The Justice Studies option offers students a major in Sociology, and as such, the department feels it is appropriate to focus our attention to sociologically oriented issues of law and justice. Communication Skills Communication skills remain problematic. Graduates responding to the exit interview appear polarized on the issue of communication skills. We have been reasonably successful in developing students' problem-solving skills. Increasing enrollments in all classes are probably beginning to erode the effectiveness of our efforts in those courses.
Graduates responding to the exit interview appear polarized on the issue of problem-solving skills.
The exit interview asked separate questions as to which courses in their major they earned the most and in which they learned the least. The very courses we have identified as contributing to problem-solving skills were listed by some as their most valuable courses and by others as the least valuable. Those students argue that theory and method courses have little value and will be of little use in their future. Because we found that most students are not knowledgeable in the scientific method at the end of their sophomore year, and were not intellectually mature enough to handle the subject matter, we recently moved our 200-level theory course to the 300 level. We are also introducing a new theory and methods course at the 200-level.