Criminology

About the course

The course «Criminology» is intended for those who want to learn about the phenomenon of crime, its scale and causes, as well as how to control it. We will consider the controversy about the concept of crime, turn to the data of criminal statistics, learn how to calculate the main indicators of crime and find out what tools are used by criminologists to identify latent crimes. We will explore various criminological theories that explain why people commit crimes, from the classical school of criminology to modern integrative theories.

Students will learn how theoretical ideas relate to modern criminal policy practices. Finally, we outline the main discussions about the purpose and social nature of punishment, as well as look at the various approaches to crime prevention and talk about the most relevant ones. Students will also learn about common types of criminological research and take part in some of them.

Programme

1. What does Criminology Study? Criminological Concept of Crime.
2. The State of Crime.
3. Why do People Commit Crimes? Rational Choice and Situational Factors.
4. Why do People Commit Crimes? Call of Blood.
5. Why do People Commit Crimes? Macrosocial Explanations.
6. Why do People Commit Crimes? Microsocial Explanations
7. Critical and Integrative Theories.
8. Criminological Analysis of Punishment and Crime Prevention.