Enroll in Introduction to Criminology with Dolphin STEM Academy

Course Overview

This one-semester course is intended as a guide to the field and theories of criminology. It’s
structured into lessons and Course Activities as follows:

• The first lesson discusses criminology as a field of study.
• The next two lessons discuss theories, which suggest that people engage in crime to satisfy
self-interests and individual traits influence criminal behavior.
• The next lesson discusses the theory that motivated offenders are most likely to commit
crimes when they are influenced by routine activities of potential victims.
• The next three lessons describe theories that suggest that people engage in crimes when
social institutions fail to have a positive influence on them, they are labeled as criminals, and
they associate with peers with criminal backgrounds.
• The next lesson familiarizes you with the theory that people engage in or refrain from
criminal activities based on how they respond to certain events (turning points) in their lives.
• The next three lessons describe theories that influence of political and social powers,
inability to achieve societal goals, and breakdown of social order contribute to criminal
behavior.
• The next two lessons discuss theories that crimes and criminal behavior can be reduced by
advocating peace and justice, reducing physical opportunities, and increasing the risks of
being caught.
• The last lesson familiarizes you with the theory that focuses on preventing the escalation of
serious crimes in a community.

You will grade your work in the Lesson Activities by comparing them with sample responses and
submit the Course Activity documents to your teacher. Each lesson also has a multiple-choice
mastery test. A multiple-choice end-of-semester test completes the course.

The Course Activities (submitted to the teacher) and the Lesson Activities (self-checked) are
major components of this course. They will guide your learning as you work through this course.

Course Goals

This course will help you meet the following goals:
• Describe criminology as a field of study.
• Explain the classical theory of criminology.
• Analyze the theory that individual traits influence interactions with the social environment.
• Explain the view that situational components may lead to opportunities for crime.
• Identify the factors that may cause people to deviate from social norms with regard to their
criminal behavior.
• Explain the view that people become criminals when society labels them as such.
• Analyze the theory that people engage in crime due to their association with others.
• Explain the theory that focuses on the desistence from criminal activity and why some
offenders do not desist from a life of crime.
• Explain how political and social power may contribute to criminal behavior.
• Analyze the theory that individuals may turn to crime when they are unable to achieve goals of society.
• Describe the theory that crimes result from a breakdown of social order because of a loss of
standards and values.
• Analyze the role of peacemaking criminology in attempting to reduce criminal behavior in society.
• Explain how situational crime prevention measures may be used to prevent crimes from occurring.
• Explain the broken windows theory, which proposes to stop the escalation of serious crimes
in cities and neighborhoods.