DISCUSSION/DEBATE QUESTION SUGGESTIONS
- Consider the questions to be asked when reflecting and evaluating each theory, as discussed in the 2nd class - see below for these questions
- Consider pros and cons of theory
- Consider ideas of human nature - see below
- Consider applicability to crimes of today
- Consider role of various authorities, e.g. police, judges, legislators, etc…
- Consider reasons for crimes/criminality within society and individual
- Consider types of punishments if relevant
Questions to consider when evaluating theories/theorists (first 6 are from Chapter 1 of book)
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Macro or micro focus |
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Objective overt behaviour, e.g. actual observable behaviour, or subjective covert behaviour, e.g. perceptions, goals, values and sentiments |
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Conflict/exploitation/coercion or consensus/integration view of society |
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Static/stable or fluid/changing society |
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Change from below coming from individuals, or change from above coming from (authority) institutions |
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Individuals active agents (free will) or passive agents (e.g. biologically determined) |
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Time frame when theory developed |
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Stage of development in society – hunters/gatherers, agriculture, industrialization, information age |
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Political, economic, cultural climate of the time |
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Social class, gender, ethnicity, family, education of theorist |
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Relevance to today |
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European or US focus, relevance to other parts of the world, other cultures |
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What crimes/criminality are explained, what are not |
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Prevention, prediction, cause/effect discussed in theory |
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Always consider what theory is saying about the perceptions of the following: of youth, of the poor, of women, of immigrants, of non-whites, of men, of the rich/educated, of working class, of middle class, of the disabled mentally/physically, of criminals |
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Think about yourself as the criminal/deviant and the theory is speaking about you – what does theory say about what kind of criminal you are (remember that in the 1st class, almost everyone admitted to having engaged in deviant and illegal behaviour) |
Human nature ideas:
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Is there such a thing? |
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Is it learned, i.e. nurture argument, or is it innate or inherent, nature argument? |
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Are we like other animals or are we different from other animals? |
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Are we by nature competitive/aggressive/violent or are we by nature social/sharing/cooperative? |
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Are humans good or "evil", or born with clean slate? |
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Do we have free will: freely choose to do by an act of our will (does a guilty mind freely choose to do evil?) |
or
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"Hard" determinism: actions controlled by forces beyond immediate decision-making of individual, e.g. biological - inheritances, psychology - childhood effects, sociology - social environment |
or
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"Soft" Determinism: in the middle between free will and hard determinism |
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