Theories in Criminal Justice: CRJU-700-081

Spring 2001
CRJU - C700-081
Theories of Criminal Behavior

Instructor: Dee Wood Harper

Office: 118 Stallings (504) 865-2161

Office Hours:

Course Meeting Information:
Friday 6pm-10pm; Saturday 9am-5pm, Stalling 202
January 26 & 27; March 2 & 3; March 23 & 24, Stalling 202

Required Text:

Paternoster, Raymond and Ronet Bachman. 2001. Explaining Criminals and Crime. Los Angeles: Roxbury
Horton, David. 2000. Pioneering Perspectives in Criminology Incline Village, Nevada: Copperhouse
Style Manual: Johnson, William A. , Richard P. Rettig, Gregory M. Scott and Stephen M. Garrison. 1998. The Sociology Student Writer's Manual. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Course Description: This course is an intensive overview of the major etiological theories of crime their origins and with special emphasis on criminal justice applications. Linkages between current paradigms of criminal behavior and current developments in criminal justice policy will be explored. This is a writing-intensive course intended to help provide students with the ability to think and express themselves about the causes of crime in a more focused and scientific manner. There will be lectures over important psychological and sociological concepts, but the main emphasis is placed on the student's developmental learning with paradigms, perspectives, approaches, and models of theory. Special attention is given to the relationships between variables involved in the etiology of crime, such as which variables are causal, intervening, and precipitating, for example. This course requires a working familiarity with computers to write papers and browse the web.

Requirements:

Course Policies: City College policy allows for a reduction in grade for excessive absences in intensively formatted courses. If you anticipate missing nine hours of class time you should not enroll in the course.
No form of plagiarism is tolerated. Submitting, as one’s own, any assignment done by another person (or by other people) constitutes academic theft.
Exams: (25% of grade) There is one major comprehensive exam at the end of the course. (4 hours) This examination will be taken on Saturday afternoon of your last class meeting.
Writing and Discussion: (75% of grade) Two papers are required in the course. Each paper consists of a review of a major theoretical work in criminological theory (There are about twenty books on theoretical criminology on reserve in the Loyola Library). Each paper is a comprehensive overview of a theory in question and a review of at least six journal articles that provide a test of the theory or elements of the theory. (See attached list of journals). All papers must be typewritten or word-processed without errors using style guidelines provided in your writer's manual (pp. 71-99).

Learning Outcomes:

To gain the abilities of focused, scientific thinking and expression
To obtain a familiarity with the motives, causes, and correlates of crime
To develop an appreciation for criminology and for theory

Grading System: A = 93-100; B+ = 88-92; B = 80-87; C+ = 72-79.
If a student scores 71 or below, they must retake the course.

Calendar/Course Itinerary (subject to change):

First Weekend
Readings: Horton Text. Pioneering Perspectives…It is expected that you have at least read most of this text before the first class meeting (skim over most of it and read what you find to be most interesting).
Discussion Topics:
Overview of Criminological Theory
History of Criminological Thought
The Classical School
The Positive School
Early Criminal Typologies
Mental Deficiency and Crime
Biological and Psychological Theories of Crime
Second Weekend
Readings: Paternoster and Bachman, Chapters 1-5.
Discussion Topics:
Foundations of Sociological Criminology.
The Relevance of Theory
Neo-Classical Theory
Neo-positivism: Biological Theories
Control Theory
Social Disorganization
Third Weekend
Readings: Paternoster and Bachman. Chapters 6-10
Discussion Topics:
Foundations of Sociological Criminology (continued)
Anomie/Strain Theory
Social Learning Theories
Labeling Theory
Conflict, Radical and Feminist Theories
Theoretical Integration
Comprehensive Examination

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"The contents of this communication are the sole responsibility of Dr. Dee Harper, Jr. and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Loyola University New Orleans."

Last updated on January 1, 2001