Criminal Justice Institute at NSU Offers Conflict and Crisis Management Specialty Track

March 17, 2003

Contact:
Jennifer Meriam, Director (954) 262-5355
Mike Laderman, Associate Director, (954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator, (954) 262-5350

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL— The Criminal Justice Institute in conjunction with the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences is now offering a new specialty track: Conflict and Crisis Management. The new track begins April 7, 2003. Completion of this specialty track in the Criminal Justice Institute will earn the student a master’s degree in Criminal Justice with a specialty in Conflict and Crisis Management.

The track is designed to address the escalating incidence of violence in our society, and seeks to provide attendees with the methods and skills necessary to provide effective conflict and crisis management. The Conflict and Crisis Management track will provide specialization training in law enforcement conflict and crisis management, emphasizing nonviolent, negotiation-oriented approaches to both individual and organizational responses to hostage/barricade and other crisis situations. Additionally, this track will provide knowledge and skills to those who work in law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, and related organizations.

Courses that will be completed in this track include:

Human Factors is pragmatic and theoretic course that presents communication theories relevant to conflict resolution as well as theories about understanding, analyzing, and managing conflict, and focuses on the human and emotional aspects of conflict, and includes the influence of gender and culture.
Violence Prevention examines various theories of human aggression and violence, exploring their underlying assumptions about human nature and the causes of violence and more.
Community Mediation & Facilitation introduces the methods and techniques of mediation, and introduces the models and techniques of group dynamics, facilitation and group development, particularly as they relate to the community and community-based groups.
Law Enforcement Conflict & Crisis Negotiation is an overview of law enforcement crisis negotiation and its application to crisis situations, such as domestic violence encounters on an individual level and hostage/barricade encounters on an organizational level.
Law Enforcement Hostage/Barricade Management will provide an in-depth analysis and understanding of inter-group and intra-group dynamics associated with the organizational response to hostage/barricade management by the resolution triad, which comprises the negotiations team, the tactical team, and the on-scene commander.

The Criminal Justice Institute offers a master's degree in criminal justice that trains law enforcement personnel through an interdisciplinary focus. The program prepares students through the core curriculum and allows for specialty training through various tracks. Additionally, students may choose among elective courses available at the graduate level throughout NSU.

For more information about the Conflict and Crisis Management track in the Criminal Justice Institute, please call 954-262-7001 or visit the website at www.cji.nova.edu.