Course Coordinator:Nadine McKillop (nmckillo@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Understanding the complex causes of crime is essential to developing just and effective responses to offending behaviour. This course introduces you to the main theories of crime developed over the last 250 years. The approach explains the origins of theories according to their social contexts. The course also develops your knowledge of the main critiques of these theories ' focusing on evidence and scientific verification, and the implications of different theories for criminal justice practice.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Face-to-Face Tutorial | 2hrs | Week 2 | 11 times |
Seminar – Course Seminar | 1hr | Week 1 | 2 times |
Online | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous online learning materials. | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online tutorial | 2hrs | Week 2 | 11 times |
Seminar – Course Seminar | 1hr | Week 1 | 2 times |
Module 1: Introduction to Theory and Theory Testing
Module 2: Classical Criminology
Module 3: Positivist Criminology
100 Level (Introductory)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
1 | Identify and describe the origins and main concepts underpinning criminological theories. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
2 | Explain the relevance of different theories to specific crime problems, using creative means of communication. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
3 | Critique various crime theories from a scientific point of view and assess their potential impact on criminal justice policy and practice. |
Creative and critical thinker Ethical Engaged |
4 | Integrate different theories to explain specific crimes and crime patterns. |
Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
5 | Develop and support key arguments using evidence-based research and analysis |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Engaged |
6 | Demonstrate high-quality written and oral communication skills, including scholarly writing and reference practices. |
Empowered Ethical |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Interactive online quizzes are built into class activities from week 2 to assist you with learning and retaining key theoretical concepts taught throughout the course; and for you to bench mark your progress.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Oral | Individual or Group | 25% | 5-7 minutes |
Week 7 | Online Submission |
All | 2 | Essay | Individual | 40% | 2000 words |
Week 12 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 35% | 2 hours |
Exam Period | Online Submission |
All - Assessment Task 1:Multimedia-based recorded presentation | |
Goal: | The goal of this assessment is to produce a multimedia-based recorded presentation that demonstrates your knowledge and application of classical criminological theory. |
Product: | Oral |
Format: | This task can be completed individually or in pairs. You are required to produce a pre-recorded 5-7 minute presentation (with script). You must demonstrate how the nominated classical theories explain a crime. This should include a critique of the theories. More information will be provided in tutorials and on CANVAS to help you prepare for your presentation. |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 2:Essay | |
Goal: | The purpose of this assessment task is to demonstrate your knowledge of positivist criminological theories and apply them to a specific crime problem. The goal is to demonstrate your ability to integrate and evaluate these theories to explain the crime and how this explanation might guide specific criminal justice responses. |
Product: | Essay |
Format: | You are to produce a 2000-word academic essay that integrates three positivist theories covered in the course to explain a specific crime and identify how this translates to practice (i.e., preventing or responding to the crime problem). |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 3:Online Examination | |
Goal: | This end-of-semester exam allows you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of course materials covered throughout the semester. |
Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled |
Format: | The exam is open book and administered online. Questions will be drawn from course materials covered during the semester. You will have 2 hours available to complete the task. |
Criteria: |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Required | Akers, R.L., Sellers, C.S., & Jennings, W.G. | 2021 | Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation and application. | 8th edition | Oxford University Press. |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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