This course is not offered in 2018.
This course will explore the psychology of crime, with a particular emphasis on the contribution that cognitive and social psychology have made, and continue to make, to understanding crime and the criminal justice system. The first half of the course will explore the cognitive mechanisms that play out before, during and after a crime incident, and over the course of the criminal justice process. Topics covered will include the cognition of offenders, victims, witnesses, law enforcement, and juries. The second half of the course will explore the social psychological processes implicated in a variety of larger scale crimes, including bullying; vandalism and hooliganism; terrorism and war crimes; gangs and organized crime; and white-collar crime. Each of these crimes will be explored with regard to the interaction between the socio-historical context in which they occur and the social psychological processes taking place in the minds of the perpetrators.
Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Demonstrate a deep understanding of Psychology’s contribution to the student of crime.
- Distinguish and question the cognitive mechanisms implicated throughout a variety of general crime events and over the course of the criminal justice process.
- Explain in detail the social psychological mechanisms implicated in a variety of large-scale crimes.
- Compare, contrast and critique theoretical and empirical research in Criminal Psychology
- Independently design an experimental test of competing approaches to an issue in Criminal Psychology
- Structure and present a high level oral presentation to an audience of your peers
- Demonstrate effective team work skills from working in a group on a scientific problem-solving task
Indicative Assessment
Assessment will be based on:- 1 x Mid-Semester Examination (40%) (LO 1-5)
- 1 x Group Presentation Assignment (20%) (LO 6-7)
- 1 x End-of-Semester Examination (40%) (LO 1-5)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
(12 x 2hr lectures) + (6 x 3hr laboratory classes) and self study to an equivalent of 130 hours over the semester.Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the Research School of Psychology to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
NonePreliminary Reading
Optional advanced readings will be provided for each topic. These will usually be peer-reviewed journal articles.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $3780 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $5400 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
