Welfare and Criminology

3 ECTS credits
90 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1006910BER for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Law and Criminology

Department

Criminology

Educational team

Olga Petintseva (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
60 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

First, the historical and contemporary developments of the welfare state are addressed (cf. the context in which welfare interventions take shape).
Next, pivotal policy developments and options are discussed and the 'social map' of welfare work is explained.
Moreover, several contemporary issues are discussed that are relevant from the welfare-criminology nexus, such as poverty, globalization, diversity and discrimination (themes vary annually, depending on current events).
Finally, the course addresses knowledge construction and communication in the context of welfare work. For example, this includes the expected professionalism (e.g., professional secrecy) and some important skills regarding person-centered interventions (e.g., active listening, reporting).
Some lectures proceed in an interactive fashion (case discussions, discussions, read-in assignments, film, etc.).

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Slides en Reader, Slides en Reader, 2024-2025, Canvas

Additional info

For working students, the recordings of the lectures will be available digitally and several online contact moments will be organized in the evening.
Further details will be published on the course page on Canvas.
For additional information, contact the professor via olga.petintseva@vub.be.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Knowledge and insight

Graduates have insight into the (social) historical development of the welfare system in Belgium.
Graduates know the central theoretical concepts, basic methods and techniques of related fields of science (in casu psychology and social work).
Graduates have knowledge and insight into the role and operation of the various actors in the domain of welfare work.
Graduates master subject-specific terminology.

Skills

Graduates are able to place and critically evaluate contemporary welfare / criminological issues in a historical, cultural-social and political context.
Graduates can test theoretical insights from the study program against current affairs and the professional field.

Attitudes

Graduates have an interested, eager to learn, critical and independent attitude towards knowledge gathering and building.
Graduates have a keen interest in and sensitivity to social and criminological topics.
Graduates are respectful of the emotional and ethical aspects of the phenomena studied.
Graduates have a scientific, discipline-transcending attitude and openness to different problem definitions.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Examen Schriftelijk with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: Open book exam, for which students may use slides and their notes.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Open book exam, for which students may use slides and their notes.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context