Advanced Criminological Theory (CRIM3039)

Writing for Non-Academic Audiences: Writing for “The Conversation”

Due Date: Monday April 7th at 4pm

Word Count: 1,000 words (+/-10%)

Marks Possible: 20 marks

Task Description: This assessment is linked to the end of semester Theory Application Paper in that students focus on a crime problem that they are responsible for choosing. Information about how to choose this crime problem will be provided in class. This assessment piece helps in grounding your thinking and knowledge of your chosen topic before needing to apply advanced level theory to your crime topic. This assessment is designed to prepare students for subsequent assessment. It also assumes that as 3rd year students you have some foundational knowledge about a range of crime problems and that you have developed an interest in at least one specific crime problem.

Students are to write their own piece for The Conversation based on the crime problem they have chosen for this assessment and the Theory Application Paper. Writing for The Conversation requires a specific style of writing. You are communicating to people who are not necessarily academics. They may be practitioners looking for proposed solutions, or they may be members of the public who are interested in gaining an understanding of a current social problem. A range of examples will be available as part of the course so that students are equipped to develop this specific set of skills for communication.

The Conversation piece you write must (keeping the audience in mind) communicate the importance of the problem you have chosen and should cover the following points:

-       Clearly demonstrate why the public should care about this crime problem

-       A brief review of some of the research literature that has helped us understand this problem as criminologists

-       A plain-language theoretical argument that explains the problem

-       What solutions to the problem provide hope for ameliorating the problem in the future?

Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.

Al Use: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Artificial Intelligence (Al) technologies and/or Machine Translation (MT) technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independently of Al and MT tools.

Students are expected to research the topic of their Conversation Article and write the text portions of their article without the aid of generative AI (beyond spell-checking, grammar-checking, and translation). Generative AI can be used for the other creative and visual elements of their Conversation Article, for example, using image generation software to generate and create pictures, icons, depictions, imagery, or symbols for use in this assessment. A failure to reference AI or MT use appropriately may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. In addition to the Conversation Article, all students must also submit a declaration regarding the use of generative AI in your assessment. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero. Further information on how to reference generative AI for this assessment will be provided in Week 1.

Why have I assigned this task? This assessment has been designed for you to develop your communication skills as scholars that have implications for your success beyond this course. As you prepare to start your professional career or go onto further education, the ability for you to succinctly and simply explain complex problems, their importance, and your knowledge becomes more pivotal. Communicating your understanding and knowledge with a broader (non-academic) audience is a skill. This assessment helps in students practice and further develop their ability to communicate their expertise with a non-academic audience.

Presenting to the Practitioners and the People: Theoretically Driven Solutions Showcase/Marketplace Display

Task Description: You will work in groups (cue collective groan…) to select a policy/process, critique it, and design a solution to improve it. The policies will be provided to you in class and are derived from the modules of the course. Over the course of the semester, students will be given time and space to work on their projects in-class. During this time, course staff can assist groups in completing tasks ranging from their choosing topic to the development of materials. This semester, the Group Project Assessment focuses on the theme “Trauma-Informed Policy Responses”.

The research on trauma-informed care is growing in recognition that policies, practices, and programs designed to help those who are already vulnerable (experiencing poverty, crime, discrimination, etc.) often create more harm by failing to consider the impact of their services on those who have experienced trauma. In this way, the same services are designed to help those who have experienced trauma (like many offenders and victims of crime) retrigger trauma or create new experiences of trauma. Trauma-informed scholarship suggests that there are ways that we can design policy and practice to mitigate these risks of traumatisation. This course will focus on ways in which we can use our criminological theories along with trauma-informed principles to build better crime policy solutions.

In the second module of the course, you will be introduced to the concept of trauma-informed care and the six principles of trauma-informed practice. Each substantive content module will include activities that will encourage you and your group members to think about how the trauma-informed principles can be used in conjunction with our theoretical understandings of crime. As criminologists, we will use the principle of trauma-informed care to consider and explore the ways in which our criminal justice system marginalises those who are vulnerable and potentially causes more vulnerability along the way.

