@article{Zito_2014, place={Washington DC: American Sociological Association.}, title={First Day of Criminology: A Group Activity on Thinking about Theories of Crime}, url={https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/first-day-of-criminology-a-group-activity-on}, abstractNote={This in-class group activity is designed for the first day of class in a Criminology course, though it can also be used later as theories of crime are introduced. The goals of the activity are (1) to help students appreciate that the answers to our questions about the causes of crime depend on the questions we ask, (2) to gently introduce the concept of micro- vs. macro-level criminology, (3) to have them consider their own assumptions about human behavior and how those assumptions are linked to their devised explanations, and (4) to have them practice applying devised theories of crime to crime policies. This activity employs a think-pair/group-share model for in-class discussion and sets the stage for a natural, critical learning environment throughout the semester. In addition, it encourages reciprocity and cooperation among students by having them work collaboratively, it provides prompt feedback following each task, and it develops important metacognitive skills, as students are asked to think about their reasoning regarding causes of crime. }, journal={TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology}, author={Zito, Rena}, year={2014}, month={Jul.} }