Course Title: Criminology
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2011
Course Code: JUST5150
Course Title: Criminology
School: 365T Global Studies, Soc Sci & Plng
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6077 - Advanced Diploma of Justice
Course Contact : Michelle Noon
Course Contact Phone: 9925 4581
Course Contact Email:michelle.noon@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 68
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
VBQU369 Apply Research Techniques within a Justice Framework
Course Description
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the study of crime, substantive areas of offending behaviour, and the implications of criminological knowledge for policy formulation and crime prevention strategy.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VBQM391 Criminology |
Learning Outcomes
This course aims to enable students to:
- Describe the broad nature of crime and criminology and demonstrate the linkages between theory and policy
- Demonstrate understanding of the historical evolution of criminology, showing ideological changes and similarities in approaches to crime, from early civilisation to contemporary times
- Analyse the nature, extent and patterns of crime, in Australia and globally
- Evaluate the validity of official crime statistics
- Demonstrate an understanding of the causes of crime
- Analyse the role of criminal profiling and its relevance to criminal investigation
- Demonstrate understanding of the major forms of criminal behaviour, their known patterns and correlates, and specify the measures designed to prevent or contain them
- Explain the rise of victimology as a major focus of study, and the importance of the victim’s role in the criminal process
Details of Learning Activities
Students will participate in a variety of teaching methods including: lectures, tutorials, class discussion, seminar presentations, group/individual work on projects, audio-visual presentations, field excursions where applicable, on site visits, and interaction with individuals and groups within the criminal justice area.
Teaching Schedule
Week One: Introduction and Overview of Subject
Week Two: Historical Evolution of Criminology
Week Three: Causes of Crime 1-Trait Theory
Week Four: Crime Statistics and Their Meaning
Week Five: Exam
Week Six: Causes of Crime 2-Strain Theory
Week Seven: Feminist Criminology
Week Eight: Labelling and Conflict Theories
Week Nine: Profiling
Weeks Ten and Eleven: Semester Break
Week Twelve: Violent Crime and Victimology
Week Thirteen: Property Crime
Week Fourteen: Public Order Crime
Week Fifteen: Exam
Week Sixteen: Overview and Evaluation
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
Hayes,H. and Prenzler,T. (2009). Introduction to Crime and Criminology (2nd ed). Pearson, NSW |
References
Other Resources
On-line readings are available on the Blackboard. Students are required to refer to these readings in their assessment tasks.
Overview of Assessment
Assessment is designed to cover all Learning Outcomes and students will be expected to: participate in class and on-line discussions and debates, complete two closed book examinations, undertake a small scale research project and present their findings and write one 2000 word essay.
Assessment Tasks
There are 4 pieces of assessment in this subject, as follows:
1. Participation in Class Discussions (15%).
2. Exam 1 (10%)
3. Essay (40%).
4. Final Exam (35%)
Students will be provided a detailed handout of each of the above assessments that includes the assessment outline, the assessment criteria and the due date by the second week of the semester.
Assessment Matrix
The assessment has been designed to cover all Learning Outcomes and will be graded in accordance with RMIT’s Mark Table 7 which is as follows:
HD 80-100, DI 70-79, CR 60-69, PA 50-59, NN 0-49
All written work must adhere to the following criteria:
1. Written reports, research projects or essays are to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and familiarity with the prescribed or negotiated topics
2. It is expected that all submitted work will be well written, with clear and consistent grammar, expression and punctuation. It must be well structured and cogently address the issues raised in the chosen topic in a logical, ordered and organised manner
3. The concepts must be well defined and demonstrate a critical analysis of the chosen topic
4. Written submissions must demonstrate appropriate preparation, reading and research
5. In-text references must follow the APA style of referencing. In addition, you must provide a bibliography with correct and comprehensive details in relation to texts, articles, research reports and other sources that you have used
6. Double or 1.5 spacing and a font size of 10-12 must be used
Other Information
Assessment Deadlines
Any due date for any assignment is to be considered a deadline. Students can submit work at any time prior to the submission date, but it must be into the Administration office by close of business of the day the submission is due.
Extensions will not be granted by teachers or Administrative staff.
In accordance with RMIT policy, students may apply for an extension where there have been unexpected or extenuating circumstances, e.g.
a) Hospital admission, serious injury, severe asthma, severe anxiety or depression. This does not include minor illness such as a cold, period pain or hay fever.
b) Loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family/relationship breakdown.
c) Hardship/trauma – e.g. victim of crime, sudden loss of income or employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements.
Students requiring extensions for 7 calendar days or less (from the original due date) must complete and lodge an Application for Extension of Submittable Work (7 Calendar Days or less) form and lodge it with the Program Coordinator/ Program Manager. The application must be lodged no later than one working day before the official due date. The student will be notified within no more than 2 working days of the date of lodgment as to whether the extension has been granted.
Students seeking an extension of more than 7 calendar days (from the original due date) must lodge an Application for Special Consideration form under the provisions of the Special Consideration Policy, preferably prior to, but no later than 2 working days after the official due date.
Assignments submitted late without approval of an extension will not be accepted or graded.
Students must keep a copy of their paper until the graded essay has been returned or marks have been posted.
Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person, without appropriate referencing as though it is one’s own. Plagiarism is not acceptable. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to expulsion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.
You must acknowledge the use of another person’s work or ideas. If texts or ideas are reproduced they are to be clearly acknowledged in one of the conventional ways, such as by use of quotation marks, indentation for longer passages and clear citation of the source. Failure to separate one’s own contribution from that of another constitutes plagiarism – a form of cheating and may result in outright failure. Random checks will be made on students’ work.
Other Information: All email communications will be sent to your RMIT email address.
Course Overview: Access Course Overview