CRIM-1615H-W: Introduction to Criminology
2025WI - Online
Description:
In this course, students will be introduced to Criminology as a field of study. Key topics include fear and moral panics, deterrence, ‘the science of morality,’ the roles of strain, social reactions, and power / risk in constructing crime, and modern approaches to addressing crime, such as restorative justice.
Learning Outcomes:
The course has been developed to address several learning outcomes. Upon completion, a successful student should be able to:
critically examine social constructs of crime, criminality and justice;
knowledgeably examine and discuss relationships between uneven power dynamics in society, social inequality, and criminalization;
knowledgeably and critically evaluate different criminological theories in terms of their genesis, strengths, limitations, and applications;
critically explore present-day criminal justice, restorative justice and social justice discourses and issues in light of criminological theory.
Additionally, this course emphasizes critical thinking, communication, and research skills.
Texts:
Students are not required to purchase a text for this course. Instead, all course readings are available in e-formats and links are provided on Blackboard.
Readings:
Course readings are an integral part of the Weekly Learning Modules.
All course readings are in e-formats and links are provided in each module as well as the “List of Readings and Videos” section on the left-hand navigation menu.