Undergraduate - UnitATS1281 - Understanding crime

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

To find units available for enrolment in the current year, you must make sure you use the indexes and browse unit tool in the current edition of the Handbook.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Criminology
Offered	Caulfield First semester 2013 (Day) Clayton First semester 2013 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Claire Spivakovsky

Notes

Previously coded CRI1001

Synopsis

Crime is an issue which all citizens and governments confront on a daily basis: it impinges on all our lives. The causes of crime, and how it is and should be dealt with, are the focus of intense and on-going debate. That debate is examined in this unit. Students analyse the meaning, nature, extent and measurement of crime, examine how crime is portrayed in the media and evaluate the effect images of crime can have on our perceptions of the crime problem and how it should be addressed.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this subject students will have been given the opportunity to gain:

A critical understanding of the various facets of crime and the crime problem including what constitutes crime, how society decides which actions should be defined as criminal, what causes people to commit crime and what effect the images of crime have on the community's perception of the crime problem and how it should be addressed.
An ability to critically analyse and evaluate theories of crime and to apply them to everyday situations.
An understanding of the value or otherwise of crime statistics and how they are used.
The ability to write an essay based on rational argument.
The skills needed to make an oral presentation.