Criminological Theories
PostgraduateGRF-CCJ7422024
Course information for 2024 intake
Through the lens of sociological, psychological and biological perspectives, you’ll appreciate how offenders and offending have been conceptualized. Use your learning to articulate the resulting implications on the criminal justice system.
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- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Criminological Theories
About this subject
After successfully completing this subject you should be able to:
- Appreciate the breadth and diversity of criminological theories from multidisciplinary perspectives.
- Critically compare and contrast the utility, strengths and limitations of different theoretical approaches to explaining the causes of offending and the implications for public policy
- Demonstrate written and verbal communication skills applying critical thinking, analysis and application to a real world context.
- Putting Theory into Context
- Biological and Psychological Theories
- Sociological Theories
- Situational Theories
- Gender Theories
- Race / Critical Race Theories
- Using Theory To Understand Juvenile Crime
- Using Theory To Understand Fraud
- Using Theory To Understand Domestic and Family Violence
- Using Theory To Understand Restorative Justice Processes
- The Victimology Perspective
- From Theory to Public Policy
This is a survey subject that aims to introduce students to the central concepts of modern theories of crime, linkages with their historic antecedents and criteria for evaluating theoretical validity. A range of different perspectives will be presented covering the dominant sociological and psychological explanations of crime and criminality. On completion, students will have an understanding of the nature of theory, the ideas of key theorists and have the ability to critically evaluate theoretical explanations.
Using an inter-disciplinary approach, this course explores how offenders and offending have been conceptualised, and the consequent implications for the criminal justice system and interventions /programs that we develop and implement to address offending. There are a diverse range of theoretical frameworks used to understand crime; in this course we will particularly focus on sociological, psychological, biological, and situational/environmental perspectives. The types of policies and interventions which have been promoted, and adopted to respond to offenders, have been influenced by the extent to which weight is given to individual, social or environmental factors.
This subject will consider how different theoretical approaches can be applied to understand a selection of contemporary crime problems, the strengths and weaknesses of different explanations and the implications for prevention and intervention.
- Research Essay (50%)
- Discussion Question Responses (25%)
- Discussion Question Responses (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- GRF-MCJ-GCE-2024 - Graduate Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Elective
- OUA-PSU-GCE-2024 - Postgraduate Single Subjects
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Graduate Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice
PostgraduateGRF-MCJ-GCE
PostgraduateOUA-PSU-GCE