SAFE611
Diverse Communities
0.5 Credit

Diversity is a critical social element in the effective leadership and operations of a police agency. This course offers theoretical and practical skills necessary for identifying social diversity within Canadian communities, as well as the characteristics of those groups that present special needs with respect to policing and public safety. Identifying and assessing these needs within the police/public safety context will enable leaders to better protect and work within their communities. In that regard, this course examines how, as the demographics and the dynamics of a community change, so do the ways in which the community should be policed. It also addresses social, legal, and ethical matters related to diversity and indigenous peoples, as well as how these issues are handled in the criminal justice system. In particular, this course explores perspectives on "justice", including criminal, restorative, and social. Students complete the course with advanced knowledge of immigration and integration patterns in Canada, the difficulties that people of marginalized and vulnerable groups face in society in general, and alternative measures to confront these issues in the justice system. Overall, students build on and expand their ethical capacities and sensitivities to deal with diversity in a proactive and professional manner.