CRIM 1001 - Explaining Crime and Deviance

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2025

This course offers an introduction to the field of criminology by examining the nature of crime as well as exploring the key theories which seek to explain why people commit crime. While the first part of the course briefly introduces the concept of crime, its social construction and its various representations, the second component covers an array of theoretical arguments concerning possible explanations as to why crimes are committed, and how certain `deviant? acts become problematised. Topics covered in this latter section include criminological arguments drawing on Classicism, Biological and Psychological Positivism, Sociological Positivism, Subcultural Theories, Interactionism and Labelling, Social Control Theories, Cultural and Critical Perspectives, and Contemporary Classicism. Ultimately the question is posed whether the insights offered into the varied motivations to commit crime are practically useful in its prevention or reduction.

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Course Details

Course Code	CRIM 1001
Course	Explaining Crime and Deviance
Coordinating Unit	Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	GSSA 1010
Assessment	Online weekly quiz, Research Exercise, Hypothetical Report, Research Essay, Tutorial participation

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Katie Logos

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

	Understand the conceptualisation and representations of crime
	Analyse the social, political and economic context of criminal activities.
	Critically examine the major criminological explanations of crime.
	Compare and evaluate explanations of crime.
	Use criminological theory to offer explanations for criminal and deviant behaviours.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Relevant journal articles will be provided for discussion each week. These readings will be digitised by the Digital Resources Management Centre and made available in electronic form via MyUni.

Recommended Resources

Referencing, avoiding plagiarism, essay writing and report writing guides from the Writing Centre will be included in the course material. Students with further needs will be directed to the Writing Centre and the ‘Writing and Speaking at Uni’ MyUni course.
Library Pages - The course will have a library page for resources maintained by the GSSA librarian.

Turnitin - Students will be required to upload assignments to Turnitin for plagiarism checking. This can be done before the due date so that they can fix any problems and upload again, encouraging students to take responsibility for their own practice.

Web resources - MyUni will be used to provide students with useful web links to appropriate Human Rights organisations and campaigns for use in researching assignments. MyMedia recording facilities will be required in lecture theatres to enable recording of lectures for external students.

All of the above are standard resources already offered by the University and no extra resource or workload impact on the area is anticipated.

Online Learning

Students will have access to recorded lectures.
All students will receive announcements and assessment tasks via MyUni and submit assessments online through Turnitin or other relevant system. MyUni will contain links to the course library page and a list of useful web resources related to the course.
All students will use the MyUni integrated version of Turnitin to check their own work for plagiarism. Turnitin’s Grademark facility may be used to give feedback to students on assignments.

Learning & Teaching Modes

Each week during the semester students will attend (or watch online) a 2-hour lecture, and engage in a 1-hour tutorial. Tutorials will involve problem-solving activities to apply the material covered in lectures, and assist in the development of assignments.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

WORK REQUIRED	HOURS
1 x 2-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week	24 hours
1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week	12 hours
6 hours reading per week	72 hours
2 hours research per week	24 hours
2 hours assignment preparation per week	24 hours
TOTAL HOURS	156 hours

Learning Activities Summary

Examples of lecture topics:

What is crime?

Choosing to Commit Crime

Are Criminals Born or Made?

Locations of Crime

Strains and Offending

Socialisation and Crime

Once a ‘Criminal’, Always a Criminal?

Crime and Desire

Gangs, Networks and Subcultural Deviance

Criminological Theory, Research, and Policy

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Online weekly quiz	Formative and Summative	20%	1 - 5
Hypothetical Report	Formative and Summative	40%	2, 3, 5
Drafting exercise	Formative and Summative	5%	2 - 5
Research Essay	Formative and Summative	35%	1 - 5

Assessment Detail

Online weekly quiz (20%)
Students will be quizzed each week on course content (lectures, assigned readings, tutorial activities), but also demonstrate understanding of the concepts discussed.

Hypothetical Report (40%)
Each week a hypothetical scenario will be presented, alongside corresponding questions that will enable the student to apply the knowledge they have gained in the lectures and readings. Students will be expected to produce a written response to the weekly questions posed, with time to work on these responses during tutorials.

Research Essay (35%)
Students will develop a research-informed essay in which they apply a theoretical approach (covered within this course) to a chosen crime type.

Submission

Online submission of all assignments.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator