Overview

This unit provides students with an overview of the discipline of criminology through a presentation of both the major theoretical models as well as the application of these models to a variety of criminal justice settings. Students will learn the breadth of the field of criminology as well as the importance of theoretical models when developing research and programming within the criminal justice system.

Requisites

Equivalent units
CRI10001 Criminology: Theory and Practice
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
03-November-2025
08-February-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-November-2025
Census date
28-November-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-January-2026
Results released date
03-March-2026
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
06-July-2026
04-October-2026
Last self-enrolment date
19-July-2026
Census date
04-August-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
25-August-2026
Results released date
27-October-2026

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Discriminate among various sociological and psychological theories of crime and criminal behaviour
  • Explain how criminological theories inform and influence policy responses to crime
  • Analyse and critique major criminological theories with regard to particular types of criminal offence
  • Employ foundational learning and academic skills, including research competencies and critical thinking
  • Examine Indigenous knowledges, experiences and standpoints in relation to crime and its explanations

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Lecture		 1.00 12 weeks  12
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Unspecified Activities
Various		 7.50  12 weeks  90
Specified Activities
Various		 2.00  12 weeks  24
TOTAL     150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		3.00 12 weeks 36
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Quizzes Individual  10%  1,2,5 
Portfolio Individual  40%  1,4
Research Essay Individual  50%  1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • What is Crime? What is Criminology? What is theory?
  • Perceiving Crime: Measuring and reporting on crime
  • Classical School of Criminology
  • Biological Positivism
  • The Chicago School
  • Anomie and Strain
  • Social and Self control
  • Labelling theory
  • Feminist Criminology
  • Indigenous Criminology
  • Crimes of the Powerful
  • Critical Theories of Crime
  • Graduate Attribute - Digital Literacies: Information Literacies 

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.