Course Description

Criminology is an introductory course in the study of crime and criminal behavior, focusing on the various theories of crime causation. This course highlights the causes of crime, criminal behavior systems, societal reaction to crime, and criminological methods of inquiry.

learning areas and Objectives

What Is Criminology?

• Define crime and deviance and explain the dynamic between deviance and criminality
• Explain the reason for criminology and the functions of criminologists
• explore how crime control social policy is similair to public perceptions of crime

Research Methods, Theory Development, and Patterns of Crime

• Discuss the history of statistical data collection about crime and the analysis of such data
• Describe and explain the major modern sources of crime data and their limitations
• Identify and discuss the economic and social dimensions of crime

Classical and Neoclassical Thought

• Identify the major principles of the classical school of criminological thought
• Recognize the policy implications of the classical school

Biological Roots of Criminal Behavior

• Identify the fundamental assumptions of crime causation made by biological theorists
• Explain constitutional factors of crime causation
• Discuss ideas for a comprehensive, biologically predicated crime prevention and/or crime control program

Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of Criminal Behavior

• Identify the central principles of psychiatric criminology
• Describe the psychological and psychiatric theories about crime
• Describe the impact of psychological and psychiatric theories on the law and social policy

Social Structure, Social Process, and Social Development Theories

• Identify the central tenets of social structure and social process theories
• Differentiate ecological, subcultural, and life course theories
• Explain social control methods, as well as inner and outer containment, and social bond

Conflict Theories

• Identify the central tenets of conflict theory
• Explain the pluralistic perspective
• Discuss radical and vital criminology

Types of Crime

• Describe the characteristics of personal and property crimes in the United States
• Differentiate between white-collar and corporate crime and explain the creation of those ideas
• Discuss the history of drug abuse in America and the extent of recent illegal drug use
• explore approaches that have been proposed for dealing with the drug problem

The High-Tech Offender

• Recognize how technology and criminality are intertwined
• Identify the various kinds of computer crimes and the laws against them
• Describe some techniques used in computer crime fighting

Criminology, Social Policy, and Future Directions

• Discuss public policy in the area of crime prevention and control, and identify some unique types of strategy used in the battle against crime
• Identify unique historical crime-fighting measures adopted by the federal government, as well as applicable legislation
• Describe future crimes and the role of the criminological futurist in social policy development