Students
PICT1030 – Introduction to Criminology
2021 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Alex Simpson
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the discipline and study of criminology, including a broad overview of key developments, theories and practical implications. The intention is to situate criminology, and its various strands, within its particular social, political and intellectual contexts and to outline some of the key approaches associated with the field. Specifically, the unit is concerned with three broad and interrelated questions: 1) What and how societies define crime and harm in a particular way? 2) How theories of crime attempt to explain why certain people offend and certain crimes are committed? 3) What are the social responses to crime and how do institutions of criminal justice engage in mechanism of crime control? |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Evaluate how societies come to define crime and the critical implications of such understandings on institutions of criminal justice.
- ULO2: Identify and distinguish between key criminological theories and their practical implications.
- ULO3: Analyse and demonstrate critical understanding of how social categories of gender, race and class impact experiences of crime and its responses.
- ULO4: Research and locate different academic sources and express judgement about their validity.
- ULO5: Engage in informed criminological discussion with practitioners, academics and peers
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation | 10% | No | Ongoing |
| Annotated Poster | 20% | No | Week 5 |
| Essay | 50% | No | Week 13 |
| Quizzes | 20% | No | Weeks 7 & 13 |
Participation
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 13 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
Students will be required to demonstrate active and critical engagement with course materials. This includes showing a detailed knowledge and understanding of weekly readings, engagement in activities and a critical awareness of, and response to, issues raised in the weekly lecture. Students should also be able to apply these topics to ongoing national and international news events.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Engage in informed criminological discussion with practitioners, academics and peers
Annotated Poster
Assessment Type 1: Poster
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%
Students will be expected to structure their poster in response to one of the essay questions. The question they chose for their poster maybe the same as for their essay (this is encouraged to offer the students formative feedback). Each poster will need to capture an overview presentation of the argument and include a minimum of four sources (two of which need to be from the course material). Alongside the poster, students will need to complete a short written summary to help signpost and explain the significance of what they have presented.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate how societies come to define crime and the critical implications of such understandings on institutions of criminal justice.
- Research and locate different academic sources and express judgement about their validity.
Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 50%
Students will need to answer one question from a list made available on iLearn and will be required to demonstrate critical knowledge of course content across a range of weeks. Students will be expected to draw on course material along with independently sourced academic texts to display skills of analysis, evaluation and critical thinking.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate how societies come to define crime and the critical implications of such understandings on institutions of criminal justice.
- Identify and distinguish between key criminological theories and their practical implications.
- Analyse and demonstrate critical understanding of how social categories of gender, race and class impact experiences of crime and its responses.
- Research and locate different academic sources and express judgement about their validity.
Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Weeks 7 & 13
Weighting: 20%
Students will be required to complete a mid-semester and end of semester online quiz. The quizzes will be multiple choice or short answer format with one correct answer. The questions will be selected at random and the questions will cover key topics covered in key readings and lecture content.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate how societies come to define crime and the critical implications of such understandings on institutions of criminal justice.
- Identify and distinguish between key criminological theories and their practical implications.
- Analyse and demonstrate critical understanding of how social categories of gender, race and class impact experiences of crime and its responses.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
- You should spend an average of 12 hours per week on this unit. This includes listening to lectures prior to seminar or tutorial, reading weekly required materials as detailed in iLearn, participating in Ilearn discussion forums and preparing assessments.
- Internal students are expected to attend all seminar or tutorial sessions, and external students are expected to make significant contributions to on-line activities.
- In most cases students are required to attempt and submit all major assessment tasks in order to pass the unit.
REQUIRED READINGS
- The citations for all the required readings for this unit are available to enrolled students through the unit iLearn site, and at Macquarie University's library site. Electronic copies of required readings may be accessed through the library or will be made available by other means.
TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
- Computer and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
- This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
- Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.
- Information about IT used at Macquarie University is available at http://students.mq.edu.au/it_services/
SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS
- All text-based assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically. This will only happen through the unit iLearn site.
- Assessment tasks must be submitted as a MS word document by the due date.
- Most assessment tasks will be subject to a 'TurnitIn' review as an automatic part of the submission process.
- The granting of extensions is subject to the university’s Special Consideration Policy. Extensions will not be granted by unit conveners or tutors, but must be lodged through Special Consideration: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/specialconsideration
LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKS
- Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven (7) days (incl.weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
WORD LIMITS FOR ASSESSMENT TASKS
- Stated word limits include footnotes and footnoted references, but not bibliography, or title page.
- Word limits can generally deviate by 10% either over or under the stated figure.
- If the number of words exceeds the limit by more than 10%, then penalties will apply. These penalties are 5% of the awarded mark for every 100 words over the word limit. If a paper is 300 words over, for instance, it will lose 3 x 5% = 15% of the total mark awarded for the assignment. This percentage is taken off the total mark, i.e. if a paper was graded at a credit (65%) and was 300 words over, it would be reduced by 15 marks to a pass (50%).
- The application of this penalty is at the discretion of the course convener.
REASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER
- Macquarie University operates a Grade Appeal Policy in cases where students feel their work was graded inappropriately: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
- In accordance with the Grade Appeal Policy, individual works are not subject to regrading.
STAFF AVAILABILITY
- Department staff will endeavour to answer student enquiries in a timely manner. However, emails or iLearn messages will not be answered over the weekend or public holiday period.
- Students are encouraged to read the Unit Guide and look at instructions posted on the iLearn site before sending email requests to staff.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Enquiry Service
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Equity Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook