3 ECTS credits
90 h study time
Offer 2 with catalog number 4022006FEW for working students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
The Crime and the City module consists of two different parts: “Crime and the City 1” (3ECTS) compulsory for students of the Master in Criminology and students of the Master in Urban Studies (module Urban Criminology). The second part, ‘Crime and the City 2” (6ECTS), is compulsory for students of the Master in Urban Studies (those who chose the module Urban Criminology) and elective for students of the Master in Criminology.
The overall purpose of these two courses, Crime and the City 1 and 2 (3 ECTS and 6 ECTS, respectively), is to give students insights in the dynamics of the city and in the way space matters to criminology. Space influences citizens’ lives, practices, experiences and emotions, at the same time that it is created and recreated on a daily basis by its dwellers, commuters, users, and visitors. These processes will be studied in their relationship with crime, fear, disorder and urban conflicts. These issues are analysed taking into account the broader processes of globalisation, social polarisation and cultural fragmentation. At a theoretical level, the courses aim to confront, criticize and complement mainstream criminological thinking with insights from urban studies literature.
The central theme of Crime and the City 1 is fear. This concept will be critically discussed, decomposed in its different meanings and connections to the city. Different aspects of fear will be treated: 1) the relationship between fear and space; 2) fear of the other (mainly gender and ethnicity); 3) the relationships between situational crime prevention and fear; 4) city walk in Brussels focusing on how fear shapes the city 5) the politics of fear, the relationships between fear and securitization; and 6) labelling, representation, stigmatization of neighbourhoods. The course will mainly discuss the case of Brussels but will also compare it with international examples coming from Latin America (particularly Brazil), Palestine and Israel. The mandatory and supplementary texts referred to in this syllabus are available at the Canvas site of this course.
The course requires active participation in the preparation of the group assignment and in the reading of the texts assigned. The language of instruction is English and the study material will mainly consist of sources in this same language.
Evening students
9 contact hours – 81 hours of self-study
COVID-19
Lessons, assessment and other contact moments may take place face to face and/or online, depending on the measures imposed by the government regarding Covid-19 as well as the availability of the classrooms.
Knowledge and insight
Skills
Attitudes
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
SELF Teamwork determines 40% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the SELF Teamwork category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The overall score of this compulsory master course ‘Crime and the City 1’ is determined by:
1. Written Exam (60%).
2. Group assignment (Group task 40%)
Each student should take part in the two forms of assessment (written exam and group task) in order to be approved. Students who failed the course but obtained a mark of at least 10 on 20 in one of the evaluations are dispensed for these assessments in the next time they follow the course.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Criminology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Urban Studies: Standard track
Master of Teaching in Social Sciences: criminologische wetenschappen (90 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)