Theory of Crime and Criminology
Course Syllabus
Course Description
Examines historical explanations of crime and criminal behavior, and addresses the social impact of crime, crime
prevention, and research into current issues.
Course Textbook(s)
Hagan, F. E., & Daigle, L. E. (2020). Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior (10th ed.).SAGE. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781544365077
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Analyze the concepts of crime, criminal law, and criminology.
2. Determine how crime data are used in criminology.
3. Explain the biological and psychological theories of criminal behavior.
4. Evaluate the social structure and process approach used in criminal behavior theories.
5. Differentiate between felony and misdemeanor crimes.
6. Distinguish property, personal, business, and institutional crime’s effect on society.7. Assess the effect of illegal drug
Unit Assignments
Unit I Journal
Think about what you have read in Table 5.1 on page 116 in the textbook. Which major theoretical approach to criminology
do you find yourself subscribing to? Why?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit I Essay
For this assignment, you will be presented with five issues. Please respond to all five issues in one cohesive essay. Please
include a brief introduction and use Level I headings to differentiate between the five issues.
Issues
1. You were introduced to philosopher Jeremy Bentham and his idea of utilitarianism in this unit’s readings. Analyze his
ideas that a nation should do whatever is necessary to lead to the greatest possible happiness for the largest possiblenumber of people in society and that man was a “calculating animal” who would balance pain and suffering versusgain when deciding to commit a criminal act. Do you agree with this? Argue your point using research to support your
answer.
2. Based on the pure communist social model, how does capitalism lead to crime? Analyze and argue both sides of thisissue.
3. Analyze whether developmental disabilities are a cause of criminal behavior. Take a stance on this issue and argueyour point using research as support.4. Describe, in your opinion, how a criminal personality is developed. No sources are required for this section.
5. Assume class division in society causes crime. What is a viable alternative to this system? Analyze and argue bothsides of your proposed solution. In your answer, you should identify five major theoretical approaches of identifyingcriminal causes of behavior and describe which of these would support your proposed solution.
Your essay must be a minimum of two pages. At least three academic resources must be used. The Criminal JusticeDatabase in the CSU Online Library is an excellent source for material on these issues.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are
used.Note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit II Journal
How does crime vary internationally? Where does the U.S. stand with respect to crime compared to other countries of theworld?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit II Essay
For this assignment, you will be presented with three issues. Please respond to all three issues in one cohesive essay, anduse APA Level I headings to differentiate between the three issues.
Issues
1. Consult the “Issues and Cautions in Studying UCR Data” found on pp. 31-32 of the textbook, and identify the weakest
and the strongest elements of the 11 shortcomings presented using analyses and arguments supported by reliablesources. In your analysis, differentiate between methods of criminological research, and describe how theshortcomings detailed on pp. 31-32 could be avoided.
2. Describe a behavior that may be interpreted as criminal and non-criminal with analyses and arguments for eachconclusion. 3. Search the CSU Library, and locate one article on victimology in a court setting. Summarize the research you find, and provide your opinions opposing and supporting the actions of the court.
Your essay must be at least two pages. Your response should have an introduction and conclusion section. Academicallyaccepted resources must be used to support your analyses. You only need one reference page for all sections; include the references for all sections on that page(s). The Criminal Justice and Nexis Uni Databases in the CSU Online Library areexcellent sources for material on these issues.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are
used. Please note that no abstract is needed.
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 2
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit III Journal
Reflect on the sociological theories propounded in the textbook and the unit lesson. How have you seen one or more of
these theories at work in a situation in your life or career?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit III Essay
In this unit, you learned about sociological theories of crime. The course textbook and the unit lesson provide multiple ideason the causes of criminal behavior, the sociological theories. For this assignment, you will compose an essay that explores
this topic. To write your essay, complete the following steps:
1. Analyze the sociological theories presented in this unit.2. Select five theories that you feel would benefit your community. Rank them in order of most effective to least effective.
