Undergraduate - Area of study Criminal justice

Criminal justice addresses the complex issue of crime and the way in which it affects the lives of us all. It provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the diverse nature of crime, to identify and evaluate stages in the criminal justice process, to critically assess its performance and to consider new and radical alternatives for dealing with crime. Students study issues that compare and contrast regional, state, national and international crime and crime prevention policies, including public safety and security issues. The major in criminal justice adopts an inter-disciplinary approach which includes psychological studies, sociology and Indigenous studies perspectives.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the minor, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of crime, causes of criminal behaviour, crime prevention strategies and the criminal justice process
• show a critical understanding of crime, causes of crime and the implications of criminal behaviour for individuals, groups and communities
• think independently, based on critical understandings and knowledge of crime and the criminal justice process
• evaluate the role of research and theory in the advancement of knowledge within the field of criminal justice
• analyse diverse arguments and debates about crime, crime policy and crime prevention
• draw conclusions, based on evidence, about what works in controlling crime and rehabilitating offenders.

Upon successful completion of the major, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of crime, criminal behaviour, crime prevention and the criminal justice process
• analyse and evaluate traditional, innovative and radical alternatives for dealing with crime
• analyse and synthesise knowledge from a range of relevant sources
• evaluate the role of research and theory in the advancement of knowledge within the discipline of criminal justice
• apply critical understanding of personal, social and cultural understandings of crime and the ethical attitudes that underpin the study of crime
• demonstrate advanced skills of written and oral presentation, argument and analysis
• demonstrate the capacity to apply these studies in the changing circumstances of intellectual life and of the profession they are likely to inhabit
• apply a critical awareness of international crime and crime prevention in the context of globalisation and technological change.