writing under faculty supervision.
CJ 894 – Practicum
Observation, study, and work in selected criminal justice agencies. Participation in domestic and foreign criminal justice systems.
CJ 896 – Policy Analysis under Conditions of Change
Methods of policy analysis in criminal justice settings. Policy analysis for the formulation, adoption, and implementation of changes.
This course has specific sections geared toward CJ, LEIA, and/or JA masters students.
CJ 899 – Masters Thesis Research
Planned research and writing directed by student’s thesis committee.
CJ 901 – Seminar in Contemporary Criminal Justice Theory
Theoretical perspectives and issues in criminal justice and criminology.
CJ 904 – Criminal Justice Organizations and Processes
Theoretical perspectives on organizations and processes in criminal justice. Evaluation of organizational performance in justice agencies.
CJ 905 – Law and Society
Theoretical perspectives on law. Impact of law on society and the criminal justice system.
CJ 906 – Advanced Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice Research
Applications of quantitative techniques to criminal justice data. Use of multiple regression and SPSS.
CJ 907 – Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice Data Analysis
Advanced quantitative analysis techniques for criminal justice data.
CJ 908 – Advanced Topics in Criminal Justice
Intensive study of one subfield of criminal justice. Critical evaluation of the literature.
CJ 909 – Advanced Research Methods
Methodological approaches to conducting sound, ethical criminal justice and criminological research. Research ethics, study design, and data collection methods.
CJ 999 – Doctoral Dissertation Research
Doctoral dissertation research.
FRS 809 – Issues in Forensic Science
Forensic science research, practice, and legal processes.
FRS 890 – Independent Study
Individual research and writing under faculty supervision.
FRS 894 – Practicum
Observation, study, and work in selected forensic science agencies.
FRS 899 – Masters Thesis Research
Planned research and writing directed by student’s thesis committee.
ANP 441 – Osteology and Forensic Anthropology
Human bone and skeletal biology and analysis. Methods of forensic anthropology. Analysis of skeletal remains, forensic pathology, and forensic archaeology. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
ANP 840 – Biocultural Evolution
Major contemporary issues in evolutionary theory, taxonomy, and the evolution of biology and culture. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
ANP 841 – Physical Anthropology
Controversies in biological anthropology. History of physical anthropology and current theoretical perspectives. Critical approaches to research design. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
ANP 842 – Human Osteology
Human bone biology, skeletal anatomy, and osteological analysis. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
ANP 844 – Topics in Forensic Anthropology
Current issues in forensic anthropology. Topics include facial reproduction and identification; laboratory techniques; skeletal histomorphology. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
ANTR 551 – Medical Gross Anatomy
Human regional gross anatomy with clinical correlations using prosections, cross-sections, and medical imaging. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
BMB 801 – Molecular Biology
Organization of genes. Regulation of gene expression, replication, and recombination. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
CEM 835 – Advanced Analytical Chemistry II
Separations, molecular spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
FW 828 – Conservation and Genetics
Population and evolutionary genetic principles applied to ecology, conservation, and management of fish and wildlife at the individual, population, and species level. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
GEN 842 (FOR 842) – Population Genetics, Genealogy and Genomics
Population genetic processes underlying patterns of molecular genetic variation. Genealogical approaches to the study of genomic diversity, phylogenetic reconstruction, and molecular ecology. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
GEO 802 – Geospatial Technology
Comprehensive introduction to geotechnologies. Concepts and theories of remote sensing to include image interpretation and processing, Global Positioning Systems, spatial data structures, and geographic information systems.
HM 833 – Introduction to Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting and Public Health
General principles of counterfeiting, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and how they affect public health. Scope, policy, supply chain management, and health effects are examined using current case examples.
Caseflow Management
This eight-hour course will present the basic principles of caseflow management. Caseflow management is defined as the coordination of court processes and resources to move cases timely from filing to disposition regardless of the type of disposition (Solomon and Somerlot, 1986, p. 3). The course will be based on the NACM Core Competency Curriculum Guideline on Caseflow Management and the monograph entitled Caseflow Management in the Trial Court: Now and For the Future. Through individual activities, students will have ample opportunity to apply the principles of caseflow management to their own local jurisdiction.
Each student will have an opportunity to review his or her own court’s case processing system and develop an improvement plan. Students will examine how the justice system’s environment impacts the court and how the court’s activities influence other parts of the justice system environment. The students will examine the relationship between caseflow management and the fundamental purposes of courts and will review the elements of caseflow management with emphasis on meaningful events, development and use of time guidelines, alternative methods for assigning cases to judicial officers, differentiated case management, and the many psychological factors that are part of the caseflow process.
