CRIM11001 - Foundations of Criminology and Criminal Justice

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to the basic elements of criminology and criminal justice. The nature and trends associated with crime are examined, together with how it relates to dimensions such as social class, age, gender and ethnicity. You will examine crime in the context of contemporary criminology theory. This unit also introduces you to the institutional response to Criminal Justice in Australia, how society responds to offensive behaviour and the roles of key agencies and individuals within the justice system.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see assessment details from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 86.96% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 16.08% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE survey
Feedback
Students do not want to be compelled to participate in learning activities.
Recommendation
Assessment allow choices about level of participation but still provide encouragement to engage in the learning community.
Action Taken
The case study assessment was revised to remove the requirement for students to swap their case studies for analysis. Students were still encouraged to voluntarily participate in workshop activities and discussions.
Source: SUTE survey
Feedback
Some students found the assessment tasks confusing
Recommendation
This was not substantially raised via the multiple methods of contact with the UC - there were a few typical questions that were immediately answered. Students will be encouraged to become more autonomous learners and ask questions and express themselves before the end of term SUTE survey.
Action Taken
The workbook assessment was revised to include a template to students which was mandatory, guiding their responses more clearly around focused questions. The case studies available for analysis in the major assessment were devised for students by the UC to enable more clarity regarding the different theoretical lenses to be selected and applied. Video overviews of each assessment item were available on Moodle, which students reported as helpful.
Source: Feedback from markers.
Feedback
Many students struggle with basic academic literacies.
Recommendation
There is a proposal to use gradeless, competency-based assessment in term 1 of the criminology courses which would reduce student anxiety and allow potential to develop core literacies.
Action Taken
Gradeless assessment was not approved for use in 2024 therefore it was not adopted. Students were provided with dedicated videos about each assessment items and activities at the beginning of weekly workshops focused on the assignments providing an opportunity for questions and clarification.
Source: Student evaluation (qualitative)
Feedback
More real-world examples
Recommendation
A primary case study could be applied to each week wherein a theory of crime is explored, allowing students to connect and apply the key concepts to a real crime event during the lecture and workshop.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Anecdotal student feedback; UC reflection
Feedback
Clarity around use of AI
Recommendation
Students should be provided with clear parameters around the use of AI at the outset of the unit, especially as this is a first-year subject. This information should be based on best practice as advised by the Academic Integrity Unit. Students should be guided on appropriate use of AI, and where it should not be utilised this must be made clear within the marking instructions/rubric/guides.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes
This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.