LAU34042 Criminology

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module, students should be able to:

• Critically appraise social and political ideas relating to crime and the criminal justice system.
• Construct well-sourced arguments on criminological topics using a broad multi-disciplinary  approach
• Identify and analyse general principles of key criminological theories;
• Appraise and evaluate the development of criminological thought;
• Map the connections between different strands of theoretical analysis about crime and punishment;
• Apply key tenets of criminological theory to analysis of the criminal justice system;
• Assess a wide range of literature from a range of relevant disciplines including law, sociology, political science, and health sciences to apply findings to criminal justice issues.
• Apply theoretical and/or empirical research to a criminal justice issue.

Module Content

This module examines a variety of theoretical perspectives on the reasons why people commit crime, what constitutes crime, and how states respond to crime. Students will explore a range of theories from classical and positivist approaches, to sociological theories, to feminist approaches, and contemporary research. The relevance of these theories to the case of Ireland, and aspects of criminal justice internationally will also be assessed.