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INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY
Soc 2266A-002
Department of Sociology
Western University
Fall 2013
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
Phone:
E-mail:
Class:
Prof. Paul-Philippe Paré
5207 – Social Science Centre
After class or by appointment
(519) 661-2111, ext. 83819
ppare@uwo.ca
Thursday 2:30-5:30, Social Science Centre 2028
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the sociological aspects of crime in
Canada. The measurement patterns, causes and social explanations of criminal behaviour
will be examined.
Most of the course material will focus on descriptive, empirical, and theoretical research
from sociology and criminology. I will also present basic criminological perspectives
from other fields, however (e.g. psychology, economics, and biology). The course
includes three main components: core criminology (the lectures), understanding crime
from the offender’s viewpoint (Cromwell’s book), and understanding crime from a
situational viewpoint (Felson’s book). Special attention will be given to Canadian
criminology, but relevant criminological research from anywhere in the world is
considered valid course material. Finally, I strongly emphasize science rather than storytelling in this course.
Prerequisite(s): Sociology 020 or Sociology 021E. Unless you have either the requisites
for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you will be
removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not
be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are
dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course students will be able to:
1. Understand and differentiate the mechanisms and assumptions of different
criminological theories
2. Understand different explanations provided for criminal behaviour, including
classics and more recent perspectives
3. Critically analyze the processes of law making, law breaking, and social reaction
to law breaking
4. Understand the importance of science and empiricism for the sociological study
of crime
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Introduction to Criminology and Sociology of Deviance
Some sociological theories of crime and deviance are presented in both Introduction to
Criminology as well as Sociology of Deviance at UWO. Because these courses are taught
by different instructors, many students might consider this an opportunity to better
understand these theories and to develop critical thinking about them. Other students,
however, might consider this situation to be an “overlap” of the material, and might want
to register for one only of the two courses.
Textbooks
1- Paul Cromwell and Michael Birzer (2013) In their own words: Criminals on crime, 6th
Edition. Oxford University Press.
2- Marcus Felson and Rachel Boba (2009) Crime and Everyday Life, 4rd Edition. Sage
Publications.
Course Requirements
Because of concerns about grade inflation, final grades in this course will be centered on
a mean of 70, with a standard deviation of approximately 10. This means that your final
grade depends on your ranking relative to other students.
Your final grade for this course will be calculated as follows:
In class exercise: The evaluation of a psychopath (10%); October 17
Mid-term examination (40%); Friday October 25
Final examination (50%); TBA, Examination period
The mid-term and final examinations are fully multiple-choice. The option “none of the
above” is almost always given as a possible answer. The reason is that I want you to
know the good answer, not to guess a plausible answer from a list. It means that you must
study very hard and understand the material very well. A talent at guessing MC answers
will not help you much.
Tips on studying
- Lectures: I strongly recommend studying with a comparative approach instead of the
more traditional linear approach. The linear approach is to learn the material from the
first page of notes to the last page, as if you were reading a novel. This is not the most
efficient way to learn if you want to do well in this class. The comparative approach is to
break the material into smaller “blocks” of information, and compare them to understand
their similarities and their differences. How does definition 1 compare with definition 2?
What are the main differences between theory 1 and theory 2? I believe this approach
provides better learning because you will understand the information in comparison to a
reference point instead of trying to understand it in isolation.
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- Readings: Write reading summaries and focus on the big picture. What are the main
points of the text? If the paper is about the motivations of cocaine addicts, what are these
motivations? If the paper is about successful and unsuccessful crime prevention
strategies, what are they? This is an exercise in integration and simplification.
Overview of Topics and Readings
Class 1
Presentation of the course and the instructor
Introduction: The history of crime and criminology in a nutshell
Readings – Understanding violence I: Street gangs and gangters (Cromwell, Chapters 18
& 19)
Class 2
What is a criminologist, and what do we study in criminology?
