Challenging What They All Know: Integrating the Real/Reel World into Criminal Justice Pedagogy

Teaching Theories of Victimology

“…Numerous studies have emphasized the benefits from these alternative methods and sources (e.g. Malcom, 2006;Rockell, 2009). Students can be assessed on their comprehension through class engagement, group work in and out of class, online discussion boards and blogs, written exercises, and other techniques.…”

Crime, History, and Hollywood: Learning Criminal Justice History through Major Motion Pictures

“…A number of these publications have addressed the topic of crime films rather broadly (Rafter 2006;Reiner, Livingstone, and Allen 2000;Rockell 2009), while others have focused on specific types of crimes such as serial killers (Jarvis 2007), psychopaths (Rafter 2005), gangsters (Munby 1999), prostitutes (Campbell 2005), and sex crimes (Rafter 2007). Many of the articles have also focused on a specific component of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement (Crawford 1999;King 1999;Leishman and Mason 2003;Mawby 2003), lawyers (Denvir 1996;Greenfield and Osborn 2003), courts (Bergman and Asimow 2006;Chase 2002;Kuzina 2001), and prisons (Bennett 2006;Bordt and Lawler 2005;Hesse and Przemieniecki 2009;Wilson and O'Sullivan 2005).…”

“…Many articles have also dealt more directly with the teaching of specific criminal justice classes, describing how films can be incorporated into those courses (Nickoli, Hendricks, Hendricks, and Osgood 2003;Rockell 2009), such as crime scene investigations (Lacks 2007), the death penalty (Patenaude 2001), criminal justice ethics (Pino, Brunson, and Stewart 2009), and even criminal justice literature (Engel 2003). Finally, Cook and Bacot (1993) mentioned that films can also be incorporated into the classroom in order to display historical and current attitudes toward crime, criminals, victims, and the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections).…”

Active learning for discovery and innovation in criminology with Chinese learners

“…Active learning involves the comprehensive use of activities to engage students in the learning process, including 'class discussion, collaborative learning activities, extra-curricular events (ride-alongs, tours), guest speakers, brainstorming, case studies, role playing and demonstrations' (Payne, Sumter, & Sun, 2003, p. 328) as well as gaol tours and film reviews (Rockell, 2009). In active learning, the instructor's role is 'to guide, probe, and support student efforts to learn, and not to provide easy answers.…”

“…Third, there are many misinterpretations and distortions about crime, criminals, or the criminal justice system. The real-world contacts offered by active learning strategies can help students to correct their mediaimposed misconceptions (Rockell, 2009). Finally, students generally lack real-life experience of criminal justice settings.…”