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This module critically examines some of the major theories that have been advanced to explain crime and criminality within their historical context.
Gang crime, county lines, murder, rape, robbery, theft and assault: all of these terms are familiar to us. But what exactly is crime?聽 Who are the people who commit criminal acts, why do they do so, and what should we do about it? These are just some of the questions you will address on this module.
You will learn to evaluate some of the theories that have been advanced to explain crime and criminality. These theories come from a variety of disciplines - biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy but you do not require prior knowledge of these subjects. Alongside the academic literature you will consider the reflection and development of ideas about crime historically in literary texts, such as Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818), Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky, 1866), Nana (Zola, 1880), Brighton Rock (Greene, 1938) and The Pearl (Steinbeck, 1947). 聽These novels address some of the bigger issues underlying criminological theory 鈥� questions about the human condition, such as who we are and how we become who we are, to what extent we are made by society and to what extent we are born to become who we are 鈥� the age old question of crime as destiny or social construct.
Finally, you will explore some of the implications of criminological theories for the development of law and policies aimed at crime control. This will provide a solid platform from which to critically examine the legitimacy and effectiveness of historical and contemporary penal practices.
Module outline:
- Introduction to the history of ideas and ways of thinking about crime
- Introduction to significant concepts concerning crime and its explanation
- The facts? What we know about the incidence and patterns of crime
- Student workshop on interpretation of the 鈥渇acts of crime鈥� 鈥� case study on murder.
- Classical School of Criminology: free will, situational and opportunity theories
- Individual pathology: physiological and biological explanations
- Individual pathology: psychological explanations
- Individual pathology: personality
- Social explanation: Durkheim on Suicide: the beginnings of sociological method
- The Chicago School and social ecology
- Strain theory: The American dream
- Social learning: Sutherland and differential association, Emile Durkheim, and G.H Mead
- Subcultural theories: social strain and cultural transmission
- Control theory
- Symbolic interactionism: social reaction and labelling theories
- Critical explanations: American conflict theory and Marxist explanation
- Critical explanations: feminism, masculinities and post-modernism
- 聽The application of criminological theory to particular types of crime, for example gang crime and/or expanding the traditional field of criminology: terrorism, state crime and genocide.
- Revision class: examination questions and brief evaluation of the field: Is there any point in seeking a general explanation of crime?
Preparatory Reading:
Pearson, G. (1983)聽Hooligan: A History of Respectable Fears聽(Macmillan p/b reprinted in 1994)
Campbell, B. (1993) Goliath: Britain鈥檚 Dangerous Places (Methuen) (optional)
Students are also expected to draft a short crime story (1000-3000 words) over the long vacation, which they must e-mail to me in the first week of term. This will provide the basis of discussion for the second class.
Module Text:
Katherine Williams (2012) 鈥楾extbook on Criminology鈥�, (7th or latest edition) OUP, Oxford.
Students will also be expected to read additional articles and extracts from academic books and literary texts as examples of the development of ideas and various approaches to the explanation of crime and criminality. All the academic journals and book extracts are digitalised or available online via the library e-journals link. A full reading list will be posted on Moodle at the beginning of the module.
Full module information is available in the聽果冻影院 Module Catalogue.
贰濒颈驳颈产颈濒颈迟测:听Students from other 果冻影院 departments or UoL institutions do not need to have a background in law or have taken previous Laws modules, but should have a solid 2.1 average so far in their studies.聽
Students outside of the 果冻影院 Faculty of Laws should consult the registration instructions on聽our website.