CRIM11001 - Foundations of Criminology and Criminal Justice

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to the basic elements of criminology and criminal justice. The nature and trends associated with crime are examined, together with how it relates to dimensions such as social class, age, gender and ethnicity. You will examine crime in the context of contemporary criminology theory. This unit also introduces you to the institutional response to Criminal Justice in Australia, how society responds to offensive behaviour and the roles of key agencies and individuals within the justice system.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 15%
2. Written Assessment 35%
3. Written Assessment 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 92.86% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 11.29% response rate.

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.

Source: Student evaluation (qualitative)
Feedback
More real-world examples
Recommendation
A primary case study could be applied to each week wherein a theory of crime is explored, allowing students to connect and apply the key concepts to a real crime event during the lecture and workshop.
Action Taken
Several case studies were integrated into the learning materials to deepen students understanding of the real-world applicability of theories of crime.
Source: Anecdotal student feedback; UC reflection
Feedback
Clarity around use of AI
Recommendation
Students should be provided with clear parameters around the use of AI at the outset of the unit, especially as this is a first-year subject. This information should be based on best practice as advised by the Academic Integrity Unit. Students should be guided on appropriate use of AI, and where it should not be utilised this must be made clear within the marking instructions/rubric/guides.
Action Taken
Clear parameters for the use of AI were embedded in the workshops and guidance was provided by the Academic Learning Centre. The AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) by Perkins, Furze, Roe and MacVaugh (2024) was communicated to all students with the appropriate level for use in each assessment outlined in the unit profile.
Source: Student feedback Educator observation
Feedback
Students benefited from the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) sessions that were embedded into the workshops
Recommendation
Continue to collaborate with the ALC to guide student learning and provide opportunities for ALC staff to present at workshops in advance of the assessment due dates to prepare students for assessments.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Vary assessment due dates so they are not clustered around week 4, 10 and 12 when other unit assessments are due.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the teaching team review the assessment due dates for all assessment items to ensure that the current dates support student success.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE data
Feedback
Some students did not feel that feedback was useful
Recommendation
Review the methods used to provide feedback to students, exploring different avenue for communication of feedback (e.g. voice recorded feedback in Turn It In feedback suite).
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe how crime is classified, measured and analysed
  2. Analyse basic criminology theories and how they relate to criminal activity
  3. Explain the roles of individuals and key agencies within the justice system
  4. Examine the societal and institutional responses to criminal justice in Australia.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • •
2 - Written Assessment •
3 - Written Assessment • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
8 - Ethical practice •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Written Assessment • • •
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • •