NCJ Number
133130
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 64 Issue: 4 Dated: (October-December 1991) Pages: 345-355
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The CJ359 Comparative United States Government Institutions is a course developed in 1988 and offered at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy to international law enforcement officers.
Abstract
Although international students at the Academy participated in the same curriculum as American officers, there was concern that no course provided an overview of American society in relation to law enforcement, and foreign students had no time to adjust to the American cultural or academic environment. In the CJ359 course, all the foreign students at the National Academy meet as a group. It explores a variety of American social, political, and cultural institutions and their relationship to the American police system. Students visit historical sites, government facilities, and academic institutions; each participant must prepare a research paper of a comparative nature. Surveys of international participants in three National Academy sessions in 1989 revealed that, while academic and cultural adjustments were difficult, most students found this course to be helpful in contributing to their understanding and knowledge of the American police system.