Firearm Violence
Prerequisites: Restricted to Graduate School students.
This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the extent and nature of firearm violence, existing laws related to the acquisition, ownership and use of firearms, patterns and reasons for firearm ownership and acquisition, the various attempts to control access to firearms, and the effectiveness of such efforts. This course will explore both the criminal justice and public health perspectives and approaches to reducing firearm violence. Each discipline's framework, strategies, and challenges will be examined, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of implementing interdisciplinary approaches in a "real world" setting. The class will emphasize the application of objective and rigorous scientific methods and research to understanding the extent and nature of firearm violence and evaluating interventions within the context of what is oftentimes a politically and emotionally charged debate.
Outcomes: Articulate the extent and nature of firearm violence in the U.S. in a sophisticated way that illustrates an understanding of existing measures of firearm violence; Describe the strengths and limitations of existing data to measure the extent and nature of firearm violence, patterns and levels of firearm ownership, and firearm markets; Differentiate between the criminal justice and public health frameworks, and how each approaches firearm violence; Describe the importance and challenges of responding to complex issues like firearm violence from a multidisciplinary/intersectional/collaborative approach; Analyze data to examine trends and patterns of firearm violence; Analyze data to examine the correlates and causes of firearm violence; Describe evidence-based interventions and strategies to reduce firearm violence; Identify which interventions and strategies offer the most promise for effective implementation and impact on firearm violence.
This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the extent and nature of firearm violence, existing laws related to the acquisition, ownership and use of firearms, patterns and reasons for firearm ownership and acquisition, the various attempts to control access to firearms, and the effectiveness of such efforts. This course will explore both the criminal justice and public health perspectives and approaches to reducing firearm violence. Each discipline's framework, strategies, and challenges will be examined, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of implementing interdisciplinary approaches in a "real world" setting. The class will emphasize the application of objective and rigorous scientific methods and research to understanding the extent and nature of firearm violence and evaluating interventions within the context of what is oftentimes a politically and emotionally charged debate.
Outcomes: Articulate the extent and nature of firearm violence in the U.S. in a sophisticated way that illustrates an understanding of existing measures of firearm violence; Describe the strengths and limitations of existing data to measure the extent and nature of firearm violence, patterns and levels of firearm ownership, and firearm markets; Differentiate between the criminal justice and public health frameworks, and how each approaches firearm violence; Describe the importance and challenges of responding to complex issues like firearm violence from a multidisciplinary/intersectional/collaborative approach; Analyze data to examine trends and patterns of firearm violence; Analyze data to examine the correlates and causes of firearm violence; Describe evidence-based interventions and strategies to reduce firearm violence; Identify which interventions and strategies offer the most promise for effective implementation and impact on firearm violence.