Applied Ethics in Criminal Justice

FAIN: AKB-260415-18

Medaille College (Buffalo, NY 14214-2695)
Daniel Kotzin (Project Director: October 2017 to May 2024)

The development of curriculum integrating applied ethics study into a criminal justice major.

Criminal justice professionals face serious problems and controversies on a daily basis that require not only subject matter expertise in criminal justice, but also the broad set of skills cultivated by the humanities and ethical philosophy. To address timely societal issues of critical importance and to better prepare the next generation of criminal justice professionals, Medaille College proposes Applied Ethics in Criminal Justice, a three-year implementation project to pilot a model for integrating the humanities discipline of philosophy in deep ways into the social sciences in undergraduate education. This interdisciplinary project involves faculty members from Medaille’s Departments of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, and it will include creating one new course, revising two existing courses, linking two courses in a learning community, and incorporating experiential learning into students’ coursework.

Associated Products

CRJ 211 Law Enforcement (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: CRJ 211 Law Enforcement
Author: Kim Carr
Abstract: This course will chronicle the history, development, philosophy and current status of law enforcement. Topics will include an examination of law enforcement agencies, identifying most important characteristics of city, state, and federal police work. Analysis of police problems, and the processes of justice and constitutional limitations on law enforcement will also be discussed in the course. Further, when this course is part of a learning community , experiential learning activities will apply recognized ethical principles to ethical dilemmas in law enforcement.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community
Author: Tim McCorry
Abstract: This course is designed to develop a heightened awareness and sensitivity to the social and ethical issues that arise when policing in a multicultural society. Specifically, the course will examine the history and development of municipal policing. It will also review the philosophical and theoretical perspectives of community and problem-oriented approaches addressing the legal and ethical issues associated with applying these models in a real-world, multicultural context.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

PHI 310 Ethics with Criminal Justice Applications (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: PHI 310 Ethics with Criminal Justice Applications
Author: Jerry Erion
Abstract: This course highlights the vital role of moral philosophy in exploring deep ethical questions in criminal justice. What is the right thing to do? And what are the elements of good character? In the spirit of applied philosophy, the course will engage these types of questions while also introducing significant connections to important criminal justice issues. Topics include logic and critical thinking concepts that are central to the philosophical method as well as ethical theories that can ground the composition and evaluation of a wide range of ethical arguments.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Syllabus: PHI 310 Ethics with Criminal Justice Applications (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Syllabus: PHI 310 Ethics with Criminal Justice Applications
Author: Jerry Erion
Abstract: This course highlights the vital role of moral philosophy in exploring deep ethical questions in criminal justice. What is the right thing to do? And what are the elements of good character? In the spirit of applied philosophy, the course will engage these types of questions while also introducing significant connections to important criminal justice issues. Topics include logic and critical thinking concepts that are central to the philosophical method as well as ethical theories that can ground the composition and evaluation of a wide range of ethical arguments.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Syllabus: CRJ 211: Law Enforcement (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Syllabus: CRJ 211: Law Enforcement
Author: Kim Carr
Abstract: This course will chronicle the history, development, philosophy and current status of law enforcement. Topics will include an examination of law enforcement agencies, identifying most important characteristics of city, state, and federal police work. Analysis of police problems, and the processes of justice and constitutional limitations on law enforcement will also be discussed in the course.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community
Author: Tim McCorry
Abstract: This course is designed to develop a heightened awareness and sensitivity to the social and ethical issues that arise when policing in a multicultural society. Specifically, the course will examine the history and development of municipal policing. It will also review the philosophical and theoretical perspectives of community and problem-oriented approaches addressing the legal and ethical issues associated with applying these models in a real-world, multicultural context.
Year: 2020
Audience: Undergraduate

Project Brief (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Project Brief
Author: Kim Carr and Jerry Erion
Abstract: The final project for the CRJ 211-PHI 310 learning community was to create and share — in speech and writing — an argument on some issue in professional ethics.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Ethical Reasoning Rubric (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Ethical Reasoning Rubric
Author: Jerry Erion
Abstract: Rubric for assessing ethical reasoning. It focuses on the ability of students to identify ethical concepts, apply ethical concepts, and evaluate ethical arguments.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Case Report (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Case Report
Author: Kim Carr
Author: Jerry Erion
Abstract: The final project for the CRJ 211-PHI 310 learning community was to create and share — in speech and writing — an argument on some issue in professional ethics
Year: 2020
Audience: Undergraduate

Launching Ethics Across the Curriculum (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Launching Ethics Across the Curriculum
Abstract: This professional development program was offered to the entire Medaille community. It focused on highlighting key elements of the grant project, hearing the voices of students and a community partner, and having discussions with faculty in disciplines across the college about how they can integrate applied ethics into their programs.
Author: Debra Kelly
Author: Daniel Kotzin
Author: Jerry Erion
Author: Tim McCorry
Author: Alice Villasenor
Author: Kim Carr
Date: 06/03/2021
Location: Medaille College

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