If you’re one of the 19 lucky students, you could catch a few rays and cash in on three credit hours over Winter Break.

NIU is offering SOCI 495, a three-credit-hour service-learning course that will take place in both Illinois and Florida.

The course, which is about restorative justice and juvenile offenders, will have an emphasis on allowing students the opportunity to observe youth court proceedings and participate in projects to improve juvenile justice programs.

The cost of the course is $995, which covers three semester credit hours, housing, local transportation and participation in site visits. Fees do not include airfare.

The Florida portion of the course will be Jan. 9-14, with additional class meetings scheduled in DeKalb for Dec. 18, Jan. 29 and Feb. 5.

The course is open to all students and has no prerequisites. Students can register for the class through the spring semester listings and must obtain a permit before enrolling.

Sociology professor Jack King has taught this course, or one similar, for the past seven years.

The department is trying to bring awareness to students on what this course is and how it is a great opportunity for hands-on learning, King said.

“We’ve always been able to fill the course by word of mouth,” King said. “The first year we offered the course, we had about 28 or 29 students, which was way too much.”

This year, there is a maximum of 19 spots open for students and 10 students are already very interested in the course, King said.

The traveling course will be a combination of lectures, readings and guest speakers, with students completing a project of their own choosing to present their findings on what they have learned.

“One of the reasons we go to Florida is because the system is different,” he said. “In Florida, probation services are run by the state – here, it is run on a county level.”

A number of NIU alumni have gone to Florida and helped out with the course, King said. Students in the course will stay in the Residence Inn by Marriott in Delray Beach, located 45 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale.

“There has been a national movement for service learning programs over the last 10 to 15 years,” he said. “President Peters made service programming a priority when he first started here, but because of the budget crisis, it has been limited.”

For more information, or to register for the course, contact Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming at 753-5200 or visit www.niu.edu/clasep.