4 credits
60 hours
Principles of Criminology
Shankey Verma
Over the past few decades, crime has become an increasingly prevalent phenomena in our society, with every year the number of crimes committed rising steadily. As the society evolved, so did the methods and manner in which crimes are committed. This indicates the need to study crime and criminal behaviour, its causes, preventive measures, the impact it creates and how the society responds to it. Criminology is a discipline that studies these aspects by drawing from various other related disciplines such as psychology, sociology, law, history, philosophy, science etc. This course, The Principles of Criminology, aims to familiarize the students with how explanations of criminal behaviour has evolved from primitive (spiritual and demonological) to more scientific understanding through, various biological, psychological and social factors and their relation to criminal behaviour. Through the course, we will also introduce the students to the philosophical and methodological debates and criticisms about various theories of crime causation and prevention. There will be special emphasis on the evolution and impact of various criminological theories and how they have impacted policy making and the criminal justice system. It will also explore how various movements such as Positivism, Marxism, Feminism, Globalization etc. contributed towards the understanding of offending behaviour. The course, in a nutshell, will look at crime and criminal behaviour in the backdrop of a changing and evolving society.