The Sociology of Crime & Deviance

(2.5-3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The aim of this module is to introduce students to a broad range of theoretical and substantive debates about different aspects of crime and deviance. Crime is a hugely prominent aspect of social life but public and political debate surrounding it often emphasizes the extreme or the atypical and as a result our understanding of these issues does not always reflect the full social context or dynamics involved. How and why we define behaviour as deviant or criminal can reflect a variety of factors - including morality, tradition and power relations - and defining behaviour in that way can have very significant consequences for those directly involved as well as for wider society. Because of this, it is important to understand why people engage in behaviour that breaches social norms or criminal laws, why such behaviour is more likely to occur under particular conditions, and how these issues affect different groups in society