The course on Comparative Criminal Justice provides University of Tampere students with the opportunity to study comparative crime and punishment issues with students from Marquette University Milwaukee USA, Appalachian State University North Carolina USA, Finlandia University Michigan USA and Sheffield Hallam University UK.

The students will be instructed as a collective with instructional responsibilities being shared by Dr. Richard Jones of Marquette University Milwaukee USA, Dr. Barbara H. Zaitzow of Appalachian State University, Dr. Richard Gee of Finlandia University Michigan USA, Dr. Jennifer Anne Sloan of Sheffield Hallam University UK and Dr. Ikponwosa Ekunwe of University of Tampere sharing instructional responsibilities.

This joint course with the USA and UK visiting group focuses on:

1.Analyzing how crime and deviance are shaped by individual and social factors

2.Examining and analyzing how culture and general ideology influence criminal justice policy and practice.

3.What myths are created regarding crime and criminals, and the role of government and media in constructing crime myths.

4.Examining and analyzing how society perpetuates deviant and criminal behavior.

5. Understanding the criminal justice policy and practice in Finland, Latvia and USA.

6. Exploring the response to crime, with specific focus on corrections and policing in Latvia, Finland, and the United States.

Students obtain 6 ECTS by attending the whole course or 3 ECTS without taking part in the excursions.

This course will look at the criminal justice system within a global context.  The course will look at theories of criminality, deviance and punishment within socio-political context of the different countries studied as well as the comparison between the countries.  Within this framework, students will examine theories of crime including but not limited to: the learning theory, corporate crime, and restorative justice.

The course is directed primarily at upper division undergraduate students, but would also be beneficial to master’s level students. It is appropriate for students majoring in sociology, criminology, social welfare and justice, and political science, or any students with a career interest in criminal justice.  

The course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and tours of prisons in Finland and Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia.  These countries were chosen because of the contrasting style of responding to crime between/ among the Latvia (harsh punishment), Finland [Gentle Justice] (a penal system of two countries with two different extremes). We will also analyze the USA penal system, another Western country with a very harsh punishment policy.   

METHODOLOGY

The course is designed as both lecture and discussion.  Evaluation will be based on:

A) A class journal (notes from lecture/discussion).

B) A reaction paper that builds off course materials or reflects upon those materials.  

Classroom activities will be designed to encourage students to play an active role in the construction of their own knowledge and in the design of their own learning strategies.

We will combine short lectures with other active teaching methodologies, such as group discussions, cooperative group solving problems, analysis of video segments depicting scenes relevant to criminology topics and debates. Class participation is a fundamental aspect of this course. Students will be encouraged to actively take part in all group activities and to give short oral group presentations throughout the course.

The fifteen days lectures/seminarswill provide a practical component, with guest speakers (including criminal justice practitioners, former inmates, and other experts), videos, Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, and tours of prisons in Finland, Estonia and The Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia.

TEACHING METHODS

• Excursions: trips to Finnish Open Prison and road-trip to Karosta Prison in the city of Liepaja. Latvia, through Estonia.

  • The two-day excursion to Estonia old prison and new Prison.
  • The      two-day visit to Karosta Prison      in the city of Liepaja. Latvia. With the agreement to staying at the  Karosta Prison as prisoners for a day, (great opportunity to live and observe  a truly unique convict’s experience).
  • For  further information on combined student price for both excursions will be posted later.  

Travelling Agent responsible for both excursions is www.aikamatkat.fi

Course requirements:

All Students are required to participate in class discussion and readings.

Lectures: Please see Teaching schedule below (TBA).

Presentations: Each student is also expected to do a short presentation, using the required reading materials that will be sent to registered students in advance.

1. Daily Diary of activities including notes from lecture and discussion.
2. Final paper integrating the overall course experience. 

To register, the first 15 students to send in a synopsis of their interest in the course and their academic background to ikponwosa.ekunwe@uta.fi will be accepted.

Students will be evaluated based on daily journals and reflections, as well as a final paper that should be completed three weeks after seminar.

Course is available for all the students at the UTA.

Compensations in certain studies:

North American Studies: NAM-III Law and Politics

Degree Programme in Social Sciences: Optional studies or compensations on certain courses agreed with teacher responsible

Degree Programme in Social Work: Optional studies