Students will receive credit for eight contact hours once the End of Course Exercise and the Caseflow Management Course Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of caseflow management should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
Human Resources Management
An overview of the HR Manager’s Essential Toolkit provides the novice manager as well as the more experienced court manager with the information, tools, and practical know-how needed to fulfill day-to-day responsibilities related to human resources (HR) management in a court environment. No matter how efficient our work processes or how cutting-edge our use of technology, the court cannot function without committed, knowledgeable, and customer service oriented staff. The staff is the face of justice for most court customers. The staff ensure the mission of our judiciary—fair, equitable, and equal access to the judicial system—becomes a reality. In turn, this lofty goal creates a unique opportunity to align human resources practices with the strategic purpose of the courts: providing a fair, equitable, accessible, and responsive work environment that recognizes the individual efforts of each staff member.
To that end, this course introduces a wide range of HR topics. It begins by reviewing the most important federal employment laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) legal obligations; legal issues surrounding selection, hiring, and termination; and sexual harassment and hostile work environment. Additionally, students will gain an understanding of the basic principles of workforce planning and performance management, including the performance appraisal, progressive discipline, and how to give corrective feedback. This course will also provide students with an overview of the basic principles of motivation and recognition directed at employee retention, talent development, increased job satisfaction, and highly positive and productive work environments. Students who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of human resources management should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
Students will receive credit for seven contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Human Resources Management Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of human resources management should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
InformationTechnology Management
Court leaders must know and understand information technology (IT) fundamentals, ensure that they and their technical staff stay current, and ensure that they understand how other organizations and courts are using technology successfully. Court leaders need to appreciate both the capacities and the limitations of always-evolving technology tools. This course will cover four primary substantive areas in IT Management: IT Purposes and Context; IT Governance – Leadership and Vision; Infrastructure, Court Services, and Applications; and IT Projects. The course does not require the student to be highly technical or be proficient in any software application. This course is organized around the NACM Fundamentals Curriculum Guidelines and provides a summary of all the key IT areas that a court leader must understand and manage. An end-of-course exercise and evaluation will review and highlight each of these areas.
Students will receive credit for six contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Information Technology Management Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of IT fundamentals and foundations for court leaders should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
NACM Core Competencies for Information Technology Management
Leadership
This is an introductory course on the nature and need for leadership in today’s court. It focuses on the five leadership competencies developed by the National Association for Court Management (NACM). These competencies describe what court executives should know and be able to do in order to become effective leaders. They are observable, learnable practices. The intent is to provide an overview and definition of this discipline such that the student will have a solid foundation upon which to build further study. Students can expect an elaboration of each competency and a link to the general literature on leadership. The course treats mainly the “why” and “what” of leadership, but does not explore the specifics of “how.” Nonetheless, students should be able to apply these basic ideas to their own attempts at organizational leadership.
Students will receive credit for six contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Leadership Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of leadership should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
Purposes and Responsibilities of Courts
This course is a tour through the many values and legal concepts that have shaped the American court system and which define it today. It reacquaints students with the basic purposes of the third branch of government, its institutional structure and history, common terms and concepts, and trends in its evolution. This course will help students in a wide variety of public administration, public policy, criminal justice, or law curricula better understand the basis and role of the courts in society.
The National Association for Court Management (NACM) “Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines” identifies purposes and responsibilities of courts as core to what court leaders need to know and be able to do. Students can apply the contents of this course in a court or auxiliary court organization or operation, be it federal or state. Students will read about key historical documents and will learn how historical events shaped the formation of the courts within the context of American government. Students will understand court decisions critical to the courts’ evolutionary process and significant to the definition of freedom in society. Students will learn how court administration as a profession began and how it has changed over time. Students will consider how judges and court employees can be effective in a collaborative, interdependent environment without sacrificing judicial independence and third branch status. Students will see how the performance of the courts, judges and staff are examined to determine whether we are living up to these purposes and challenges, as well as future challenges.
This course is not equivalent to the first year of law school or a master’s degree in American history. Students seeking an in-depth treatment of these subjects should consider taking the credit-bearing courses in this curriculum. This is a quick survey course, introductory and fundamental to understanding the remaining judicial administration curriculum. As such for working professionals, it is incomplete without application of the additional courses. For any student, however, it should be able to stand on its own to provide those who complete it an appreciation of the American court system. The course aims to present historical and simple legal concepts and information in a lively, interactive format, pointing out practical applications and current controversies.
