Course syllabus autumn 2014
Course syllabus autumn 2014
Title
Victimology
Swedish title
Victimology
Course code
KA714E
Credits
7.5 credits
Grading scale
UA / Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E) or Fail (U)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Health and Society
Syllabus approval date
2014-09-24
Syllabus valid from
2014-12-15
Entry requirements
1. Bachelor’s degree with a major in social- or behavioural science or medicine.
2. English B.
Level
Advanced level
Main field
Criminology
Progression level
A1N
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
The course is given in the first term of the Master’s Program in Criminology and is a course within the main field of study that may be counted toward the Master’s Degree in Criminology. The course is also offered as an independent course.
Course objectives
The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the discipline of victimology, an emerging area of specialization in the field of criminology and aims to develop the student’s knowledge of theories and methods applied within the field of victimology (the study of crime victims).
Course contents
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, hate crime and fear of crime will be included in the course content. Central concepts and definitions are discussed as well as explanatory models of victimization and methods to study victimization with a special focus on particularly vulnerable groups. Characterization of different victim groups is discussed as well as ethical considerations when studying victimization.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to
1. apply concepts and explanatory models to the different knowledge fields of victimology,
2. explain the methods employed in research of victimization,
3. analyze the consequences of victimization, for the individual and society at large, and
4. evaluate the methodological challenges related to the study of particular victim groups and crime types.
Learning activities
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 - 4, the student shall take part in lectures where the theoretical and empirical and methodological foundations, as well as the development of victimology is presented and discussed. Furthermore, the student shall discuss and apply concepts and explanatory models of victimization during group activities at course seminars. In addition to the seminars, students will be expected to participate in online discussion forums. To achieve learning outcomes 3 and 4, the student shall also analyze the situation of vulnerable groups and evaluate the methodological challenges related to a victim group of their own choice in written assignments.
Assessment
Learning outcomes 1-4 are assessed based on written assignments and active participation at the seminars. Learning outcomes 1 and 2 are assessed by a written paper where the student reflects on an issue discussed in class. The second assignment, assessing learning outcomes 3 and 4, takes the form of a short essay. The main focus in assessing the short essay is on the students’ ability to apply relevant explanatory models and their ability to discuss methods of analysis and ethical considerations related to studying and analyzing the situation of vulnerable groups. Seminars are mandatory. Active participation in seminars will be assessed by written review of a fellow student’s short essay. Students that fail to attend seminars will be given an additional assignment.
Assessment criteria will be provided upon the course introduction. In order to achieve the grade pass (E) the student must achieve the grade E on all assignments. A higher course grade will be based on the students’ performance on the short essay.
Right to re-examination *
A student who fails to achieve a passing grade in the course examination will be given the opportunity to be re-examined twice according to same course content and with the same requirements. In addition, students also have the right to be examined on the same course the next time the course is offered according to the same regulations. If the course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student has a right to re-examination on two occasions within one year, based on the syllabus that was in place at the time the student registered for the course. Examination and re-examination take place at the times specified in the course guide.
Course literature and other study material
Amir, M (1968). Victim precipitated forcible rape. Journal of criminal law and criminology, 58 (4).
Babbie, E. (2004) Laud Humphreys and Research Ethics. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 24(3):12-19.
Chakraborti, N. (år) Introduction: Hate crime victimization. International Review of Victimology, 18: 3-6, doi:10.1177/0269758011422162
Christie, N. (1986). The ideal victim. Ideal Victim. In Fattah E A (ed.) From From Crime Policy to Victim Policy, p 17-30. Will be provided.
Daigle, L H (2013) Victimology. The essentials. Sage. 343 pages.
Denscombe, M., Dingwall, G and Hillier, T (2009) Ethics First: Reflections on the Role of Research Ethics at the Initial Stages of an Investigation into Taxi Drivers' Experiences of Crime. International Review of Victimology, 16: 301-308, doi:10.1177/026975800901600304
Gabriel, U, Greve, W (2003) The Psychology of Fear of Crime. Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives. British Journal of Criminology, 43:600-614. 14 pages.
Garland, J. (2012). Difficulties in defining hate crime victimization.
International Review of Victimology, 18: 25-37. doi:10.1177/0269758011422473
Garland, J & Hodkinson, P (2014) F**king Freak! What the Hell Do You Think You Look Like?’: Experiences of Targeted Victimization Among Goths and Developing Notions of Hate Crime. British journal of criminology, 54 (4): 613-631 doi:10.1093/bjc/azu018
Groenhuijsen, M. (2014). The development of international policy in relation to victims of crime. International Review of Victimology, 20: 31-48, doi:10.1177/0269758013511740
Hardyns, W. & Pauwels, L., 2010. Different measures of fear of crime and survey measurement error. In: M. Cools, B. De Ruyver, M. Easton, L. Pauwels, P. Ponsaers, G. Vande Walle, T. Vander Beken, F. Vander Laenen, G. Vermeulen & G. Vynckier (Eds.). Governance of security research papers series III. New empirical data, theories and analyses on safety, societal problems and citizen´s perceptions. Pp 19-39.
Hate crime 2012. English summary of Brå report No. 2013:16. Download here: http://www.bra.se/bra/bra-in-english/home/publications/archive/publications/2013-09-25-hate-crime-2012.html
Miers, D. (1989). Positivist Victimology: A Critique. International Review of Victimology, Critical Criminology, 1: 3-22. doi:10.1177/026975808900100102.
McConnell, M (2008). Fear of crime and victimization. In: Moriarty, L., J, (2008). Controversies in victimology (2nd edition). Anderson. Will be provided
O´Connell, M (2008) Victimology: A Social Science in Waiting? International Review of Victimology, 15 (2): 91-104.
Perry, B (2003) Where do we go from here? Researching hate crime. Internet journal of criminology.
Potter, H (2013) Intersectional Criminology: Interrogating Identity and Power in Criminological Research and Theory. Critical Criminology DOI: 10.1007/s10612-013-9203-6
Shdaimah, C., S & Wiechelt, S.A. (2013). Crime and compassion: Women in prostitution at the intersection of criminality and victimization. International Review of Victimology, 19: 23-35, doi:10.1177/0269758012447217
Shapland, J & Hall, M (2007). What do we know about the effects of crime on victims? International Review of Victimology,14: 175-217, doi:10.1177/026975800701400202
Sutton, R., M. And Farrall, S. (2005). Gender, socially desirable responding and the fear of crime. Are women really more anxious about crime? British journal of criminology. 54: 212-224.
Sutton, R., M and Farrall, S (2009) Untangling the web: deceptive responding in fear of crime research. In: Lee, , M. And Farrall, S (eds.). Fear of crime. Critical voices in an age of anxiety. Routledge Cavendish. Will be provided.
Tiby, E (2007) Constructions of Homophobic Hate Crimes; Definitions, Desicions, Data. In: Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, 8: 114-137, 2007.
Van Dijk, J. (2009). Free the Victim: A Critique of the Western Conception of Victimhood. International Review of Victimology May 2009 16: 1-33, doi:10.1177/026975800901600101
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
Van Kasteren, J., van Dijk, J., Mayhew, P. (2013). The International Crime Victims Surveys: A retrospective, International Review of Victimology. 20 (1) 49-69 doi: 10.1177/0269758013511742
Additional articles from scientific journals and other teaching materials will also be included.
Course evaluation
The course coordinator/examiner is responsible for ensuring that a summary course evaluation is conducted at the end of the course. The coordinator will relay these results to the students at a prearranged time. Memory notes from the feedback, including proposals for changes to the course, will be documented and made available on the course website, and will also be relayed to the students who begin the course the next time it is given.