Students working in small groups (the size of groups formed in Week 2 of the course will depend on enrolment numbers) will work together to choose one of the modules offered in the course to focus on. Students in their groups will then choose a policy linked to that module to critique and improve using the theoretical techniques learned in the first five weeks of the course. There are two components to the group project; a group showcase component and a peer assessment factor. The group project requires you to contribute and engage effectively with your group members.

Component 1: Marketplace/Showcase Display (collective assessment)

Task Description: Your group will prepare a marketplace/showcase table where you can bring your solution to life for showcase attendees. This may mean you bring props, guests, a dramatic reading, or whatever you think is best to convince people that your solution is better than the one that the government has provided. The showcase will have guests that will be able to wander through the room looking at each display. While there is no formal “presentation” (I hear a sigh of relief from those who don’t like public speaking), this component

assumes that you will be able to answer questions about what design principles and theoretical components were used to develop the solution you are presenting. Your attendees will consist of your fellow students and academic staff from the School of Social Science. There will be multiple activities in-class designed to prepare you for this end-of-class project, including an example marketplace display. As this is a group assignment, you are all responsible for ensuring that the group functions well and works together effectively. Training will be provided in class to help you do this and groups will be supported by the course coordinator and selected mentors along the way. It is the students' responsibility to make the course coordinator aware of any issues regarding their group in a timely manner.

The presentation should effectively and creatively communicate the following:

a) define the problem/policy chosen and argue why it is important that a trauma-informed approach is adopted. This should be a macro-level discussion/argument that talks about these as societal problems (i.e. link to big-picture problems like inequality, racism, etc.).

b) evaluate and highlight the problems with the current policy/practice. This should be a micro-level examination of how the policy/practice could negatively impact individuals (cause trauma, exacerbate harm, etc.).

c) use trauma-informed principles AND criminological theory to redesign, create, or tweak your policy example so that it might be improved.

Outside of class, students are expected to communicate effectively with each other, explore the resources provided to create the showcase display (including all materials, props, display items, and/or video presentation), and ensure that these materials are ready for presentation in Week 13 of class for guests and fellow students.

Component 2: Peer Assessment Factor (PAF)

Due at the beginning of class (2pm)

Task Description: Each student will complete a Peer Assessment Form by the due date which will provide an opportunity to reflect on the contribution each member of the team has made to the WHOLE group project. The Peer Assessment Form informs a Peer Assessment Factor (PAF) which may be used to adjust marks according to contribution. This assessment requires each team member to rate the performance of themselves and the other team members using the BuddyCheck platform via Blackboard.

No marks are specifically allocated to the BuddyCheck Peer Assessment, but failure to complete the Peer Assessment will result in zero marks for the assessment. In circumstances where the Peer Assessment indicates significant disparities in group contributions, the Course Coordinator may also adjust individual team members’ marks on the presentation accordingly.

While attendance is not mandatory in this course, dedicated time for the group project is provided in class time in order to facilitate team work, receive assistance from course staff, and to provide an opportunity to incorporate course material. More than occasional missed classes will have workload implications for your fellow team members. 

Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.

Al Use: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Artificial Intelligence (Al) technologies and/or Machine Translation (MT) technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their showcase solution and display materials independently of Al and MT tools. Students are expected to research the problem/issue being addressed in their theory-solution showcase, develop a novel solution that is informed by both their theoretical framework and trauma-informed principles, and write the text portions of their showcase materials without the aid of generative AI (beyond spell-checking, grammar-checking, and translation). Generative AI can be used for the other creative and visual elements of their showcase materials, for example, using image generation software to generate and create pictures, icons, depictions, imagery, or symbols for use in this assessment. A failure to reference AI or MT use appropriately may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. In addition to the showcase display, each group must also submit a declaration regarding the use of generative AI with their group submission. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero. Further information on how to reference generative AI for this assessment will be provided in Week 1.

Why have I assigned this task? This assessment has been designed for you to be able to develop a range of skills. As future practitioners and scholars, it is increasingly important for you to be able to meaningfully engage in moral and ethical dilemmas in our field, contribute to social change by devising innovative solutions to real problems, and engage and communicate with professional, academic, and lay audiences. Lastly, this assessment creates an opportunity for students to learn how to effectively work with in a team in pursuit of a common goal. This skill is becoming more highly valued and sought after in criminal justice practitioner roles.

