PART I: SHORT RESPONSE

 

Directions: Answer the questions below.  Your response to each should be at least one paragraph in length.

 

1.      What is the role of criminological research in theory building?

 

2.      How can theories help us to understand criminal behavior or to design strategies intended to control such behavior?

 

3.      What role do research and experimentation play in theory building in criminology?  How might a good research design be diagrammed?  What kinds of threats to the validity of research designs can you identify?  How can such threats be controlled or eliminated?

 

4.      What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative methods in the social sciences?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?

 

5.      What are some of the ethical considerations involved in conducting criminological research?  How can researchers make sure that such considerations are met?

 

6.      How do criminological research and experimental criminology impact social policy?

 

7.      What sections might a typical research report contain?  Where are research findings in criminology published?

 

PART II: ESSAY

 

Directions: Chose a crime from the list below.  Find statistics for this crime in your hometown and in one other city of similar population size.  As part of your research, examine the four key demographic factors in the collection of crime data.  Write a one page report comparing statistics from different cities.  Be sure to address the following questions:

 

(1) What are the differences?

(2) How might they be different?

(3) How have the statistics changed over time?

 

Personal/Violent Crimes

Murder

Forcible Rape

Robbery

Aggravated assault

 

Property Crimes

Burglary

Larceny

Motor Vehicle Theft

Arson

 

PART III: COURSE PROJECT: CRIMES AND THEORIES

 

(Compilation of Modules 1-8)

 

Directions: This course project will include a written component for each module that will be turned in at the end of the course in Module 8.  Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behaviors based on theory.  Your textbook defines a theory as a series of interrelated propositions that attempts to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of events.  A theory gains explanatory power from inherent logical consistency and is “tested” by how well it describes and predicts reality.  To assist you with this project, the textbook defines theories throughout.  The theories associated with criminology can be applied to the crimes we see committed in the news each week.  Thus, this course project will involve locating two crimes (one in your local or nearly surrounding communities and one national) and applying the crimes you locate to one of the theories learned in this course.

 

For example: Situational Choice Theory could be related to a crime of robbing a person because this type of crime often depends on the situation involved, such as a victim being in the right place at the right time and other factors that lends to the ability to commit the crime, including location, time of day, environmental factors, and the victim being alone and in possession of items the offender desires.

 

Requirements:  For each module, locate a local and national crime, describe the details and source of the crime (also be sure to keep a reference page with all the sources used throughout the course project).  Identify an appropriate theory learned during this course, describe the theory, and then explain how the theory relates to the crime chosen.  Thus, each part should require at least one paragraph as follows:

 

1.     Chosen description and details of the crime

2.     Chosen Theory, including definition and founder

3.     Explanation of how the chosen theory relates to the chosen crime.

 

Repeat this process for each crime – one local and one national for a total of a minimum of six paragraphs per Module.  Sources of crimes include newspapers, websites, television news stations, etc.  You can use theories repeatedly for this project; however, try to use varying theories to demonstrate an understanding of as many course criminological theories as possible.

 

Be sure to include APA formatting, including a cover page, in-text citations, and a reference page (please visit the Academic Resource Center for concise APA guidelines).  For each module, be sure to include the date with either Local or National next to the date as the title for that module assignment.  Note that there must be two titles for each module (one for local and one for national).  Grading will be in part on ensuring that the course project included both a local and national component for each module.  Thus, the final project should have a minimum of 16 Crimes with Theories Applied (two per module).  You will also be graded on your APA formatting, reference page, grammar, and spelling.