Master's level
A bachelor’s degree with a major in social- or behaviour sciences or medicine and English 6.
A1N / Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
The course is given in the third term of the Master’s Program in Criminology and is a course within the main field of study and can be included in the degree requirements for a Master’s Degree in Criminology. The course is also offered as an independent course.
The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the discipline of victimology (the study of crime victims), an emerging area of specialization in the field of criminology. Furthermore, the course aims to develop the student’s knowledge of theories and methods applied within the field of victimology.
The course addresses victimology as a research area both internationally and in Sweden. Topics such as the history of victimology, theories of victimization, consequences of victimization, trauma and fear of crime will be included in the course content. Central concepts and definitions are discussed as well as explanatory models and methods to study victimization and treatment and care of trauma with a special focus on particularly vulnerable groups. Characterization of different victim groups is discussed as well as ethical considerations when studying victimization.
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to
- apply concepts and explanatory models to victimization and trauma,
- account for methodological challenges related to the study of victimization,
- analyze consequences caused by victimization for individuals, including trauma,
- account for models used in treatment and care of such trauma, and
- analyze consequences of victimization on a societal level
The teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars based on the themes covered by the course. The student is expected to be acquainted with the course literature before each lecture. To achieve learning outcomes 1 - 5, the student shall discuss and apply concepts and explanatory models of victimization, consequences of traumas for individuals and society, and models to treat such traumas among individuals. To achieve learning outcomes 2, 3 and 5, the student shall also analyze the situation of vulnerable groups and evaluate the methodological challenges related to a victim group in individual written assignments. Seminars are compulsory.
The learnings outcomes are assessed by one written paper (learning outcomes 2, 3, and 5) and one oral presentation (learning outcomes 1-5).
Focus for the assessment is the students’ ability to apply concepts and explanatory models, account for methodological challenges, analyze consequences of trauma, account for models used in the treatment of trauma, and analyze consequences of victimization on a societal level. The written paper can be handed in individually or in pairs. The students writing in pairs shall also hand in a log in which their individual contributions to the paper is clearly presented.
Any absence in compulsory parts shall, at the discretion of the examiner, be compensated by an individual written assignment.
Students have to possibility to revise smaller errors in formalia of language within a given time frame specified in the schedule. If any other part of the assignment does not reach a pass the student are required to submit a new paper.
In order to achieve the grade pass (C-E) the student must achieve the grade E on all assignments. Achievement of the Grade of Distinction (A or B) requires that originality and meta-theoretical understanding characterize the obligatory assignments. Assessment criteria for the examination tasks will be provided upon the course introduction.
Right to re-take
Students who fail the exam are given the opportunity to do two re-takes with the same course content and with the same requirements. The student also has the right to take the examination in the same course in the subsequent course according to the same rule. Examination and re-takes are carried out at the times specified in the course schedule.
Britt, C. L. (2001). Health Consequences of Criminal Victimization. International Review of Victimology, 8(1), 63-73. 10 p.
Clark, J. J., & Walker, R. (2011). Research ethics in victimization studies: widening the lens. Violence against women, 17(12), 1489–1508.19 p.
Christie N, (2018) The ideal victim. In Duggan. (ed.) Revisiting the 'Ideal Victim', Policy Press. 14 p.
European Institute for Gender Equality, (2014) Estimating the costs of gender-based violence in the European Union. 123 p.
Groenhuijsen M, (2014) The development of international policy in relation to victims of crime. International Review of Victimology, 20: 31-48. 17 p.
Herman J L, (1994) Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence – from domestic abuse to political terror. Pandora. 292 p.
Liamputtong P, (2007) Researching the vulnerable. A guide to sensitive research methods. Sage Publications Ltd. 256 p.
Potter H, (2013) Intersectional Criminology: Interrogating Identity and Power in Criminological Research and Theory. Critical Criminology, 21(3): 305-318. 13 p.
Shapland J, Hall M, (2007) What do we know about the effects of crime on victims? International Review of Victimology,14: 175-217. 42 p.
Walklate, S. (2017) Handbook of victims and victimology. Routledge. 394 p.
Van Wijk, J, (2013) Who is the ‘little old lady’ of international crimes? Nils Christie’s concept of the ideal victim reinterpreted. International Review of Victimology, 19(2): 159–179. 20 p.
Additional articles from scientific journals and/or book chapters will also be included, approx. 500 pages.
Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that ap-plied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.
If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.
The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.