Criminology (CRIM)

An overview of professional activities of scholars of criminology and Penn State's program in this field. CRIM 500 Overview of Graduate Studies in Criminology (1) This course is intended for new students in the Criminology graduate program. Its purpose is to speed their transition to graduate study and to provide a good start for their professional socialization. The course offers an overview of many of the professional activities of scholars of criminology and of Penn State's program in this field. This includes writing, publishing, teaching, and seeking funding. A major goal of the course is to help students see beyond the immediate priority of success at course work to the longer term priorities of success in these other arenas. The course is organized around a series of guest speakers from the program faculty who will discuss a range of activities that are a part of the professional life of research scholars. It also provides a forum for graduate students to get to know the faculty. The tone of the discussion is conversational. Speakers welcome questions both about the particular topic of the week and about the speaker's professional/research activities.

Organizations and institutions involved in the formulation and implementation of criminal justice policy in complex social and organizational environments. CRIM 501 Criminal Justice Organizations and Institutions (3) Organizations and institutions involved in the formulation and implementation of criminal justice policy in complex social and organizational environments.

Survey of theoretical and substantive issues in deviance and criminology, with emphasis on critical review of theories. SOC (CRIM) 512 Criminological Theories (3) This graduate course in Criminological Theories is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the major theories that have animated the field of criminology since its inception. The course traces the development of criminological theories from the early 20th century to the present and provides students with a targeted exposure to empirical studies that have tested these theories.

This course critically examines innovative strategies criminological researchers take to test theory, evaluate policy, and contribute to the field. With recent scholarly examples, the course overviews the feasibility and relevance of the various approaches for graduate research, culminating in the opportunity to apply a strategy to individual research and peer review of final course papers.

"Moral Criminology" provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of moral ideas, beliefs, and intuitions in the occurrence of crime and analogous behavior and in the application of punishment. How do we decide if a behavior is morally right or wrong, or if someone deserves praise or punishment? Under what conditions do our moral principles, intuitions, and emotions influence whether we follow or break rules or laws? Under what conditions do they influence our attitudes towards such behavior in others? This course integrates perspectives from criminology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy and prepares students to interpret and conduct research on the relationship between morality and crime. Part One of the course examines a variety of approaches for conceptualizing morality. Part Two reviews existing research on morality and crime. Part Three reviews existing research on morality and punishment.

This course is an in-depth, advanced examination of sociological and criminological theory, research, and methodological issues in the empirical study of the social and organizational environment of criminal courts and their sentencing decisions. The course discusses sentencing decisions as a function of the complex interplay between formal legal norms, the social organization and culture of local courts, the social environment surrounding courts, the interactions between court participants, and the social psychology of court actors. In addition, the course considers the pros and cons of various empirical research strategies in studying sentencing decisions.

Crime has been shown to differ significantly across neighborhoods of different racial composition and of different socioeconomic characteristics. Specifically, neighborhoods characterized by high poverty and high segregation are more likely to exhibit higher violence, higher homicide rates, and higher disorder. Moreover, growing up in a highly disadvantaged neighborhood predicts whether youth will be involved in delinquency, risky behavior, and violent crime. In this course, students will learn about the major debates and arguments in the field on how such differences can come about and what may be their consequences. Students will learn to recognize, identify, and apply criminological and sociological theories and thinking on the effects of neighborhoods' social structures on crime. In particular, we will focus on classic and contemporary cutting edge thinking on poverty, social isolation, disorder, collective efficacy, institutional (dis)trust, demographic v. cultural heterogeneity, segregation, immigration, and the physical environment. We will address the theories, methods, and policies related to understanding key features of places such as social (dis)organization, social capital, spatial embeddeness, opportunity infrastructure, and cultural capital.

Preparation for teaching sociology and/or criminology at the college level. CRIM (SOC) 591 Teaching Sociology/Criminology (1) Preparation for teaching sociology and/or criminology at the college level.

Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.

A seminar on the study of social networks and crime, including research on interpersonal influence, co-offending, and illicit commerce.

Topics include overlapping theories in criminology and epidemiology, bio-social explanations of crime/deviance, and collateral health consequences of crime and punishment.

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