Advanced Topics in Forensic Psychology
Duration
- On Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 36 hours
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning. For Online unit delivery, learning is conducted exclusively online.
2021 teaching periods
Hawthorn
| Higher Ed. Semester 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Swinburne Online
| Teaching Period 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Prerequisites
FOR10001 - Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Aims and objectives
This unit builds on students’ knowledge of forensic psychology gained from earlier units in the course. The focus is on understanding the impact of crime on victims, the personality factors which affect criminal behaviour, the process of criminal profiling and the correction and treatment alternatives available within the criminal justice system.
After successfully completing this unit you should be able to:
- Understand key psychological determinants of the impact of crime on victims
- Describe the traumatic psychological sequelae of violence, child abuse and victimisation
- Explain the major theories of personality that have been applied to forensic settings including theories of aggressive behaviour and criminal psychopathy
- Describe the process of profiling and apply this to specific areas including sexual offenders, homicide and terrorism
- Understand the relationship of mental disorder to crime and violence
- Explain the approach to treatment, rehabilitation and correction developed in Australia
- Understand the factors that influence the effectiveness of treatment for offenders
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
3 hour lecture
Assessment
Final Exam (40%); Midterm Examination (20%); Review Paper (40%)
General skills outcomes
The graduate attributes which relate to this unit help to produce students who:
- Are capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas.
- Have a basic understanding of the theoretical principles involved in the general area of forensic psychology.
- Have an in-depth technical competence in the specific (core) discipline.
- Can apply specific knowledge of the (core) discipline to real situations.
- Are able to engage in informed critical inquiry.
- Have a sense of social responsibility for subject specific knowledge and its applications.
- Are entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace, or community.
- Have the ability to critically understand innovations and developments.
- Respect multiple points of view.
- Have the ability to identify opportunities for responsible innovation and/or developments within/across the technical, social, cultural, ecological and economic environments.
- Can operate effectively and ethically in work and community situations.
- Can effectively communicate within and without the subject discipline.
- Are adaptable and manage change.
- Are self-motivated.
- Have multifaceted research and problem solving skills.
- Are flexible.
- Can understand problem identification, formulation and solution.
- Have an expectation that learning is lifelong.
- Have the ability to keep learning past the lifetime of the course.
- Are aware of environments in which they will be contributing.
- Have a broad understanding of the technical, social, cultural, ecological and economic environments and their interconnectedness.
- Have a basic understanding of the need to carry out work in an ethical and socially responsible fashion.
Content
- Understanding the impact of crime on victims
- The nature of traumatic reactions and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- The impact of specific types of crime (topics may include: intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child abuse physical violence, homicide, indigenous victims of crime
- The origins of criminal behaviour
- Behavioural models, social learning models, frustration induced criminality
- Personality and crime
- Human aggression and violence
- Criminal psychopathy
- Mental disorders and crime
- Assessment and treatment of different types of offenders within the criminal justice system (offender types may include fire setters, violent offenders, sex offenders, cultural groups and indigenous offenders, juvenile offenders, offenders with intellectual disabilities)