Students can fulfill their first- or second-tier service learning requirements by enrolling in Court Watch (LGST 3890), a course which sends students into New Orleans courtrooms to help improve the city’s criminal justice system.
Students work with Court Watch NOLA, a not-for-profit that monitors judges and reports on the efficiency of the New Orleans criminal justice system. Students go to court and take notes on how judges preside over criminal trials. The students’ notes, which may document whether a judge frequently cancels court or is regularly late, are then incorporated into Court Watch reports, which serve as a valuable resource for voters during elections.
Besides helping to promote transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system, the program offers students valuable insights into the judicial system. Students quickly learn that the judicial system affects not just the person on trial, but the victim, the families, and the community.
Applications are accepted during registration and close when the class fills or prior to the first class meeting. All class meetings are mandatory.
Court Watch is an optional 40-hour learning component that satisfies either first- or second-tier graduation requirements. Admission to the course is by application only. Students must be enrolled in one of the following co-requisites:
- LGST 4040
- LGST 4100
- LGST 4110
- LGST 4120
- LGST 4140
- LGST 4150
- LGST 4160
- LGST 4170
- LGST 4175
- LGST 4180
- LGST 4185
- LGST 4210
- LGST 4220
- LGST 4910
- LGST 4990
- LGST 5000
- MGMT 4170
- MKTG 4275
- TAXN 4100.
