In the spring 2015 semester, Associate Professor of Sociology Jacob Bucher will once again teach a class at the Topeka Correctional Center. Once a week, Bucher drives approximately 15 students to the prison to meet with another 15 students, but these are incarcerated women.

“It’s not a traditional lecture-based class where I’m talking at the students,” Bucher said. “Essentially everybody has readings each week, and I design discussion around those. It’s very interactive, very discussion based and a lot of back and forth. The learning comes from the material but then also from the exchange of perspectives.”

The class, Criminal Justice, is designed to be discussion-based. While students revel in the lack of quizzes and tests, Bucher says the students who have taken this class ultimately enjoy the experience because it is so different and real.

“Everyone is moved by this class because it can hit you on all different levels,” Bucher said.

Senior Shelby Schiraldi, who has completed the course, liked the idea of having a class made up of traditional students and inmates. She said that the class itself went above her expectations.

“I ended up learning a lot more about myself and I changed as a person along with gaining knowledge from the actual course subject,” Schiraldi said. “Having class with people who are incarcerated really helped me change my views of incarcerated people and eliminated my negative stereotypes. The crime doesn’t define the person.”

Sophomore Katie Hibbler is excited to get to take this class for the first time next semester.

“I can’t wait to meet the inmates and learn about their lives,” Hibbler said. “I think it will be fascinating to learn about what they did to be convicted and why they did it.”

Bucher said that many students tell him that this class was personally life-changing. He believes that this class stands out because most classes students take are out of requirement, but this one is purely optional. Hibbler hopes this class will have an impact on her daily life.

“I hope to gain a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Hibbler said. “I hope this class allows me to be less judgmental and (more) understanding of the inmates and their sociological views. I hope to gain a better understanding of criminal justice and the criminal justice system.”

Bucher said that this class is something students have to experience to understand.

“I want everyone to have this experience,” Bucher said. “The experience itself, even if you’re not interested in criminal justice, there’s a lot to learn from it. My hope is that more students will see that it’s a new opportunity to do something different regardless of their major.”