LAWS6022

Crime and Society

10 Units 6000 Level Course

Available in 2014

Callaghan Campus Semester 2

This course is designed to foster a greater insight into and advanced understanding of the relationship between the phenomenon of crime and Australian citizens as members of a global society. The course will explore the nature and causes of crime, the goals of the criminal justice system, various types of crime including transnational and international crimes, the experiences of victims within the domestic and international criminal justice systems, the role that role social structures and the media play in shaping societal understandings of crime and the link between international human rights norms and the international and domestic criminal justice systems.

Objectives On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge and understanding of the nature of crime;
2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of theories of crime, including classical theory, strain theory and labeling perspectives.
3. Critically evaluate the aims of the domestic and international criminal justice systems
4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of various types of crime, including transnational and international crimes, such as cyber-crime, human trafficking and terrorism.
5. Critically examine the experiences of victims within the domestic and international criminal justice systems and the impact of these experiences in reporting and prosecuting crime.
6. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the role the media plays in shaping social understandings of crime by under-representing and over-representing victims of crime.
7. Critically evaluate the link between international human rights norms and the domestic and international criminal justice systems.
8. Demonstrate advanced development in the skills of legal research, oral and written communication, and critical analysis of primary and secondary legal materials in the preparation of oral and written arguments.
9. Analyse and evaluate competing policy considerations.
Content The topics in this course include:

1. Understanding Crime
2. Origins of Criminology and Theories of Crime
3. Aims of the domestic and international criminal justice systems
4. Transnational and International Crime
5. Inequalities of Crime
6. Experiences of victims with the domestic and international criminal justice systems
7. Crime and the Media
8. International Human Rights Norms and domestic and international criminal justice systems
Replacing Course(s) n/a
Transition n/a
Industrial Experience 0
Assumed Knowledge LAWS6003A and LAWS6003B Criminal Law and Procedure
Modes of Delivery Internal Mode
Teaching Methods Seminar
Assessment Items
Essays / Written Assignments Research Essay - Students will be required to prepare an original research paper on a topic they have selected in consultation with the course coordinator.
Group/tutorial participation and contribution Students will receive a participation mark which will be assessed on the basis of the following:
1. Evidence that the prescribed readings have been completed;
2. Active engagement and willingness to participate in seminar discussion and activities, responses, questions or other contributions that indicate a comprehension of the relevant material and thoughtful and intelligent consideration of the issues it raises;
3. Responses, questions or other considerations that indicate an awareness of the broader legal and policy issues.
Presentations - Individual
Contact Hours Seminar: for 2 hour(s) per Week for Full Term
Compulsory Components
Requisite by Enrolment This course is only available to students enrolled in the Juris Doctor/Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice or the Master of Laws.
Timetables 2014 Course Timetables for LAWS6022