Social Studies Curriculum

History/Social Sciences Electives

« Return to History/Social Studies Electives Framework home page

Adopted January 1999

Criminology

Course Description:

Criminology is a study of the nature and causes of crime, its control, and related punishment issues. Students will explore why people become criminals, how do we control criminals, and how crime affects young people.

Sample questions in Criminology include:

• What are common crimes?
• How do juvenile crime patterns compare with adult?
• What are the different types of crimes?
• How do we police?
• What is organized crime?
• How does a citizen become a part of the solution?
• How are property crime patterns different from violent crime patterns?

The course title and description have been approved by the Anchorage School Board.  This course outline is meant to serve as an example of one possibility for organizing this class.  It does not represent the only way the course may be organized.  Each course outline has been written by a different teacher so there will be differences in the approach used from one course to another.

Course Goals:

Through this course students will:

• Understand the impact and nature of crime on the United States, Alaska, and Anchorage.
• Examine the differences between capital, felony, and misdemeanor crimes and status offenses.
• Explore the viewpoints whether criminals are born or made.
• Identify criminal characteristics and thinking patterns.
• Examine the different types of crime: vice, violent , property, organized, and white collar.
• Explore prevention techniques to avoid victimization from various types of crimes.
• Become aware of the four levels of police jurisdictions and how each functions.
• Explore the four modes of punishment, determining what makes punishment effective and examining the related problems in creating a just system of punishment.

Course Objectives:

The student will:

• Examine the social and economic cost of crime.
• Identify the three most common groups who are victimized by crime.
• Compare the frequency of felony to misdemeanor crime.
• Identify the patterns for gender, age, area, weapons, drugs and alcohol, race, family, biology, and crime.
• Become aware of the two ways the United States measures crime.
• Identify the ten most common crimes.
• Examine the seven violent and property crimes that make up the F.B.I. index and the nature of each.
• Explore passive and active resistance techniques to avoid violent crime.
• Explore psychological and physical ways to prevent burglary and other property crimes.
• Examine the function of the ten major federal police forces.
• Compare and contrast the role of state police and county sheriffs.
• Examine the function of patrol, investigation, and services, of the APD.
• Examine his/ her own fingerprints and other forensic evidence to discover the nature of criminalistics in criminology.
• Compare and contrast the negative impact of organized and white collar crime on society.
• Examine the regional and local nature of gangs and their role in crime.
• Identify the role of probation, parole, jails, prisons, capital punishment, presumptive and indeterminate sentencing, good time, half- way houses, and age levels in our justice system.
• Write a presentence report and punish a fictitious criminal in order to understand the judicial process of punishment.

Course Outline:

1. Basic crime.
   1. What is crime? Criminology?
   2. Present national, state, and local trends.
   3. How do we measure crime?
   4. Levels of crime:
      1. Capital
      2. Felony
      3. Misdemeanor
   5. What is the relationship of status offenses, citations, and violations to crime?
   6. Compare and contrast violent, property, and vice crimes.
2. Causation.
   1. General factors and their influence:
      1. Age
      2. Race
      3. Gender
      4. Demographics
   2. Environmental factors:
      1. Family imprinting
      2. Premature autonomy
      3. Living area
         1. Inner city, etc.
      4. School
   3. Role of alcohol and drugs
   4. Other major factors
      1. Guns and the legal and illegal use of deadly force in crime
      2. Media
      3. Biology
3. Index crime.
   1. Violent crime:
      1. Homicide
      2. Robbery
      3. Sexual Assault
      4. Aggravated Assault
   2. Property crime:
      1. Larceny
      2. Burglary
      3. Motor vehicle theft
      4. Arson
4. Crime prevention
   1. Home security
      1. Psychological
      2. Physical
      3. Electronic
      4. The four components of a proper inventory
      5. How to set up a neighborhood watch program
5. Police.
   1. Federal police:
      1. Role of all 10 forces
   2. State police:
      1. Jurisdiction and priorities of the Alaska State Troopers
   3. The county sheriff
   4. City police:
      1. Jurisdiction and priorities
      2. Three divisions and programs
      3. Role of community policing in Anchorage
      4. Lawful arrest and role in justice system
   5. Forensics:
      1. Typical crime scene investigation
      2. Role of fingerprints, ballistics, hair and fiber evidence in solving crimes
6. Organized and white collar crime.
   1. History
   2. Present impact.
   3. Gangs in Anchorage.
7. Punishment
   1. Four major punishment modes and a history of each
   2. Justice system and punishment:
      1. Presentence reporting.
   3. Role of prisons and jails:
      1. Hard time in USA and Alaska
      2. Soft time in USA and Alaska
   4. Role of probation and parole
   5. Presumptive, determinate (flat time) and indeterminate sentences
   6. Other current issues in corrections
      1. Curfew
      2. Good time
      3. Half-way houses;
      4. Death penalty
      5. Privatization of prisons and jails.

Next: Sample Course Outlines - Dignity in Diversity »