Bringing It All Together: Theory Application Essay

Due Date: Monday 9th June at 4pm

Word Count: 2000 words (+/- 10%)

Possible Marks: 50 marks

Task Description: The aim of your essay is to create a dynamic theoretical model of a specific crime problem of your choice (or problem related to crime/criminology). A dynamic theoretical model takes into account the possible macro and micro explanations of the phenomenon you have chosen using the Coleman Boat method taught in the course. Your essay will need to:

1.   Introduce the topic and why it is important

2.   Examine the existing literature on the topic and draw out the macro and micro-level implications of that literature. Look to see what kinds of theories are typically used to explain the problem.

3.   Build a “Coleman’s Boat” model of your topic that takes into account the literature that has been examined.

4.   Discuss and explain “how the boat works” and how it can be used for future research.

5.   Discuss the implications for policy that result in your more complete macro/micro model of your topic.

Choosing and introducing your chosen criminological topic: You have the freedom to choose whatever criminological topic interests you the most. You can choose something discussed in the course but you are not constrained to course-related examples. The best (and easiest to manage) topics for this type of assessment is one that is specific enough for you to apply theory. General topics can make this too big and too cumbersome to accomplish. Choose something you are interested in that you will enjoy reading and thinking about. Introducing the problem should include answering the following questions:

1.   What is the problem?

2.   Why should social scientists/criminologists care about this topic?

Literature Review: The aim of the literature review is to demonstrate what the field of criminology already knows about your chosen topic.

Build the Coleman Boat: In Week 3 of the semester, the course will cover Coleman’s theoretical boat that helps you think about how to explain your phenomenon by looking at the overall social structural (macro) contributors, as well as the individual level (micro) contributors. This section of your essay will need to use the evidence laid out in the literature review for you to build your own theoretical model using the Coleman boat technique. You must provide a drawing as well as explain each of the nodes and links in the boat. Course material in Week 3 is critical for this task and there will be many opportunities to practice this and receive feedback over the course of the semester.

Future Research and Future Policy: The aim of this section is to demonstrate how your theoretical model (articulated in your Coleman Boat) can benefit both future research and future policy. In terms of future research, think about what elements of your boat needed to be tested with empirical evidence or whether there are gaps in the literature that would provide a fuller explanation of your chosen phenomenon. In terms of future policy, think about how the theoretical model may suggest that current policies used to control your phenomena should be rethought or suggest a new one. The key here is that these suggestions must be clearly linked to your boat.

Formatting and Submission: Your essay must be typed, preferably in 12-point font and double-spaced. Please use APA 7th style referencing and make sure you reference appropriately throughout your essay. The reference list is not included in the final word count.

Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.

Al Use: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic, and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies for simple tasks (listed below), successful completion of this assessment will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) technologies will provide only limited support and guidance. To pass, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independently of AI tools. Beyond simple tasks such as spell-checking, grammar-checking, and translation, using AI and/or MT for this assessment is not allowed. A failure to reference AI use appropriately may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. In addition to the essay, all students must also submit a declaration regarding the use of generative AI in your assessment. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero.

Why am I assigning this task? The field of criminology is not only about finding ways to explain why people offend (or do not offend) on an individual level but also being able to explain structural phenomena such as crime trends and crime rates. Within the field of criminology, the phenomenon of crime is often only considered from a micro perspective (the individual level) or the macro level (social structure and systems level). This is referred to as the micro/macro problem in criminology and results in a limited understanding of the ways in which micro-level influences, conditions, and environments are interacting with social structural conditions in the occurrence of crime and the resulting crime trends and rates. This task asks you to find explanations that can take account of both the individual and structural influences, conditions, and environments that led to the occurrence of specific crimes and resulting trends and rates for particular types of offending. This aim is to be able to provide wholistic and considered contributions to the field that can inform future research and policies. This is a critical skill for anyone moving into a criminal justice career or intending to continue studying criminology.