Students will receive credit for six contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Purposes and Responsibilities of Courts Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of purposes and responsibilities of courts should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
NACM Core Competencies for Purposes and Responsibilities of Courts
Resources, Budget, and Finance
This course is an introduction to “Resources, Budget, and Finance” for court managers and leaders. There is a wide range of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) needed by court managers and leaders as they engage in budgeting and resource management. For many highly regarded court leaders, their effectiveness in acquiring and managing resources is the result of years of learning and experience. However, reflecting on some of the fundamentals of sound budgeting and resource management can markedly improve results for almost any court manager.
This course focuses on fundamentals and on the basic KSAs needed by court managers and leaders in budgeting and resource management. To say that the focus is on the “basics” is not to depreciate their importance, nor to suggest that their application is easy. On the contrary, these fundamentals are at the heart of good budgeting in the courts. Without them there is a high probability that court managers and leaders will fail when it comes to resource acquisition and management. Because the judicial branch is one of three coequal and independent branches of government under the American system, court leaders must negotiate the court’s budget in a very complex environment of checks and balances and competing public and political interests. Because courts rely on public funding, there is a special set of obligations to be good stewards of the public purse in both requesting funds and using funds.
Students will receive credit for seven contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Resources, Budget, and Finance Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of “Resources, Budget, and Finance” should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
Court and Community Communication
This course helps students gain an understanding of the complexities of establishing effective public information and community outreach programs, and provides a framework for making key decisions in court community communications. The National Association for Court Management’s Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines on Court Community Communication provides the documentation for this course. Students will be encouraged to become familiar with the six curriculum guidelines and the associated knowledge, skills and abilities.
Sections of the course will be referring to these competencies. The six are:
- Purpose and Communication Fundamentals
Effective court leaders know and use six communication fundamentals to support the purposes and responsibilities of courts. The fundamentals are 1) positive message, 2) credibility, 3) honesty, 4) accessibility, 5) openness, and 6) understandability. - Understandable Courts
Court leaders must recognize the importance of understandable courts and know how to assess the court’s understandability and ease of use for average citizens. They and other court officials, both judges and staff, increase the community’s understanding of, access to, and ease of use of the courts. - Community Outreach
Court leaders must plan, create, develop, and implement effective and affordable community outreach, and establish and maintain a free flow of information between the court and the public. Court leaders not only educate and inform the public, but they learn from and improve the court through community outreach. - Public Information
Court leaders must understand public perceptions of courts and be able to assess and respond to the information needs of multiple constituencies. Effective courts plan, package, and deliver messages in positive and understandable ways by diverse means. They effectuate a higher level of public understanding of and satisfaction with the judiciary. - The Media and Media Relations
Court leader relationships with the news media must be positive and proactive. Courts should have a media plan to promote public understanding and respect through the news media. This includes having systems in place to respond to media inquiries in a timely manner. - Leadership and Program Management
Court leaders must lead Court Community Communication and direct and oversee staff assigned to it. To do so, they must ensure that communications fit with the court purposes, people, processes, and operations that they support. Effective courts ensure that court community communication needs are assessed and prioritized, and that programming to meet those needs is well-managed and evaluated.
Students will receive credit for five contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Court and Community Communication Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of purposes and responsibilities of courts should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
Essential Components of Courts
This course provides an introduction to the essential components of court administration that enhance judicial decision making, services and programs that support the adjudication process, and infrastructure needs unique to the judicial system. This presentation on essential components is organized by how and when they contribute to the judicial process in the categories of case preparation, adjudication, and enforcement. Underlying these categories are court infrastructure requirements that make up the physical environment and cross-cutting issues that impact all stages of the judicial process.
Students will receive credit for five contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Essential Components of Courts Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of essential components of courts should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
Education, Training, and Development
This course will ground students in the fundamental principles of how adults learn best, and why this is critically important to judicial branch work. The contents of this course can be applied in any environment. In this course, students will identify their individual learning styles and ways to extend learning experiences for more meaningful and transformational learning to take place.
A variety of learning activities will illustrate the importance of intentional and thoughtful participation by court managers in determining which education, training, and development programs the court and its justice partners will offer.
Included in this course are two interviews with Liz Strong, Staff Development Administrator for the Colorado Judicial Branch’s Administrative Office of the Courts, and Sherry Dorfman, Chief Assistant Executive Officer for the Contra Costa County Superior Court of California by Jan Bouch. The purpose of these interviews is to provide students with two perspectives on the need for ongoing education, training, and development to achieve court excellence.
