Overview
This unit extends your basic knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of criminology by considering a broad range of interdisciplinary contemporary theories of crime and penology. You will investigate how these theories can inform research, legislation, law enforcement and regulatory responses to crime. You will examine theoretical and practical case studies to consider how different theoretical approaches may lead to different and perhaps contradictory outcomes. This unit will also develop your methodological analysis skills, examining qualitative and quantitative data to test models suggested by theories of crime.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Students felt the unit Moodle site needed to be updated and better organised.
The teaching team will update and organise content on the Moodle site to ensure materials are current and accessible to students.
Feedback from SUTE
Students wanted more guidance and examples of how to complete the written assessments.
The teaching team will revise the assessment instructions to increase clarity and provide examples (where possible) to provide further guidance on what is required.
Feedback from SUTE
Students found the unit materials and activities engaging.
The teaching team will continue to provide an engaging unit through the use of past and current examples, and activities and discussions for students to explore theories further.
- Critique, analyse and reflect on interdisciplinary contemporary theories of crime, their policy implications and practical outcomes
- Research and develop a systematic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of criminology theories in managing criminal activity
- Conceptualise crime using a variety of disciplines, discuss theories based on these conceptualisations, and how these theories influence law and social policy.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | |||
| 2 - Case Study - 40% | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 45% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Case Study - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 45% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Students must regularly check CQU university emails and read Moodle Forums and messages
- Zoom access for weekly meetings
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.hotten@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction & Pre-classical criminology
Chapter
Tittle, C. R. (2016). Introduction: Theory and contemporary criminology. In A.R. Piquero (Ed.) The Handbook of Criminological Theory. Wiley. (pp. 1-17).
Dooley, B. D. & Goodison, S. E. (2020). Falsification by atrophy: The Kuhnian process rejecting theory in US criminology. British Journal of Criminology, 60(1), 24-44.
Scott, J. (2014). The quantitative-qualitative divide in criminology: A theory of ideas’ importance, attractiveness, and publication. Theoretical Criminology, 18(3), 317-334.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Classical criminology
Chapter
Nagin, D. S. (2013). Deterrence in the twenty-first century. Crime and Justice, 42, 199-263.
Clarke, R. V. & Cornish, D. B. (1985). Modeling offenders’ decisions: A framework for research and policy. Crime and Justice, 6, 147-185.
Cohen, L. E. & Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588-608.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Biological criminology
Chapter
Burt, C. & Simons, R. L. (2014). Pulling back the curtain on heritability studies: Biosocial criminology in the postgenomic era. Criminology, 52(2), 223-262.
Wright, J. P. & Boisvert, Danielle (2009). What biosocial criminology offers criminology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(11), 1228-1240.
Rocque, M. & Posick, C. (2017). Paradigm shift or normal science? The future of (biosocial) criminology. Theoretical Criminology, 21(3), 288-303.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Anomie and strain theories
Chapter
Messner, S. F. (1988). Merton’s “social structure and anomie”: The road not taken. Deviant Behavior, 9(1), 33-53.
Agnew, R. (1992) Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology, 30(1), 47-87.
Rosenfeld, R. & Messner, S. F. (2006). The origins, nature and prospects of institutional- anomie theory. In S. Henry & M. Lanier (Eds.) The Essential criminology reader. Westview (pp. 121-136).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Social disorganisation theories
Chapter
Bursik, R. J. (1988). Social disorganization and theories of crime and delinquency: Problems and prospects. Criminology, 26(4), 519-551.
Sampson, R. J., Randebush, S. W. & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918-924.
Zimmerman, G. M. & Messner, S. F. (2012). Person-in-context: Insights and issues in research on neighborhoods and crime. In R. Loeber & B. C. Welsh (eds.) The future of criminology. Oxford University Press (pp. 70-78).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Break Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Social learning theories
Chapter
Akers, R. (1996). Rational choice, deterrence, and social learning theory in criminology. The path not taken. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 81(3), 653-676.
Eassey, J. M. & Krohn, M. D. (2018). Differential association, differential social organization, and white-collar crime: Sutherland Defines the Field. In R. A. Triplett (ed.) The handbook of the history and philosophy of criminology. Wiley (pp. 156-172).
Pratt, T. C. Cullen, F. T., Sellers, C. S., Thomas, W. L., Madensen, T. D., Daigle, L. E., Fearn, N. E. & Gau, J. M. (2010) The empirical status of social learning theory: A meta- analysis. Justice Quarterly, 27(6), 765-802.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 Online Quiz due
Module/Topic
Control theories
Chapter
Özbay, Ö & Özcan, Y. Z. (2006). A test of Hirschi’s social bonding theory: Juvenile delinquency in the high school of Ankara, Turkey. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50(6), 711-726.
Hirschi, T. & Gottfredson, M. (2000). In defense of self- control. Theoretical Criminology, 4(1), 55-69.
