SOC 3561 - Criminology

Who are you more likely to be victimized by-a stranger or someone known to you? How realistic are TV crime shows? These and other questions regarding crime, its context, and its causes will be answered in this class. Four major areas of criminology are explored: the history of criminology, theory of crime causation, typologies of crime, and crime prevention efforts. Specifically, students will be introduced to the nature and extent of crime, the criminal justice system, various theories explaining why crime occurs, different types of crimes, and recent efforts to deal with and prevent crime.