SOC 2087 - Criminology and Criminal Behavior

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course is designed to develop an understanding of criminally deviant behavior and how it is studied within the discipline of sociology. The course examines crime theories, trends in criminal behavior, and methods of criminological investigation. Public policy implications and considerations from the local to national levels will be examined in the US and other countries. The global focus of this course will draw from cross-cultural, transnational, and international examples, such as the drug trade, human trafficking, or terrorism.
MnTC Goals
5 History/Social/Behavioral Science, 8 Global Perspective

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content

1. Controlling and preventing crime policing, prosecution, and punishment
2. Criminology and sociological perspective
3. Critical perspectives of global crime trends and global legal issues
4. Future issues for crime prediction and crime reduction in world society
5. Media representation of crime in societies nationally and globally
6. Methodology and measurement: criminology and global perspective
7. Organized crime within traditional families and new international groups
8. Property crime patterns compared cross-nationally
9. Public order crime as defined in communities across the globe
10. Social psychological criminal personality using international comparison
11. Social structure, theoretical explanation of crime and global change
12. Victim patterns, to include gender patterns and crimes against children
13. Violent crime: homicide, assault, and robbery trends in global perspective
14. White collar crimes within global relationships and corporate culture

1. Explain results related to the utilization of behavior analysis and the sociological method used to study criminal deviance globally.
2. Review programs and policies within the criminal justice system.
3. Apply comparative methodology to study concepts of crime and criminal justice policy internationally.
4. Examine assumptions, philosophies, and major concepts in criminological and sociological theories relating to crime and criminal behavior.
5. Demonstrate awareness of ethical issues for global criminal justice research.
6. Analyze the relationship between social policy and social behavior cross-culturally.
7. Apply critical thinking using cross-national analyses of the international nature of crime.
8. Evaluate historical changes in crime trends.

05. 02. Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.

05. 03. Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
Competency 2 (7-10)
08. 01. Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.

08. 02. Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.

08. 03. Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural, economic, and political differences that affect their solution.

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