Experiential learning
Policy Studies
The Policy Studies program contains considerable experiential learning innovation, with a semester-long internship as the centerpiece of our degree. Additionally, you can participate in a weekend-long Model United Nations, or a Moot Court simulation of an appeal of a Supreme Court of Canada decision at the Calgary Courts Center.Professors across our three disciplines of economics, policy, and political science bring a wealth of real-world knowledge into the classroom gained from their own experiences with organizations such as the World Bank, Canada's Department of Finance, think tanks, and other national and international organizations.
Model United Nations
MRU participates annually in the Alberta Intercollegiate Model UN (AIMUN), and hosts the event on our Lincoln Park campus semi-regularly.
You can participate in Model UN as an extracurricular activity, or as an experiential learning activity embedded into PLSC 3382: International Organizations, offered every Winter Semester.
In Model UN, students represent (as UN delegates) a country of their choosing, normally with a partner, and simulate a United Nations General Assembly meeting on an important issue in global politics. Past themes have included, Sustainability, Human Trafficking, Cyber Security, Nuclear Weapons Proliferation, Human Rights, Climate Change, etc.
What Will you Gain from the Model UN Experience?
- Learn about the UN and its agencies
- Learn about your chosen country and its national interests as they pertain to the conference theme (for example, Climate Change)
- Develop your research and analytical skills
- Develop your ability to speak persuasively and in front of an audience
- Learn to write policy briefs and/or working papers
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Duane Bratt
Office: EA 3013
Phone: 403.440.6540
Email: dbratt@mtroyal.ca
Moot Court
Our Moot Court experience is embedded in PLSC 2243: Law, Politics, and the Judicial Process. It is a wonderful and engaging experiential learning opportunity. In this 6-credit course, students participate in a simulation of “appeal” of an actual Supreme Court of Canada. This exercise takes place in the Fall semester, and involves classroom preparation as well as the simulation itself, which takes place at the Calgary Courts Centre.
The Moot Court is organized with the cooperation of the Calgary offices of Bennett Jones, LLP, some of whose lawyers assist us in our preparation. We meet with the lawyers several times – on campus and at the law firm’s offices, as well as during a “practice moot” in the classroom. This is followed by the formal Moot Court session at the Calgary Courts Centre. Students have the opportunity to take on the “roles” of the justices (accompanied by an Alberta Justice, who sits as Chief Justice), as well as the roles of lawyers for both parties in the case (for the Appellant and Respondent), interveners, clerks, and journalists covering the case.
What Will You Gain from the Moot Court Experience?
- Learn to analyze ideas, media, texts, institutions, processes
- Learn how to conduct research and write a judgment, brief, or article
- Learn how to read and present a case
- Gain an appreciation for the critical relationship between politics and the judiciary
- Develop skills in research, writing, presentation/articulation, argumentation and critique, scholarly interpretation, legal argumentation
- Gain clarity with concepts such as the rule of law, power, authority, legitimacy, sovereignty, rights, obligations, liberty, coercion, dissent
Our Moot Court experience is unique at the undergraduate level, and provides valuable experience for students considering law school, where such exercises are a core element of legal education.
For more information, please contact:
Lori Williams
Office: EA 3007
Phone: 403.440.5964
Email: lwilliams@mtroyal.ca
Justice Studies
Study in Alberta's only four-year Bachelor of Arts — Criminal Justice program and expand your understanding of law enforcement, community outreach and victim services. Through theory and hands-on learning such as court visits and mock trials, you'll gain a strong foundation for the workplace or graduate studies.
Faculty in the program are outstanding instructors with extensive field experience. All are actively engaged in research and/or community development. They have investigated issues such as the presentation of DNA evidence in the courtroom, policy analysis of prostitution issues in Canada, geographic mapping of crime patterns and law enforcement effectiveness. They are also involved with many community agencies.
The CRJS field school in Canada (CRJS 2222) goes to Winnipeg, Manitoba and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. This experiential learning opportunity enables students to compare how the criminal justice system is applied in Canada's North and South. This course offers co-curricular credit as a Community Service Learning course.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. D. Scharie Tavcer
Office: EA 3059
Phone: 403.440.6383
Email: stavcer@mtroyal.ca In the news
Field School — China 2018
The China Field School was first offered in 2018 under the CRJS 2011 Field School course. This field school is a great way to learn about and see firsthand China’s criminal justice system. In 1949, China established a socialist-based criminal justice system. Since the 1979 Cultural Revolution, China has undergone many legal and procedural reforms, which make for an exciting learning and study experience.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. John Winterdyk
Office: EA 3058
Phone: 403.440.6992
Email: jwinterdyk@mtroyal.ca
The four-year Bachelor of Arts - Criminal Justice program builds on Mount Royal University's strong reputation for leadership in justice education. For more than 35 years, Mount Royal has met the demand in the justice industry with leading-edge programs, first with a diploma, then an applied degree and now a university-level bachelor's degree.
Practica are unpaid work experiences consisting of 2.5 days of full-time work within an agency, plus bi-weekly academic seminars and required course assignments supervised by an instructor. Practicum is 6 credits towards your bachelors degree.
Contact Us
For more information on internships, practica or academic advising, contact:
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Policy Studies Lori Williams |
Criminal Justice Leann Acheson |