CY2001 - Perspectives on Criminology

Criminology is the field of social science specifically concerned with criminalisation and the causes of crime, crime prevention and systems of social control and criminal justice administered by the state and directed towards the treatment, rehabilitation and punishment of criminals. It has a strong practical concern with the key components of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement agencies, the courts and correctional systems. It is also concerned with issues of public policy and political decision-making regarding crime and crime control. Criminology also explores relevant ethical and political issues, the representation of crime and deviance within the media and popular culture, and society's reaction to crime. This subject offers an introduction to criminology from international and Australian perspectives.

Learning Outcomes

• formulate independent critical ideas and arguments;
• identify key figures, schools and central themes in the criminology and the sociology of deviance;
• demonstrate a critical social science understanding of the social construction of crime;
• distinguish between selected social science theories as they are applied to the analysis of crime and critically assess their strengths and weaknesses;
• apply the above skills to the analysis of specific case studies.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.