Overview

This unit provides students with an overview of the discipline of criminology through a presentation of both the major theoretical models as well as the application of these models to a variety of criminal justice settings. Students will learn the breadth of the field of criminology as well as the importance of theoretical models when developing research and programming within the criminal justice system.

Requisites

Equivalent units
CRI10001 Criminology: Theory and Practice
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
10-March-2025
08-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-March-2025
Census date
04-April-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-May-2025
Results released date
Winter
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
23-June-2025
03-August-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-June-2025
Census date
04-July-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
18-July-2025
Results released date
19-August-2025
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
03-November-2025
08-February-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-November-2025
Census date
28-November-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-January-2026
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Discriminate among various sociological and psychological theories of crime and criminal behaviour
  • Determine how criminological theories inform and influence policy responses to crime
  • Analyse and critique major criminological theories with regard to particular types of criminal offence
  • Employ foundational learning and academic skills, including research competencies and critical thinking
  • Examine Indigenous knowledges, experiences and standpoints in relation to crime and its explanations

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Lecture		 1.00 12 weeks  12
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Unspecified Activities
Various		 7.50  12 weeks  90
Specified Activities
Various		 2.00  12 weeks  24
TOTAL     150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		3.00 12 weeks 36
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Essay Plan and Bibliography Individual  40%  1,2,3,4,5 
Quiz Individual  20%  1,2 
Research Essay Individual  40%  1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • What is crime?
  • What is criminology?
  • The Australian criminal justice system
  • Measuring and reporting crime
  • Classic theories of crime (classicism; biological positivism; the Chicago School)
  • Crime and Society: Anomie and Strain
  • Social and self control
  • Victimology
  • Young people and crime
  • Feminist Criminology
  • Crimes of the powerful & White Collar Crime
  • Green Criminology
  • Critical Criminology  

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.