Description

For each major criminological theory that we discuss (social disorganization theory, strain theory, subcultural theory, labeling theory, social control theory, and routine activities theory), you will write a 500-1000 word “outline”: an analytical essay (akin to a short encyclopedia article) that explains at least the following characteristics of each theory: 1. The key unit(s) of analysis for the explanation of crime (that is, what are the things that have the characteristics that this theory finds important? Individuals? Communities? Etc.); 2. The key outcome variable(s) being explained (that is, what is this theory trying to account for or predict? Instances of crime? Crime rates? Individual dispositions? Etc.); 3. The primary cause(s) of crime that the theory implies (that is, why or under what circumstances this theory thinks crime happens, if it offers such an explanation at all); 4. The main characteristics of criminals to which the theory calls attention (i.e. what, if anything, does this theory tell us about the kinds of people who commit crimes – presuming that such a “type” even exists); and 5. Any crime prevention strategies implied by the theory’s explanatory paradigm (that is, given this theory’s explanation of crime etiology, what pragmatic steps could we take to stop crime from happening or reduce the rate of its occurrence?). You should cite sources to back up the assertions you make in your outline; please draw on both the expressly theory-centered texts and the more empirical examinations. This exercise aims at providing a framework to make the theories’ approaches transparent in comparison with one another, so that at the end of the semester it will be easy to look back over these and understand the theories’ most important similarities and differences. Please approach it with that kind of analytic mindset. You can even structure your outline under those five headings (and maybe a sixth for “other important features”) to make this more straightforward.Outlines will always be due at 12pm on the Tuesday following the week in which each theory is discussed. They should be submitted electronically, via the Assignments tab on Canvas. A separate “assignment” will be created for each theory, but the general prompt given here will remain the same for each outline.