Describe how the theories could be applied to criminal behavior in your community.3. Take the theory that you believe would benefit your community most effectively and find four sources you can use tolook at both sides of the issue, two supporting your choice and two not supporting your choice. Analyze and argue both sides of the theory selected.
Your paper must be at least two pages in length. All parts of your essay should be composed in one, cohesive paper with anintroduction and conclusion. A minimum of four academically accepted resources must be used to support your analyses.
The Criminal Justice and Nexis Uni Databases in the CSU Online Library are excellent sources for material on these issues.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit IV Journal
The following statistics from DNAinfo are estimates and have not been vetted for absolute accuracy; however, they are agood approximation and may be used for the purpose of this journal:
Crime Year Occurrences
Male population over 14 years of age, Chicago, IL 2016 1,229,676
Homicides with firearms 2016 705
Assaults with firearms 2016 3,629
Homicides – others 2016 80
Total homicides 2016 4,414
Percentage of male population subject to criminal assault and homicide 3.6%.
As a comparison, there were 629 traffic deaths in the state of Illinois in 2016.
Using what you have learned in this unit, if you were elected as the mayor of Chicago, what actions would you take to
eliminate criminal behavior as the leading cause of death in your city?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit IV Essay
For this assignment, analyze and argue both sides of the following two issues. In your responses, be sure to explain theinterrelationship between the classifications of crimes based on their potential harm to society.
Issues
1. Using information on p. 284 of your textbook, compare and contrast your jurisdiction’s definition of “burglary”compared to the Common Law definition.2. Should the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act be repealed?
Your paper must be at least two pages in length. All parts of your essay should be composed in one, cohesive paper with anintroduction and conclusion. In addition to your textbook you must use at least two other scholarly sources. The Criminal Justice and Nexis Uni Databases in the CSU Online Library are excellent sources for material on these issues.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are
used. Please note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit V Journal
Find and review criminal procedure guidelines for your jurisdiction, or, if appropriate, use the Uniform Code of Military
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 3 Justice. For example, see California’s Title 4 Criminal Rules.
Analyze the various provisions of your selected criminal procedures. Which do you think would be most beneficial for the prosecutor and which for the accused? Why do you think this?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit V Research Paper
Research Paper Overview
The paper for this course requires students to select one criminological theory and evaluate how that theory affects anindividual’s decision to engage in criminal behavior as well as how the theory assists criminal justice officials inunderstanding criminal behavior.
This research paper is broken down into the following two components that will be completed during the course:
1. During this unit, you will submit a draft of a research paper that discusses the selected criminological theory, includingan overview of your research paper and a review of reference sources.2. During Unit VII, students will submit the final research paper.
More detailed descriptions of each component are provided in the specific units. You will be expected to incorporate anyrecommended changes suggested by your professor to resources and the criminological theory section.
Research Paper Part I
For this assignment, you will submit part I of your research paper. Part I of the research paper includes both an overview of
the research project and a review of source references. You will select the criminological theory you are writing about andlocate four academic sources to support your paper. Then, you will give an overview of your topic and a brief review of theliterature you have selected. This part of your research paper should have the following components:
An overview of your selected theory. In this section, you must identify the criminological theory that will serve as the basisfor your research project and briefly describe that theory. Then, relate that theory to the U.S. criminal justice system andexplain how the components of the U.S. criminal justice system, law enforcement, the judiciary, incarceration, and
rehabilitation, support this theory.A review of the literature that will be included in your final paper.
This section should include at least four academicsources, and you should give a brief description of each source and describe why it is relevant to your chosen topic. Itshould also compare and contrast the findings of the sources you have selected in relation to your topic. The intent ofproviding a review of sources is to demonstrate the student is headed in the right direction with research for the paper.
Your paper must be at least two pages in length, not counting the title and reference page. The references must include aminimum of four scholarly resources and/or legal cases (stare decisis) that you plan to utilize in the research paper.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that areused.
