SOCIO339: Crime, Law and Society (Syllabus and Sample Assignments)

Abstract

This course is divided into four major topics. First, we will explore how sociologists define and study crime, as well as existing sources of data on crime in the United States and abroad. Next, we will review theories of deviance, which seek to explain why individuals engage in criminal acts. The third (and most substantial) part of the course looks...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Criminology/Delinquency

Resource Type(s):

Assignment, Syllabus

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

This course is designed for asynchronous online delivery. The "Data Exercises" may be modified to group presentations for face-to-face courses. In larger courses, it may be desirable to assign groups to research crime statistics and issues within the criminal justice system for multiple nations.

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Describe the methods used by sociologists to study crime; locate and evaluate existing data on crime.
2. Explain various sociological theories of crime and apply them to specific cases of criminal behavior.
3. Take a global and cross-cultural perspective on crime.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. For one chapter in Part 3 of the textbook, you will be responsible for finding and presenting relevant data on crime in the United States, and comparing it to data on the UK as presented in the textbook.
2. You will write two short papers over the course of the semester. In these papers, you will apply the material from the textbook to a specific relevant current event.
3. For the assigned chapters from Parts 3 and 5 of the textbook, you will post a discussion to the course page following a provided prompt. You will also be responsible for reading your classmates’ discussion posts and responding to at least two of them.