Study Safety & Earn Credit

The University of Michigan will offer a 3-credit course on Violence Prevention in College and Beyond through the School of Kinesiology for the first time in Fall, 2013.  This course will include hands on, reflective and active learning in both the classroom and the lab. 

Violence prevention will be broadly defined, including personal self-defense, bystander interventions on behalf of others, and community-wide mobilization of anti-violence resources, with a focus on social justice for all.

The class will explore many questions about violence prevention, including:

Where and when do you feel safe or unsafe?  And why?

What are your risk factors for experiencing violence?

What exactly can we do in response to reduce risks and protect ourselves?

How can we support survivors of violence in our lives?

And how can we work together as a community to prevent violence before it happens?

Students will study risk reduction strategies regarding alcohol and other drugs, skills for building healthy relationships, and realistic and effective Personal Safety techniques.  The coursework will explore violence prevention through a number of lenses - including social psychology, gender studies, public health, student affairs, feminism, social work, physical education, law enforcement and the martial arts. 

In 2012, the U-M Student Safety Work Group (co-sponsored by the Dean of Students Office, the U-M Police Department, and the Ann Arbor Police Department) recommended a number of new initiatives to support student safety.  One of their recommendations was the addition of credited coursework in Personal Safety Education.  So if you or anyone you know would like to learn more about how to stay safe personally and build safer communities for all, consider Violence Prevention in College and Beyond, PHYSED 313.001, in the School of Kinesiology.