Credit-bearing Certificate and JA Masters' Specialization Course Descriptions

CJ 809 Issues Course - Elements of Essential Court Operations
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to study the essential management infrastructure of court operations; to analyze the intersections of court operations and constitutional mandates related to issues of judicial independence, interdependence, and accountability; and to situate the role of the courts within the communities they serve.  Students will be exposed to five distinct course segments, which will be taught by six instructors.  This course will begin with court budgeting and its relationship to accountability and organizational planning and performance goal-setting.   Human resources management will address the challenges of hiring and retaining talented and dedicated court employees at a time of continual organizational change.  The role of information technology management in serving current court operations while simultaneously answering the call for faster innovation, greater accountability, and transparency, will be explored and analyzed.  Finally, education of judges, court employees, the public, and members of the other branches of government will be presented and analyzed as the catalyst for developing a culture of learning and engagement that forms the expectations and interactions with the judicial branch.  Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis.

CJ 810 Proseminar Course  - Trends: The Catalysts for Change in Shaping the Future of an Organization
This course focuses on global and national trends and critically assesses their potential impact on the administration of the judicial branch now and into the future.  It also explores previous trends and critically analyzes how the courts responded to those trends and the long-term affect the responses had on the evolution of court administration.

Students will engage with each other and the subject matter through a variety of learning opportunities: readings, the print media, critical thinking, assessment and analysis and individual and group writing assignments.

As a result of this course, students will: (1) understand the key elements in the strategic planning process and the critical role the discipline of trend analysis plays in it; (2) be able to assess the relevance and significance of past trends on current approaches to judicial administration; (3) be able to apply the discipline of trend analysis to their respective organization and identify the strategic issues that emerge from them; (4) understand the technique of scenario development (i.e., the convergence of trends) and be able to create an informed set of scenarios for their own organization; and, (5) will understand the barriers to applying the discipline of trend and analysis in the judicial administration environment and apply this analysis to their current organization.  

CJ 812 Management Seminar - Preparing to Lead: Analyzing and Developing Organization and Personal Leadership
This course identifies the leadership and management demands confronting the courts in an increasingly more complex global and national environment, which requires systems thinking and approaches, collaboration both inside and outside of the courts, and competencies that exceed previous judicial administration practices.  Leadership, management, and organizational theories will be explored and applied to contemporary challenges and opportunities.

Students will engage with each other and the subject matter through a variety of learning opportunities:  readings, movies, self-reflection, critical thinking, assessment and analysis, individual writings, and group assignments. 

At the conclusion of this course, students (1) will have a foundation in organizational theory; (2) be able to critically analyze their organizations using applicable theories and frames, (3) clearly articulate their analysis findings, (4) identify the skills and characteristics necessary for successful management and leadership, (5) analyze their own management and leadership capabilities, (6) develop a management and leadership personal enhancement plan, and (7) apply what they have learned to the administration of justice.

CJ 814 Seminar in Management Topics – Historical Foundations/Contemporary Frameworks of Judicial  Administration
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to study the essential management infrastructure of court operations; to analyze the intersections of court operations and constitutional mandates related to issues of judicial independence, interdependence, and accountability; and to situate the role of the courts within the communities they serve.  Students will be exposed to five distinct course segments, which will be taught by six instructors.  This course will begin with court budgeting and its relationship to accountability and organizational planning and performance goal-setting.   Human resources management will address the challenges of hiring and retaining talented and dedicated court employees at a time of continual organizational change.  The role of information technology management in serving current court operations while simultaneously answering the call for faster innovation, greater accountability, and transparency, will be explored and analyzed.  Finally, education of judges, court employees, the public, and members of the other branches of government will be presented and analyzed as the catalyst for developing a culture of learning and engagement that forms the expectations and interactions with the judicial branch.  Students will be engaged in the subject matter through readings, group discussions, writing assignments, and analysis.                       

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