An Introduction to Criminological Thought

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge is required.

Content of Course

1. Atavistic Man – Scientific Positivism and the birth of Criminology.

The course will begin by looking at early attempts to ground knowledge of criminality in the notion of the ‘criminal type’.

2. The Criminal and his milieu – towards a science of Society.

This class will examine the origins and development of early sociological attempts to formulate an understanding of crime and criminality as something rooted in specific social and familial environments.

3. Emile Durkheim and the normality of Crime.

This week’s class will focus on the work of Emile Durkheim, and in particular his conceptualisation of crime, as both a normal and indeed necessary aspect of all social orders.

4. Sub-culture, anomie and rebellion – the world of the ‘delinquent’.

This week will focus on the work of criminologists (Robert Merton, Albert Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin) who sought to understand criminality and delinquency as activities grounded in a rejection of, or failure to adapt to, dominant cultural norms and the invention of so-called ‘sub-cultures’ as a means of either escape or rebellion.

5. Moral panics, social control and the sociology of deviance.

This week will examine some of the main ideas associated with the work of Stan Cohen, Laurie Taylor and Jock Young that paved the way for the formation of a new strand of Criminology – Critical Criminology. Central to their work was the idea that any understanding of crime, criminality and social deviance must have at its centre the concept of ‘criminalisation’ – that is, the power by some to define the activities and behaviours of others as ‘criminal’.

6. Critical Criminology, social order and the processes of criminalisation.

This week’s class will develop in more detail some of the key themes of last week, and in particular the ability of some groups, especially those close to the centre of state power, to criminalise certain activities while simultaneously ignoring, or even encouraging others that are arguably more damaging.

7. Crimes of the powerful – state and corporate crime.

This week we will examine the idea that many of the routine activities of both state and corporate apparatuses can have disastrous consequences for large numbers of people. Central to this week’s topic will be the attempt by some to try and develop a concept of social harm as a more appropriate object of concern than the narrow focus on ‘crime’.

8. From the ‘dangerous individual’ to the calculation of ‘risk’ – re-defining the problem of crime.

This week will focus on recent attempts to re-define the problem of crime and criminality via the use of risk based analyses. These analyses not only shape the actions of criminal justice agencies but seek to enlist individuals and ‘communities’ in the ‘fight against crime’. Personal and community responsibility, private security and the minimisation of risk have all played a part in re-drawing the lines of responsibility between the state and the individual and in so doing re-shaped the ways in which crime and criminality are understood.

9. Crime and its representation – the persistence of ‘evil’.

This week’s class will seek to examine the numerous contradictory ways in which the problems of crime and criminality are represented and dealt with. These contradictions are apparent within and between both the popular imagination and those on the frontline of policy making, hence the persistent fascination with ‘evil’ and ‘the criminal mind’.

10. Course summary and the future of criminology.

This final class will review the course and address further questions concerning the future direction of criminological thought.

Teaching method(s)

The course will be taught via a mixture of lectures, readings and class discussion. Core readings will be provided by the course tutor and extra material will be distributed via email / dropbox.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas of criminology;

• Critically evaluate the strength and weaknesses of these ideas;

• Display familiarity with the key problems facing both formal and informal crime control agencies;

• Apply their theoretical knowledge to key debates in contemporary criminology and criminal justice.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• Downes, D. and Rock, P., 2011. Understanding Deviance: an understanding of the sociology of crime and rule breaking. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• O’Brien, M. and Yar, M., 2008. Criminology: the key concepts. London: Routledge.

Recommended:

• Carrabine, E. et al., 2014. Criminology: a sociological introduction. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

• Carrington, K. and Hogg, R., 2002. Critical Criminology – Issues, Debates, Challenges. Collumpton: Devon.

• Coleman, R., Sim, J., and Whyte, D., 2009. State, Power, Crime. London: Sage.

• Hall, S. et al., 1978/2013. Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

• Hall, S. and Jefferson, T., 1975/2006. Resistance through Rituals – Youth sub-cultures in Post War Britain. London: Routledge.

• Hillyard, P. et al., 2004. Beyond Criminology – Taking Harm Seriously. London: Pluto.

• Taylor, I., Walton, P., and Young, J., 1973. The New Criminology: for a social theory of Deviance. London: Routledge.

Web Sources

Centre for Crime and Justice Studies: www.crimeandjustice.org.uk (Criminal Justice Matters journal free from this site).

International State Crime Initiative: www.statecrime.org

The Guardian (crime section): http://www.theguardian.com/uk/ukcrime

Class Handouts

Lecture notes / slides. Numerous articles / book chapters are available from me electronically (by request).

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.