Theoretical Criminology and Victimology

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1020631BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

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

Jenneke Christiaens (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

30 contact hours Lecture
110 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

The lectures focus on most important criminological theories and their explanation for crime, criminal behaviour and victimization are studied (the traditional, neoclassical and rational choice theories, the biological, physiological and biosocial theories, the psychiatric and psychological theories, the social process theories, the control theory, the social ecology and the cultural theories, the anomie and the strain theory, the conflict, Marxist and radical theories, the feminist theories, the post-modern theories). For each of them the general main propositions and their explanations for criminal behaviour and victimization are studied. Attention is been given to the underlying (implicit) presuppositions concerning the human nature, the society and the way in which order comes about and the link with policy recommendations which are formulated on the basis of a certain theory concerning the treatment of crime problems.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Criminological Theory, Franlin P.Williams & M.D. McShane, 6de, Pearson, 9781292041759, 2013
Digital course material (Required) : Een kwart eeuw stijging in geregistreerde criminaliteit: Vooral meer registratie, nauwelijks meer criminaliteit, K. Wittebrood, P. Nieuwbeeta, Tijdschrift voor Criminologie, 48 (3), 227 - 242

Additional info

Students not familiar with Dutch (Erasmus) can engage in a 'reading course'. The student will read and study the handbook and have limited meetings (3) with the teaching staff to discuss the most important topics. The examination is (for these students) in English.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Knowledge and insights

Students have knowledge and understand the different criminological theoretical frameworks
Students have insight in the historical development of the theoretical frameworks and the central concepts of the treated theories.
Students know and have insight in the most important critiques concerning the different criminological theories.
Students can compare and analyse different theories in their strengths and weaknesses.
Students can discuss the relationship between theoretical frameworks and different policy or practical examples of crime policy. They can formulate critical scientific reflections on these practices.

Skills

Students develop a logical, argumentative and structured way of criminological thinking.
Students can expose criminological ideas and reflections in a clear and understandable (written) way.
Students can formulate ideas in a clear, comprehensible way using carefull grammar.
Students can write a scientific reflection paper on criminological theoretical frameworks in relation to a specific/practical criminological issue.
Students can communicate their own scientific insights and reflections in a synthetic, systematic and structured way.

Attitudes

Students develop an interested, open and independent learning attitude towards criminological scientific and theoretical thinking and the historical development of different theories.
Students develop an investigative attitude towards theoretical frameworks, its basic conceptual fundaments and assumptions.

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:

Written Exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Not applicable.

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