Introduction to Criminology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

What is crime? Why are we so fascinated by it? Why do people commit crimes and what are the best deterrents? How do we assess the success or failure of policing, incarceration and rehabilitation strategies? This course examines the politics underlying how crimes are defined and measured and what patterns of criminal behavior have thus emerged over time. It explores both classical and contemporary theories that seek to explain why certain people engage in crimes while others do not. It also explores how theories of crime affect policy, it evaluates existing strategies of crime control, and introduces a critical discussion of how contemporary criminal justice systems operate.