Definitions of crime and deviance
Freedom vs. social order: a complex tradeoff
Methods in criminology
Readings – Understanding violence II: Family violence and Robberies (Cromwell,
Chapters 9 & 10)
Class 3
Measurement of crime & Sources of criminological data
Explaining crime: correlation vs. causal relationship
Explaining crime: deterministic vs. probabilistic explanations
Readings – Understanding property crime: Burglars and Motor vehicle thieves
(Cromwell, Chapters 4 & 6)
Class 4
Age, Gender, Social class and other major correlates of crime
Psychology, personality disorders, psychopaths, and crime (Part 1)
Readings – Understanding deviant/illegal occupations: White-collar criminals and Street
prostitutes (Cromwell, Chapters 14 & 16)
Class 5
Psychology, personality disorders, psychopaths, and crime (Part 2)
Finish previous material
Preparation for psychopath evaluation and mid term examination
Readings – Understanding drug users: Ecstasy users and Criminally-active drug addicts
(Cromwell, Chapters 21 & 22)
Class 6
In class exercise: The evaluation of a psychopath
Class 7
No class on October 24, but we have the mid-term examination on Friday October 25.
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Class 8
Biology and predispositions to crime
Readings – Fallacies about crime; Chemistry for crime (Felson Chapters 1-2)
Class 9
Rational choice approaches; Economics and crime; Bounded rationality
Control theories: Social control, self-control, and crime
Readings – Crime decisions; Bringing crime to you (Felson Chapters 3-4)
Class 10
Crime over the life-course; Criminal careers
Structures of opportunity, stratification, social and economic inequalities, and crime
Societal contexts and crime: Anomie, Social disorganization, Collective efficacy
Readings – Marketing stolen goods; Crime, growth, and youth activities (Felson Chapters
5-6)
Class 11
Routine activities theory of crime; Differential association; Techniques of neutralization;
Cultural and subcultural theories of crime
Readings – White collar crime; One crime leads to another (Felson Chapters 7-8)
Class 12
Social reaction to crime; Labeling theory; the social construction of crime
Critical criminology: Marxist-Criminology, Feminist-Criminology, and other conflict
theories of crime
Personal conclusion: Paul’s view of the world
Readings – Local designs against crime; Situational crime prevention, Everyday
technology and everyday crime (Felson Chapters 9-10-11)
Class Attendance
Class attendance strongly recommended. Topics presented in class are not covered in the
readings. I may also provide “clues” about the examinations during my lectures. This
said, I consider the students in my class to be mature enough to make their own choices,
and I will not control class attendance.
Examinations
The mid-term examination will cover all material from the first part of the course
(lectures and readings). The final examination will cover all material from the second part
of the course (lectures and readings), and may refer to important concepts from the first
part of the course.
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Missed Exams and Late Assignments
You should understand that academic accommodation will not be granted automatically
on request. If, due to medical illness, you cannot write a test or exam, or submit an
assignment by the due date, it is your responsibility to follow the University’s new
“Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness”. This policy can be accessed at:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/medical.pdf
Compassionate Grounds
Serious Illness of a Family Member: Inform your instructor as soon as possible and
submit a medical certificate from the family member's physician to your home faculty’s
Academic Counselling office.
In Case of a Death: Inform your instructor as soon as possible and submit a copy of the
newspaper notice, death certificate or documentation provided by the funeral director to
your home faculty’s Academic Counselling office.
Academic Integrity
UWO promotes the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible
manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect of other students, and
help maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts.
Violations of academic integrity will be treated very seriously.
Plagiarism
Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students
take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by
using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or
citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the
Western Academic Calendar).
Plagiarism Checking
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the
commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the
detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be included as source documents in the
reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently
submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement,
currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com
(http://www.turnitin.com).
Scantron Exams
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for
similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns
that may indicate cheating.
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Material in an alternate format
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you
require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also
wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 661-2111 x 82147 for
any specific question regarding an accommodation.
Outline Disclaimer
To the best of my knowledge, this course outline provides a good overview of what
students should expect from my class. The outline, however, is not a legal contract
between the instructor and the students. It is possible that I will make minor changes to
the course during the semester. Announcements of changes, if any, will be made in class
and students are responsible for adjusting to these changes.
Please check Department of Sociology web site (www.sociology.uwo.ca) for class
cancellations or changes