This course is not intended to develop students as judicial branch educators. Rather, students will be exposed to the key components of creating and supporting education, training, and development for themselves as learners, and for other judicial branch employees. Students will be able to participate in assessment and program development for their organizations.
Students will receive credit for five contact hours once the End of the Course Exercise and the Education, Training, and Development Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students interested in a more in-depth treatment of education, training, and development should consult the credit-bearing courses of Judicial Administration.
NACM Core Competencies for Education, Training, and Development
Visioning and Strategic Planning
This course conveys the basics of visioning and strategic planning. It introduces students to the steps involved in strategic planning and how to initiate, manage, and evaluate such a process. The contents of this course can be applied in a court or auxiliary court organization or operation.
Throughout the course, students will acquire knowledge about visioning and strategic planning, which they will practice in various learning activities. These activities will demonstrate the student’s ability to apply the knowledge in a way that the new and/or enhanced skills will be recognized by the student and, later, by the faculty member supervising the capstone experience at the end of the noncredit certificate program.
Included in this course is an interview with Kathy Mays, conducted by Maureen Conner. Kathy served as the Director of the Department of Judicial Planning within the Virginia state court administrator’s office for 24 years, until her retirement in early 2005. Under her direction, Virginia’s judicial system built a comprehensive strategic planning system through which needed judicial system reforms were identified and addressed. As part of her responsibilities, Ms. Mays represented the court system before the General Assembly of Virginia and was the Supreme Court’s press officer. Further, she oversaw justice system initiatives in the areas of caseflow management, drug courts, family violence, foreign language interpreter certification and training, self-represented litigants, judicial performance evaluation, and the system’s statistical information-gathering wing. Prior to joining the state court administrator’s office, she served for seven years in Virginia’s legislative branch, conducting research on areas of crime and public safety. Ms. Mays continues her work in visioning and strategic planning as a consultant in the Of Counsel Program at the National Center for State Courts. The purpose of the interview is to provide students with real-life examples of the challenges and benefits involved in strategic planning. This course is not a treatise on planning theories or models and the application thereof.
Students will receive credit for the 5 contact hours once the End of Course Exercise and the Visioning and Strategic Planning Course Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of planning theory and managing planning processes, should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
Students will receive credit for the 5 contact hours once the End of Course Exercise and the Visioning and Strategic Planning Course Evaluation have been successfully submitted. Students, who are interested in a more in-depth treatment of planning theory and managing planning processes, should consult the credit-bearing courses of the Judicial Administration Program.
JRN 892 – Journalism Special Topics: Courts in the Media
This course offers both court administration and journalism students an opportunity to learn about the two fields, with specific emphasis on the roles, rights and responsibilities of each, as well as their respective values, ethics, and cultures. The course will identify areas of common goals, as well as areas of tension and potential conflict. The course will employ readings, forum discussions, chat, and online multimedia lectures to explore concepts and themes, including: justice, rule of law, First Amendment freedoms, privacy, transparency (freedom of information), punishment, rehabilitation, restitution, human rights, civil rights, hate crimes, victim rights, diversity, regulation, and intellectual property (copyright). While much of the course will focus on the United States, there will also be opportunities to discuss the international court system and court systems in different countries, as well as how journalists operate in different countries.
NSC 820 – Scanning Electron Microscopy; Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis
Use of scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis. Machine variables, artifacts, quantitative analysis, specimen preparation, darkroom procedures. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
PHM 431 – Pharmacology of Drug Addiction
Introduction to pharmacology and neuropharmacology. Understanding of the biological basis for drug abuse and addiction. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
STT 464 – Statistics for Biologists
Biological random variables. Estimation of population parameters. Testing hypotheses. Linear correlation and regression. Analyses of counted and measured data to compare several biological groups including contingency tables and analysis of variance. Open to Forensic Science Masters students.
VM 813 – Special Studies in Food Safety
Faculty-supervised independent study on an experimental, theoretical, or applied project. May involve on-campus or off-campus experience.
VM 814 – Packaging for Food Safety
Current issues in packaging and food safety.
VM 821 – Food Protection and Defense
Food systems and criminal justice approaches to prepare for and solve issues relating to food safety and defense.
VM 840 – Anti-Counterfeit Strategy and Product Protection
Theory and applied techniques of anti-counterfeiting strategies and product protection for food and consumer products.