This course explores the connections between violence and disability. It investigates how models of disability affect the understanding of violence and abuse of people with disabilities as well as the response to such violence. The focus is on the lived experiences of people with disabilities who have experienced violence and abuse, and how systems and policies have aided or hindered successful interventions. The course also explores how being a victim of violence can affect a person's disability status and the implications of such a connection for policymakers, human services workers, and people with disabilities themselves. The course employs the socio-ecological model of violence prevention and challenges students to apply this model to case studies.

Full course description for Violence and Disability

This course examines gender violence in its multiple forms from a global perspective. An introduction to the history of violence against women, current theories and research on the causes of violence in intimate relationships, past and current responses, and interventions and prevention models to address this worldwide problem will be discussed. Understanding the multiple approaches for addressing gender violence will provide students the knowledge to describe culturally competent intervention and prevention strategies.

Full course description for Gender Violence in Global Perspective

This course explores the causes of juvenile offending and the social and psychological factors involved in the predictive studies and theories concerning the development of delinquency and the intervention processes. Topics also include formation of youth gangs; methods of coping with gang activity; school violence; the types of crimes committed by children and youth; mental health issues; narcotics problems; neglected and dependent children, the youthful offender and wayward minor, the operation of the juvenile court, and crime prevention and intervention programs. We will explore the current evidence on prevention, diversion, causes and rates of delinquency as it relates to assessment of risk and intervention needs. We will learn how to use Motivational Interviewing (MI) to have productive conversations about behavior change with adolescents and young adults. We will learn the fundamentals of MI and have hands-on practice in the classroom.

Full course description for Juvenile Offending Prevention and Intervention

This course examines causes and underlying factors that account for violence in American Society. Students examine the extent, causes and challenges of violence in today's society. For those students who work in the human services field, this course prepares them to identify and critique methods and strategies for addressing violence. It may be taken alone or as the first of three core courses required for the community violence prevention minor. Prerequisite: Courses in psychology or sociology.

Full course description for Violence: Origins and Explanations

This course is designed to build skills in the practice of advocacy for those who work with issues of violence and who work across systems such as the police, courts, child welfare, and families. The course will cover individual, community, and systems advocacy, and the relation of advocacy to social reform issues and systems change.

Full course description for Advocacy in Violence Prevention

This course is designed as an introduction to the study of family violence across the lifespan. It will introduce students to history, current theories, research, and policies in the three areas of family violence: child maltreatment, elder abuse, domestic violence. You will examine the cultural, social and political roots of family violence, as well as the dynamics of abuse in the family and in intimate relationships. You will explore the effects of abuse at the individual, family, and community levels, and be able to identify abusive and controlling behaviors. The content of the course focuses on current theories, research and policies on domestic violence (battering, sexual assault, stalking), child maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect) and abuse of vulnerable adults (elderly, non-elderly vulnerable populations). This course is an introduction to the topic. It will give students a basic overview of the issues across types of family violence…

Full course description for Family Violence Across the Lifespan