Learning by Doing: Experiential Learning in Criminal Justice

• In Event: Learning by Doing: Experiential Learning in Criminal Justice

Abstract

This paper highlights the efforts of the colleagues in a criminal justice department to offer experiential learning experiences to undergraduate students. Operating within the framework of a liberal arts curriculum, we provide criminal justice majors with a range of opportunities that fall under the general rubric of “experiential learning,” including: service learning, community-based learning, research projects, and internships. Our goal is to combine the academic rigors of traditional, class-room based learning with exposure to hands-on, real-world, subject-based knowledge. Each type of experiential learning is discussed in terms of their pedagogical benefits and long-term, post-graduate advantages for students.

Authors

• Helen Ahn Lim, California Lutheran University

• Robert Meadows, California Lutheran University

• Schannae Lucas, California Lutheran University

• Molly George, California Lutheran University