Pratt, T. & Cullen, F. T. (2000). The empirical status of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime: A meta-analysis. Criminology, 38(3), 931-964.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Labelling theories
Chapter
Paternoster, R. & Iovanni, L. (1989). The labelling perspective and delinquency: An elaboration of the theory and an assessment of the evidence. Justice Quarterly, 6(3), 359-394.
Matsueda, R. L. (1992). Reflected appraisals, parental labelling, and delinquency: Specifying a symbolic interactionist theory. American Journal of Sociology, 97(6), 1577-1611.
Kim, H. J. & Gerber, J. (2012). The effectiveness of reintegrative shaming and restorative justice conferences: Focusing on juvenile offenders’ perceptions in Australian Reintegrative Shaming Experiments. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 56(7), 1063-1079.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Conflict theories
Chapter
Pavlich, G. (1999). Criticism and criminology: In search of legitimacy. Theoretical Criminology, 3(1), 29-51.
Daly, K. & Chesney-Lind, M. (1988). Feminism and criminology. Justice Quarterly, 5(4), 497-538.
Donnermeyer, J. F. & DeKeserdy, W. (2008). Toward a rural critical criminology. Southern Rural Sociology, 23(2), 4-28.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Developmental and life-course criminology
Chapter
Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life- course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100(4), 674-701.
Laub, J. & Sampson, R. (1993) Turning points in the life course: Why change matters to the study of crime. Criminology, 31(3), 301-325.
Farrington, D. P. (2003) Developmental and life-course criminology: Key theoretical and empirical issues – The 2002 Sutherland Award Address. Criminology, 41(2), 221-255.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Comparative criminology
Chapter
Antonaccio, O. & Botchkovar, E. V. (2016). What international research has told us about criminology theory. In A. R. Piquero (Ed.) The handbook of criminological theory. John Wiley & Sons (pp. 475-496).
Karstedt, S. (2001) Comparing cultures, comparing crime: Challenges, prospects and problems for a global criminology. Crime, Law and Social Change, 36(3), 285-308.
Suzuki, M. & Pai, C.-F. (2019) Towards culture-inclusive criminology in Asia. International Annals of Criminology, 57(1-2), 8-24.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 Case study - Theory in practice, Case study portfolio due
Theory in practice - Case study portfolio Due: Week 11 Thursday (2 Oct 2025) 8:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Review of the unit content, theory integration, tips, & Q&A for assessment 3
Chapter
No readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3 Written assessment - Criminological theory in popular crime media due
Criminological theory in popular crime media Due: Review/Exam Week Tuesday (14 Oct 2025) 8:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
The online quiz covers content from modules 1 to 5. There are 15 multiple choice questions randomised from a larger pool of questions.
This is a Level 1 - NO AI assessment. You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
The 72 hour grace period does not apply to this assessment item.
The online quiz will be completed in week 6 (Monday AM to Sunday PM)
Online quiz results are released when the quiz closes.
No Assessment Criteria
- Critique, analyse and reflect on interdisciplinary contemporary theories of crime, their policy implications and practical outcomes
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
2 Case Study
Weighting: 40%
Total Word Count: 1,500 words (3 × 500-word case studies)
This assessment requires you to select three criminological theories and apply them to three different real or hypothetical case studies (one criminology theory per case study). Each case study should demonstrate how the chosen theory explains the causes, context, or consequences of the criminal behaviour involved. This task emphasises theoretical application, critical thinking, and concise academic writing.
AI level 3 - You may use AI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content you use.
Week 11 Thursday (2 Oct 2025) 8:00 pm AEST
Submission point is in the unit's Moodle site. Time is Queensland's time - AEST.
Feedback will be provided after the 2 week marking period.
Criteria:
Understanding of chosen theories
Application of each theory to their case study
Critical analysis and reflection
Clarity, structure, and writing style
Referencing and use of sources
- Research and develop a systematic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of criminology theories in managing criminal activity
- Conceptualise crime using a variety of disciplines, discuss theories based on these conceptualisations, and how these theories influence law and social policy.
- Problem Solving
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
3 Written Assessment
Weighting: 45%
Word Count: 2,500 words (+/- 10%)
This assessment invites you to critically analyse how criminological theories are represented—explicitly or implicitly—in a crime-related media source. You will select a crime TV show, film, true crime documentary, or podcast, and examine how it reflects, distorts, or challenges criminological theory. Your focus should be on theoretical interpretation, not on the factual accuracy of the case or media content.
AI level 3 - You may use AI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content you use.
Review/Exam Week Tuesday (14 Oct 2025) 8:00 pm AEST
Submission point is in the unit's Moodle site. Time is Queensland's time - AEST.
Results and feedback will be released along with unit results on the Certification of Grades date.
Criteria:
Depth of media-theory analysis
Critical thinking and argumentation
Use of scholarly sources
Structure, clarity, and academic writing
Referencing and citation
- Research and develop a systematic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of criminology theories in managing criminal activity
- Conceptualise crime using a variety of disciplines, discuss theories based on these conceptualisations, and how these theories influence law and social policy.
- Problem Solving
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