Note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit VI Journal
In this unit, you learned a felony conviction could cause a loss of certain civil rights, like the right to vote. Do you think this isfair? How could this affect your career as a criminal justice professional?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation
In this unit, you have learned about the distinctions between felony and misdemeanor crimes. For this assignment, imagine
that you have been tasked with preparing a PowerPoint presentation about this topic to be used as a briefing backup forcriminal justice personnel in your jurisdiction. In your presentation, you should do the following:
1. Contrast felony and misdemeanor crimes;2. Describe methods for classifying felonies in your jurisdiction;3. Describe methods for classifying misdemeanors in your jurisdiction; and4. Identify procedures for filing motions to dismiss and expunge criminal convictions.
Your presentation will be evaluated using the following elements:
organization,quality of presentation (appropriate graphics and/or text),accuracy of briefing points (content),APA-formatted in-text citations, andAPA-formatted references.
Your presentation must be a minimum of eight slides, not counting the title and reference slides. The notes field may beused to expand on the content of the slides, but this is not required. At least two academic sources must be used, and anyinformation from these sources must be cited and referenced in APA format.
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 4
If you have never created a PowerPoint, or if you want to brush up on your skills, watch the tutorial on PowerPoint BestPractices created by the CSU Writing Center to learn tips and best practices for creating a PowerPoint.
Unit VII Journal
What legislation would you like to see your state or jurisdiction enact to help stem your jurisdiction’s worst criminal activity?
How do you think the criminal justice system would enforce the resultant law(s)?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit VII Research Paper
During this unit, you will submit your final research paper. The final research paper will consist of the following components:
(1) the overview section submitted in Unit V as part I of the paper, (2) the review of literature submitted in Unit V as part I ofthe paper, and (3) an evaluation of how the selected theory impacts an individual’s decision to commit crime, which will beadded in this unit. Information presented for Units V and VII should be supported with scholarly resources as noted in Unit V.
First, you should review and incorporate your instructor’s feedback for Part I of your paper. Then, add a section on yourselected theory’s effect on an individual and society. In this section, you should do the following:
Discuss how the selected theory affects an individual’s decision to commit crime.Give an example of a criminal action and explain how it relates to this theory. Be sure to also discuss how this criminal behavior affects society.Summarize how this theory is supported by crime data that aims to target solutions intended to eradicate criminalbehavior.
Your paper must be a minimum of five pages. You must use a minimum of four scholarly resources total (for parts I and II).
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that areused.
Note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit VIII Journal
Identify a task that you would need to perform in your current career or future career, and explain how you would apply the knowledge you have learned in this course to succeed at performing the task in a real-word scenario.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.
Unit VIII Essay
In this unit, you have learned about organized crime and its effect on business. For this assignment, you will be furtherexploring this topic. First, read the following information about how legitimate business ownership may be used for money-laundering methods.
Dirty money can be added to the cash revenues of a legitimate business enterprise, particularly those that are already cashintensive, such as restaurants, bars, and rental stores. The extra money is simply added to the till. The cost for thislaundering method is the tax paid on the income. With companies whose transactions are better documented, invoices canbe manipulated to simulate legitimacy.
A used car dealership, for example, may offer a customer a discount for payingcash, and then report the original sale price on the invoice, thus explaining the existence of the extra illicit cash. A slightlymore sophisticated scheme may allow a criminal to profit twice in setting up a publicly traded front company with a legitimate commercial purpose—first from the laundered funds commingled with those generated by the business, andsecond by selling shares in this company to unwitting investors.
Then, compose an essay that analyzes the following issue.
What legitimate criminal justice procedures may be used to interrupt the money-laundering methods described herein?
In your answer, be sure to describe how organized crime entities use legitimate businesses as financial fronts. Also,analyze and argue your proposed procedures addressing both the positive and negative consequences of theirimplementation.
Your essay must be at least two pages in length not counting the title and reference page, and it should use at least twoacademic sources, one of which must come from the CSU Online Library. You should include an introduction andconclusion sections.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that areused. Note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the CSU Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
APA Guidelines
The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the
MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 5
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