SOC 244 - Introduction to Criminology

4 Credit(s)

Prerequisite(s): WR 115 or designated placement.

Course Description: Offers an interdisciplinary perspective of crime and criminal behavior in relation to the criminal justice system. Theoretical approaches to explaining crime, criminal statistics, typologies, and victimology will be assessed. The influence of crime theory on public policy will be explored. Course is cross-listed with CJ 200.

Course Level: Lower Division Collegiate

Course Learning Outcomes:

CLO#1: Identify offender characteristics-including race, age, socioeconomic status- associated with criminal behaviors. (ILO: Communication)
CLO#2: Explain criminogenic conditions.
CLO#3: Outline major theories on crime causation including biological, psychological, and sociological explanations of criminal behavior.
CLO#4: Analyze key considerations in a plan to address a particular crime problem based on a specific theory of crime or based on a crime typology. (ILO: Critical Thinking)
CLO#5: Compare and contrast the characteristics of, and theories of crime associated with, classical and positive schools of criminological thought.
CLO#6: Analyze the impact of crime on society and advocate policy orientations that guide the public’s response to the crime problem.
CLO#7: Assess basic concepts and theory applications associated with the branch of criminology known as victimology.
CLO#8: Apply basic statistical formulas and crime reporting techniques used in the study of crime.
CLO#9: Recognize the complex nature of crime and apply research used in the development of solutions for the prevention and control of crime.
CLO#10: Evaluate the value of multi-disciplinary approaches to responding to crime along with the importance of working with multiple interest groups to control crime in a community.