Students examine major sociological perspectives on crime and deviance, including mainstream and critical theories, particularly: anomie, neutralization, control, conflict, sub-cultural, ecological, functionalist, interactionist, and critical. Students scrutinize theoretical assumptions, similarities among and differences between various explanations, the historical/political contexts in which the theories emerged, and the policy implications of different theoretical perspectives. This course aims to foster critical thinking about the influence of sociological theories of crime and deviance while recognizing the intersection of theory, research, and the Canadian context.

Priority registration in this course is offered to students admitted to the Diploma in Criminology and Diploma in Criminal Justice.

Prerequisite(s): One of the following: LET 4; LPI with a minimum 30 on the essay; or a minimum "C" grade in one of the following: ENGL 1123, 1127, 1128, 1129, or 1130; and a minimum "C" grade in one of the following: CRIM 1115, 1116, 1125, ECON 1119, 1220, 1221, HIST 1116, 1126, PHIL 1100, 1101, POLI 1100, 1119, PSYC 1115, 1215, SOCI 1120, or 1121. Students who have other university-transferable credit may request permission from the department to register.