This course is designed to introduce students to the field of victimology. Students who work or intend to work in fields such as law enforcement, institutional or community corrections, and public or private security will find this course relevant to their careers.
CRJS 352 is organized into three sections. The first section provides a contextual foundation for the course by reviewing historical issues in victimology and describing how crime rates are measured. This section also includes a description of the Canadian criminal justice system. The second section is focused on the impact of victimization, the use of victim impact statements in court proceedings, and international perspectives on victimology. In the final section, the focus narrows to specific victim populations, with units devoted to victimization experiences organized loosely by crime categories.
Outline
CRJS 352 is composed of eleven units as follows:
Part 1: Introduction
Unit 1: History of Victimology
Unit 2: The Criminal Justice System
Unit 3: Measuring Crime Rates
Part 2: General Issues
Unit 4: The Consequences of Victimization
Unit 5: Victim Impact Statements
Unit 6: International Perspectives
Part 3: Specific Victim Populations
Unit 7: Homicide Victims
Unit 8: Sexual Victimization
Unit 9: Intimate Partner Violence
Unit 10: Child and Elder Abuse
Unit 11: Hate Crimes and Other Special Populations
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for CJRS 352, you must complete and submit all of the assignments and write the final exam. You must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final exam, and an overall grade of at least D (50 percent) for the course.
You will be evaluated on your understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on your ability to apply those concepts. Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
Activity
Weight
Assignment 1
30%
Assignment 2
30%
Final Exam
40%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2019). Victimology: Legal, psychological, and social perspectives (5th ed.). New York: Pearson. (eText)
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the CRJS 352 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the online examination.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.