Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program

In an ever-shrinking world, an international perspective not only provides a wider and deeper understanding of one’s own cultural context but has also become a necessary tool for any conscientious criminal justice or even social science professional.  Indeed, as the world shrinks, crime increasingly becomes a transnational matter for which knowledge of criminal justice beyond our borders is necessary.

This course’s goal is to expose students to the criminal justice system in a foreign country, by allowing them to travel there and visit a select number of agencies and institutions.  This short-term study abroad course also allows students to understand first-hand how criminal justice systems take root in broader political and cultural environments.

Over the course of eight days, during spring break, students visit criminal justice agencies, political institutions, and cultural centers.  They also meet with criminal justice professionals, professors, and students, and spend time exploring on their own.  Students prepare for the experience during pre-departure meetings, and debrief in an post-trip gathering.

The course, CRM J 491, is a 3-credit graded course, which can fulfill requirements for criminal justice majors, minors, political science majors, as well as general social science requirements.

The course has so far led students to London, focusing on the British criminal justice system, as well as explored the Dutch criminal justice system by traveling to The Hague and Amsterdam.

Applications are opened at the beginning of the fall semester, typically around September, and pre-screening interviews are usually held in late October with final commitment by students at the beginning of November. For more information please go to https://ip.wsu.edu/study-abroad/.