Roundtable: Affirming Humanity in Criminal Justice Centered Courses: Beyond the Confines of the Classroom

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

As professors of higher education, we are presented with a unique opportunity to build classroom lectures, activities, and projects that center on affirming humanity within and beyond the confines of the classroom. In particular, criminal justice courses address myriad critical, at times controversial issues, that require students to navigate challenging topics and exchanges, consider diverse perspectives and lived experiences, and strengthen their ability to be empathetic. This roundtable will facilitate a discussion on effective strategies used to balance criminal- and social justice-related course curricula to foster critical thinking, contemplation, analysis, and substantive class discourse during these crucial moments in U.S. history.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Chair

• Shenique Thomas, City University of New York, BMCC

Discussants

• Vivian C Smith, Cabrini University

• Liza Chowdhury, Fairleigh Dickinson University