Course Description
Sociological consideration of crime causation, patterns of crime, and responses to crime and other socially defined forms of deviance. Prerequisite: SOC 222.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
This course is designed to offer a broad introduction to crime as a social problem. The first half of the semester will be devoted to understanding the causes of crime. To address this we will explore several mainstream criminological theories and empirical works that test these theories. During the second half of the semester, this course will cover contemporary profiles of crime. We will examine crime descriptively, i.e. what the crime situation "looks like", focusing mainly on street/violent crime. We will analyze and critique the positions of the major institutions that impact, define, treat and regulate crime. We will also explore the stratification of crime and victimization along race, class and gender lines.
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Identify the prevailing crime myths and understand how they shape the public’s view of the crime problem
Understand the typical ways in which crime data is gathered and evaluated
Understand and critique those key institutions thought to influence the crime rate
Understand how and why crime and victimization are stratified across race, class, age and gender categories
Understand and evaluate different types of crimes, their unique characteristics, causes and problems
Be able to identify, describe, apply, integrate and understand the major theoretical perspectives in criminology
Be able to apply social construction frameworks as tools to critically evaluate the crime problem
EVALUATION METHODS AND GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS
This is an asynchronous online course, which means you are more responsible for your own learning than in other classes. There is a good deal of required reading, so be sure you intentionally think through everything presented in the materials. In this course you will be watching recorded lectures from your professor, reading from books, essays and web based material, viewing and responding to films, participating in discussion groups, writing assignments, and taking quizzes. Your grade will be based on the following:
Weekly Chapter Quizzes which assess your knowledge of the assigned reading - 14 total. 375 points
Weekly Lecture Quizzes which assess your knowledge of the video lectures - 13 total. 325 points
Four Individual Presentations and Group Discussion which asses your ability to engage with the material in analytical and experiential ways. These variety of assignments include films, group discussions, writing, data gathering, current events, and brief presentations -50 each. 200 total points
Final Presentation -350 Points
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
Identify the prevailing crime myths and understand how they shape the public’s view of the crime problem
Understand the typical ways in which crime data is gathered and evaluated
Understand and critique those key institutions thought to influence the crime rate
Understand how and why crime and victimization are stratified across race, class, age and gender categories
Understand and evaluate different types of crimes, their unique characteristics, causes and problems
Be able to identify, describe, apply, integrate and understand the major theoretical perspectives in criminology
Be able to apply social construction frameworks as tools to critically evaluate the crime problem
Required Textbook
CRIMINOLOGY, By Adler, Laufer and Mueller 10th Edition. McGraw Hill ISBN: 9781260837001
Course Grading Information:
Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
Weekly Chapter Quizzes which assess your knowledge of the assigned reading - 14 total. | 375 points |
Weekly Lecture Quizzes which assess your knowledge of the video lectures - 13 total. | 325 points |
Four Individual Presentations and Group Discussion which asses your ability to engage with the material in analytical and experiential ways. These variety of assignments include films, group discussions, writing, data gathering, current events, and brief presentations -50 each. | 200 points |
Final Presentation | 350 points |
Grading Scale
Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
1163 to 1250 points (93%–100%) | A |
1125 to 1162 points (90%–92%) | A- |
1088 to 1124 points (87%–89%) | B+ |
1025 to 1087 points (82%–86%) | B |
988 to 1024 points (79%–81%) | B- |
950 to 987 points (76%–78%) | C+ |
888 to 949 points (71%–75%) | C |
850 to 887 points (68%–70%) | C- |
813 to 849 points (65%–67%) | D+ |
750 to 812 points (60%–64%) | D |
713 to 749 points (57%–59%) | D- |
0 to 712 points (Below 57%) | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Attendance/participation is not a graded component included in the student's final grade for this course.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
CRIMINOLOGY, By Adler, Laufer and Mueller 10th Edition. McGraw Hill ISBN: 9781260837001
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.